Winter Concert 2008 Details

Thodos Dance Chicago proudly announces the selection of choreographers for its critically acclaimed New Dances Choreography Performance Series. The eighth annual New Dances will be presented in three performances at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago - Friday, July 11 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 13 at 5:00 p.m. Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos states, “New Dances embodies one of the many things we value so much at Thodos Dance Chicago, dance creation. We are an organization committed to nurturing and supporting talented dance artists interested in expressing their own choreographic vision.”

Zachary Whittenburg has been selected as special guest choreographer. Mr. Whittenburg has been working in dance for ten years. Beginning with Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet, he has also been a member of North Carolina Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Montréal's [bjm_danse]. Freelance in Chicago since 2005, he has collaborated with Lucky Plush Productions, Same Planet Different World Dance, and Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance in Asheville, NC, and is currently a member of Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak. He also writes and edits weekly dance listings for international online culture publication Flavorpill. Zachary is a teacher of ballet for professional dancers and has been presenting choreographic work as trailerpilot in Chicago and Canada.

Mr. Whittenburg will be joined by Thodos Dance Chicago New Dances veteran choreographers Jessica Miller Tomlinson and Kelsey Yates. Choreographers contributing works to this year’s performances for the first time are Jeremy Blair, Sean Dahlberg, Kellie Hodges, Ryan Miller, Dori Santarsiere, and Jackie Stewart. All of these world premiere works will be wrapped in the exquisite lighting design of resident lighting designer Nathan Tomlinson.

The past seven New Dances have enabled more than sixty Chicago-based choreographers and more than one hundred Chicago-based dance artists to develop and showcase their skills and build their reputations. Many works from New Dances have entered the repertory of Thodos Dance Chicago and have been performed locally, regionally and internationally. Works from New Dances have also been presented in Chicago’s largest festival of dance, Dance Chicago. In 2001 the Joffrey Ballet commissioned a work from New Dances for its fall 2001 performances at The Auditorium Theatre to critical acclaim. Based on this dance, the choreographer was named one of the sixteen outstanding “Chicagoans in the Arts” by The Chicago Tribune, and also received a 2001 Ruth Page Award.

Tickets are priced at $35, $20 for seniors, students, and groups of ten or more,

and $15 for children under 12. Call 312-266-6255 for tickets today.


		NEW DANCES 2008
		TICKETS July 11 @ 8:00 pm July 12 @ 8:00 pm July 13 @ 5:00 pm Ruth Page Center for the Arts Photo of Zachary Whittenburg by Serguei Endinian	Thodos Dance Chicago proudly announces the selection of choreographers for its critically acclaimed New Dances Choreography Performance Series. The eighth annual New Dances will be presented in three performances at Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago - Friday, July 11 at 8:00 p.m., Saturday, July 12 at 8:00 p.m., and Sunday, July 13 at 5:00 p.m. Founder and Artistic Director Melissa Thodos states, “New Dances embodies one of the many things we value so much at Thodos Dance Chicago, dance creation. We are an organization committed to nurturing and supporting talented dance artists interested in expressing their own choreographic vision.” Zachary Whittenburg has been selected as special guest choreographer. Mr. Whittenburg has been working in dance for ten years. Beginning with Seattle's Pacific Northwest Ballet, he has also been a member of North Carolina Dance Theater, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Montréal's [bjm_danse]. Freelance in Chicago since 2005, he has collaborated with Lucky Plush Productions, Same Planet Different World Dance, and Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance in Asheville, NC, and is currently a member of Molly Shanahan/Mad Shak. He also writes and edits weekly dance listings for international online culture publication Flavorpill. Zachary is a teacher of ballet for professional dancers and has been presenting choreographic work as trailerpilot in Chicago and Canada. Mr. Whittenburg will be joined by Thodos Dance Chicago New Dances veteran choreographers Jessica Miller Tomlinson and Kelsey Yates. Choreographers contributing works to this year’s performances for the first time are Jeremy Blair, Sean Dahlberg, Kellie Hodges, Ryan Miller, Dori Santarsiere, and Jackie Stewart. All of these world premiere works will be wrapped in the exquisite lighting design of resident lighting designer Nathan Tomlinson. The past seven New Dances have enabled more than sixty Chicago-based choreographers and more than one hundred Chicago-based dance artists to develop and showcase their skills and build their reputations. Many works from New Dances have entered the repertory of Thodos Dance Chicago and have been performed locally, regionally and internationally. Works from New Dances have also been presented in Chicago’s largest festival of dance, Dance Chicago. In 2001 the Joffrey Ballet commissioned a work from New Dances for its fall 2001 performances at The Auditorium Theatre to critical acclaim. Based on this dance, the choreographer was named one of the sixteen outstanding “Chicagoans in the Arts” by The Chicago Tribune, and also received a 2001 Ruth Page Award. Tickets are priced at $35, $20 for seniors, students, and groups of ten or more, and $15 for children under 12. Call 312-266-6255 for tickets today.
		1016 N. Dearborn Chicago, IL