Jamming  and juggling on a warm summer’s afternoon in the days when Jane Byrne was mayor… and Disco was king.  Two years later, Jane Byrne moved into Cabrini Green in part as a publicity stunt.

Below, a bit more footage: an unnamed local group can be heard (but not seen) performing a version of Teddy Pendergrass’ “Come Go With Me”. The bottom clip features an assortment of kids with their face painted getting in line for what looks like shaved ice; and at about 50 seconds in, another group singing a version of the Doobie Brothers cut “Minute by Minute”.  (NOTE: the video above is labeled as having occurred in 1977, but the song playing in the background came out in 1979, so I adjusted it here). This video was posted to youtube by John Boguta. Jive on!

Below, more jamming, more good times…

Stand with Haiti!! An Evening of Food, Poets (including Lady Terror), Musicians, and Dancers Gathered to Support Those Devastated by the Earthquake in Haiti.  DJ Ayana on the tables.

Thursday, Jan. 21, 6:00pm – 8:45pm

Thorne Auditorium 357 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, IL

Free admission, donations requested.

Food/Drink: 6-7pm

Program: 7:15-8:45pm

ALL Proceeds will be donated to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund

to support the relief effort in Haiti.

thanks to Mr. Catano for the headsup on this video….

At the bottom of this post, Tony Verity breaks down ska dancing (quite anthropologically, I might add).  Byron Lee and the Dragonaires play backup.  Plays out a bit like the movie Hairspray, only with a Jamaican twist (the original, of course…John Waters kept it gritty, yet sufficiently camp).  What’s Ricki Lake up to these days?

Funny thing, for an era that spawned so many dances (the mashed potato, the madison, the slop, the philly dog, the shing-a-ling, the pony, the jerk, et al), few have such detailed documentation.  Anybody out there remember “The Gouster” (a Chicago flash-in-the-pan dance committed to wax by local group the 5 Duotones)?

Quirky, funny, and sincere, with accompaniment ranging from jazz piano to the sound of tap dancing, Chicago choreographer Jaema Joy Berry explores the simplicity of movement in the context of human and musical interaction.

Running:
Friday – Saturday June 19-20, 8pm
Sunday, June 21, 7pm

3435 N Sheffield Ave (at Clark St)

Lakeview/Roscoe Village/Wrigleyville, Chicago

773-281-0824

Tickets!
$10 ($5 students)
you can get tickets at the door, over the phone, or from linkshall.org

This month A.R.O.M.A. presents “Passions of Argentina” featuring the music, dance and culture of Argentina. Djs Shannon Harris and Joe Bryl along with Argentinean natives, DJs David and Abel Pardo will play Tango and South American influenced rhythms. Live Tango performances by Tango Eclectique’s Maria Alferov and Humberto Decima. Live VJ show by Galina Shevchenko, and more….

Argentine tango is a social dance and a musical genre that originated in the lower-class European immigrant districts of Buenos Aires, and moved to the rest of the world. The modern Tango has a large African influence that was shaped by the candombe ceremonies of former slaves.

Just what the doctor ordered, as far as I’m concerned…  It’s the long awaited club, The Shrine.  Tonight, a star is born in the South Loop.  Created by Joe Russo (the man that brought us nightlife legend The Funky Buddah Lounge), The Shrine combines top shelf live entertainment, dancers, and music, like the clubs in the days of old.

See you there!

The Shrine

2109 S. Wabash Ave. 60616

Chicago

photos by Doug Fogelson

(n.): A new music venue bringing entertainment back to Chicago nightlife, expected to open Memorial Day weekend 2009.

Joseph Russo, The Shrine’s founder and principal, has a number of legendary nightlife establishments in Chicago, including: The Funky Buddha, Thyme Restaurant, and its upscale lounge component Sinibar.  The Shrine’s Myspace page promises: “A fusion of a sensuous nightclub, state-of-the-art live performance space, and high-end lounge, …a next generation nightlife venue.”

I am ready to stop fantasizing about 63rd street back in the day….

excerpted from

“Chicago In Song: Street Signs”

by Robert Pruter (as published in the Beachwood Reporter)

“Chicago city limits, that’s what the street sign on the highway read
I’m going to keep moving, until I get to that street called 63rd…”  from “Hitch Hike” by Marvin Gaye

Sixty-Third Street was bisected by Cottage Grove Avenue, and for a couple of decades it was the dividing line between the black and white sections of Woodlawn. The black nightclubs first arose on the west side of Cottage Grove, south and north of 63rd, and then a string went from Cottage Grove along 63rd west to South Parkway (now King Drive). When the color line of Woodlawn broke in 1951, black nightclubs then blossomed on the east side of Cottage Grove and east on 63rd to Stony Island Ave.

One of the most famous clubs on 63rd Street was the Kitty Kat, established in 1953, and which featured King Fleming, John Young, Ahmad Jamal and other more art-oriented jazz musicians. On the west side of Cottage Grove could be found another legendary jazz club, Basin Street, with such stellar acts as Johnny Griffin and Eddie Vinson, and about a block south at 64th Street was the Pershing Hotel complex of venues – the ballroom, the first-floor lounge and the basement club called Budland, which at first was a jazz club featuring such acts as Arnett Cobb, Miles Davis, and Billie Holiday, but later was booking rhythm and blues acts.

On the west side of the Cottage Grove was the Trianon Ballroom, where teenagers saw huge rhythm and blues stage shows, and McKie’s Lounge, which booked a host of great sax blowers. Further east on 63rd Street was the famed Crown Propeller Lounge, which booked both jazz and rhythm and blues acts. The 63rd-Cottage Grove intersection was anchored by the largest theater on the South Side, the Tivoli, which put on rhythm and blues shows as well.

The 63rd Street Stroll also emerged as the South Side’s new “sin strip” during this period. The attraction of the area was “the forbidden,” where one could find not only jazz and rhythm and blues, but smoking, drinking, dope dealing and women. The area attracted not only ardent music fans, both black and white, but also those on the lookout for “action.”

My most rhythmic sisters, The Shrine is holding open auditions for dancers next weekend (I wanted to give you time to prep)…. Here’s the deal:

We invite young, passionate, creative female dancers willing to commit to four to six short performances a week (2-3 nights) to participate in our open call process.

Location and Time:

Visceral Dance Studio
2820 N. Elston Ave
12pm, April 11th, 2009

Requirements:

- Female Dancers who are 21 years of age or older by May 15th, 2009
-Must provide one non-returnable headshot and one non-returnable full-body shot including height and weight (5″x7″ or larger preferred). Photos are used for identification purposes.
-Professional photo is not mandatory. Photos should be a current representation of what you look like or will look like at the audition.
-No street shoes.

What we’re looking for:

- Athletic build, personality, energy, enthusiasm!
-Professionalism and maturity
-Background in african, modern, or jazz a plus
-Ability to improvise with confidence
-Ability to pick up dance choreography quickly
-Consistent positive attitude
-Strong teamwork skills

Presented in conjunction with Saudade… Freedom of Speech and Movement: a dance workshop at Hull-House Museum:

Freedom of Speech and Movement Acts Movement Workshop with Taisha Pagget of the David Roussève/REALITY dance company

Thursday, March 12, 12-1:30 p.m.
Jane Addams Hull-House Museum
800 S. Halsted Ave.

This workshop is free and open to the public- dancers and non-dancers alike.

The dance studio is a social space, where the problems of movement and choreography bring up problems of authority, hierarchy, participation and decision-making. This movement workshop will take up these questions, offering tools and exercises that develop creative freedom in our bodies, as both dancers and citizens acting within larger collective structures.

Jane Adams Hull-House Museum Art & Democracy Series
For more information or to RSVP: 312.413.5353 (Jane Adams Hull-House Museum)

]]> http://darkjive.com/2009/03/06/freedom-of-speech-and-movement-acts/feed/ 1 ayanacontreras rousseve_webbanner_new