cultural happenings
Photo © The Adler Planetarium
The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events rolls out the red carpet this summer to fans of dance in its 16th annual Chicago SummerDance festival. And with a 4,900 square foot dance space, there's enough room for everyone to jump, jive and shake what their mama gave them all summer long. With a diverse musical lineup showcasing dance styles from all corners of the globe, there's something for everyone this summer. And this year, the popular Grant Park dance festival kicks off at the 32nd annual Taste of Chicago, July 11-15, and on September 15, moves to the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park, 601 S. Michigan Avenue for its annual introductory one-hour dance lessons. The popular classes are taught by professional instructors and followed by two hours of live music and dancing. Treat yourself to a little movement and music in one of the city's most beautiful outdoor spaces. Photo by Patrick L. Pyszka
This spring, Adler Planetarium President Paul H. Knappenberger Jr., Ph.D., announced that he would step down at the end of 2012 after 21 years of service. Knappenberger, who joined the Adler in 1991, has led the museum through two major long-range plans that have significantly strengthened the planetarium. The most recent was initiated during the Adler’s 75th anniversary in 2005. In that year, the institution announced a strategic plan to transform the Adler from a traditional planetarium into a 21st century space science center. As that effort reached a successful conclusion last year, he began discussing his retirement with museum trustees. Knappenberger plans to stay on at the museum until a successor is named. Before joining the Adler in 1991, Knappenberger served for 18 years as founding director of the Science Museum of Virginia, in Richmond. He has taught astronomy at Emory University, Georgia State University, University of Richmond, University of Virginia, and Virginia Commonwealth University. In Autumn 2011, he was recognized by the Illinois Association of Museums for his 44-year career as a museum professional and leader. Changing of the Guard
Chicago SummerDance
Millennium Park’s summer concerts continue this summer with an all-new innovative series, “Loops and Variations,” a mix of new music and electronica presented by The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The series of six free concerts will take place on select Thursday evenings June 7 through July 12 and Sunday, August 26, 2012. Highlights of the series include the pairings of electronic music artists with new music ensembles; local companies such as eighth blackbird and Third Coast Percussion bringing electronic elements to their programs, utilizing the state-of-the-art sound system of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion to its full capacity; and the Chicago premiere of Inuksuit, a large-scale percussion work featuring 100 musicians which will be performed throughout Millennium Park, utilizing the Great Lawn, the BP Bridge and the Lurie Garden. Other groups on the series include San Francisco/Tokyo noise-pop band Deerhoof, 14-piece Chicago, and new-music ensemble Dal Niente. For more information and full concert schedules, visit millenniumpark.org, or call 312.742.1168.
Photo courtesy of The Chicago Human Rhythm Project
Chicago Rhythms at Kennedy Center The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts will present Chicago Human Rhythm Project's (CHRP) "JUBA! Masters of American Tap" December 7, 2012 in a rare, full-length performance of American concert tap. This performance will be the first full-length tap concert in any of the Center's three largest theaters since it opened in 1971. Chicago audiences will have the opportunity to preview elements of CHRP's Kennedy Center debut during the culminating performances of CHRP's "Rhythm World," the oldest and most comprehensive festival of American tap and contemporary percussive arts in the world. "JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance" will take place August 1, 2 and 4 in the newly named Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (MCA). Directed by founder and director Lane Alexander, Rhythm World features an extraordinary master faculty in two weeks of residencies, courses, workshops, master classes and conferences for the field at the Fine Arts Building, as well as faculty concerts, student showcases and lecture demonstrations at the Jazz Showcase and the Edlis Neeson Theater at the MCA. For more information, visit chicagotap.org
40•CNCJASummer 2012
From top right: Chicago SummerDance participants take in a two-step in Millennium Park; Adler Planetarium President Paul H. Knappenberger Jr.; Members of eighth blackbird ensemble; Tap dance artist Dormeshia from Chicago Human Rhythm Project.
Photo courtesy of eighth blackbird
Sounds in the Park