Art Wed Sep 02 2009

Mark Your Calendars: MCA '09-10 Stage Season Infuses Culture, Multimedia

By John Lendman

A theme of examining identity through multidisciplinary infusions will take the Museum of Contemporary Art's stage this season as forthcoming core performances were recently announced.

The self-examining premise could also be reflected off-stage as well this year as the MCA continues efforts to advance performances, exhibitions and educational services by converging digital media.

"We hope to draw people's native interests in music, dance and theater while at the same time crossing interdisciplinary work: infusing music with dance, film with music, [etc.]," said MCA Director of Performance Programs, Peter Taub. "By and large we are living within this multidisciplinary world--so, why do we have to think of [performance] in discipline categories?"

Here's a preview of the MCA's highly anticipated multimedia performances--which will you attend?

Nora Chipaumire w/ Thomas Mapfumo and Blacks Unlimited
Oct. 1, 3 and 4, 2009

Zimbabwe exiles, dancer/choreographer Nora Chipaumire and musician/poet Thomas Mapfumo confront the war-torn, tribal and exotic African typecast with powerful dances and strong, politically charged content. Think of it as a cultural blend examining African traditions and identity through the eyes of the suppressed.

Califone: All My Friends Are Funeral Singers
Oct. 10 - 11, 2009

Co-presented by Empty Bottle and the MCA, the folk-fusion Chicago-based band Califone performs their soon-to-be-released album, All My Friends Are Funeral Singers to the backdrop of front man Tim Rutiti's feature film of the same name. Filmed as a live interactive soundtrack, both were produced in tandem.

Lucinda Childs: DANCE
Oct. 15 - 17, 2009

Postmodern dance pioneer Lucinda Childs' distinguished choreography mixes with conceptual artist Sol LeWitt as synchronized dancers perform to mirror LeWitt's black-and-white film on the 30th anniversary of the performance.

Philip Glass: An Evening of Solo Piano
Oct. 16, 2009

Critically acclaimed composer, Philip Glass--who has collaborated with Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Yo-Yo Ma, Twyla Tharp, Allen Ginsberg, Woody Allen, David Bowie and Chuck Close, to name a few--informally introduces his personal favorite works in an intimate setting.

The Hypocrites: Frankenstein
Oct. 21 - Nov. 1, 2009

In seemingly perfect timing for the Halloween season, Chicago-based theater company, The Hypocrites boldly retells the gothic tale of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein--infused with the 1931 Boris Karloff film interpretation, of course. The audience will find themselves onstage amid the play's actors in this horrific and inventive production, examining life, death and the creation of a monster.

Anna Halprin/ Anne Collod & Guests: Parades & Changes, replays
Nov. 5, 7 and 8, 2009

Anne Collod, a French choreographer, takes on Anna Halprin's Parades & Changes, a postmodern American dance that, when it premiered to a 1965 New York City audience, was banned for its then-shocking nudity. Collod's interpretation has a unique and colorful approach where the performances are up to the dancer's own discretion. This performance is in collaboration with the MCA's exhibition of Daria Martin's film Minotaur, which pays tribute to Halprin's work.

Don Byron: The Music of Mickey Katz
Nov. 14, 2009

This concert, presented in partnership with the Chicago Humanities Festival (as part of their "Laughter" theme), has Don Byron's band reviving their 1993 recording "Don Byron Plays the Music of Mickey Katz." The one day performance pays tribute to Mickey Katz' campy klezmer-style Jewish comedy music of the 1950s.

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE): Kaija Saarianho
Nov. 19, 2009

Composer Kaija Saariaho joins forces with the Chicago-based International Contemporary Ensemble for a concert dedicated to her spiritual chamber music.

Core performances announced for 2010:

Akram Khan Company & National Ballet of China: bahok
Feb. 26 - 28, 2010

Third Coast Filmless Festival
March 6, 2010

A new program launching in March will be the "2nd Annual Third Coast Filmless Festival" featuring audio documentaries and sound instillations. The event itself culminates to an evening of live music at the MCA.

The Seldoms w/ Fraser Taylor: Marchland
March 12 - 14, 2010

Young Jean Lee: The Shipment
March 26 - 28, 2010

John Jasperse Company: Truth, Revisited Histories, Wishful Thinking, and Flat Out Lies
April 9 - 11, 2010

Nicole Mitchell: Intergalactic Beings
April 30, 2010

For more information and tickets call the MCA Box Office at (312) 397-4010 or visit http://www.MCAChicago.org.