Beyond The NutcrackerJT Newmanon December 9, 2022 at 6:33 pm

December is obviously the time when dance companies dust off the old chestnut that, according to a 2017 Dance/USA survey, accounts for around 48 percent of their annual revenues. If you’re interested in The Nutcracker, we’ve got a round-up here. But there’s also more afoot in Chicago dance this month than the beloved Tchaikovsky ballet (based on E. T. A. Hoffmann’s 1816 story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King”).

For movement aficionados, there’s no better way to cap off the Year of Chicago Dance than visiting with some local companies and artists for their year-end productions. With so many selections to choose from, you’re sure to find something to suit your taste and leave you feeling full of holiday cheer.

For Nutcrackeroptions, there’s always the Joffrey version by Christopher Wheeldon, set during the construction of the 1893 Chicago World’s fair. (The Joffrey moved to the Lyric, 20 N. Wacker, last year after years of residency at the Auditorium.) The Nutcracker is running through 12/27; tickets at joffrey.org. Ballet Chicago takes over the mainstage at the Athenaeum for the 20th year, running 12/9-12/18; see balletchicago.org. If your plans take you out to the suburbs, Salt Creek Ballet’s Nutcracker runs 12/17-12/18 at McAninch Arts Center at College of DuPage; tickets at saltcreekballet.org. Or if you’re heading north, Ruth Page’s The Nutcracker (long a local favorite originally created by the legendary dancer and choreographer, whose name lives on in the Ruth Page Center for the Performing Arts on North Dearborn) runs two performances on 12/17 at the James Lumber Center at College of Lake County in Grayslake; visit ruthpage.org.

Two versions of The Nutcracker with a slightly different approach are happening this weekend; Hyde Park School of Dance combines ballet, modern dance, and hip-hop, as well as a new African dance section this year for their performance at Mandel Hall, running 12/9-12/10; see hydeparkdance.org. And Music Institute of Chicago returns with its annual presentation of Duke It Out!, which combines Tchaikovsky with the jazz score created by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. That’s happening tomorrow at 2 PM at Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston; tickets at musicinst.org.

And now for the nontraditional:

Jessica Kick presents Read to Me, a dance performance that explores “our early childhood literacy experiences and the effects they have on our relationship with reading in adulthood” at the Athenaeum. Through 12/11: Fri- Sat 7:30 PM, Sun 2 PM, Athenaeum Theater, 2936 N Southport, 312-820-6250; $10 children, $25 adults, athenaeumcenter.org.

Opening this weekend is Christmas Pageant, a performance devised by the Hot Kitchen Collective, “celebrating the overindulgence and mass-produced joy of the biggest holiday over the year and the sadness that lies underneath.” The collective, which is known for its edgy takes on “exploring stupidity at its core,” dedicates this show to everyone “who feels alone in a roomful of family members during the holiday season.” Through 12/17: Thu-Sat 7:30 PM, Ravenswood Fellowship United Methodist Church, 4511 North Hermitage. Tickets on Eventbrite, or Hotkitchencollective.com, $25.

Priestess of Twerk Credit Paula Court

Also this weekend is Nia Witherspoon’s Priestess of Twerk series at Links Hall. Priestess of Twerk is a work in progress from Witherspoon, a National Theater Project Award-winning theatermaker, vocalist, and composer. Hailed as a “Black feminist temple of pleasure,” the pieces are inspired by the “bad bitches” of hip-hop, the reproductive justice movement, and sacred sex workers of Egyptian temples. 

Performers include DREEEMY (aka Reem Abdou), Jenn Freeman (aka Po’Chop), Shelley Nicole, and Witherspoon, along with cellist/performer Serena Ebony Miller. With music and sound by Jack Fuller and Justin Hicks and costumes by Brandi Holt, the experience promises both ritual concerts and immersive temple experiences devised in collaboration between creatives from New York and Chicago and sponsored by both Links Hall and the Ragdale Foundation. 12/9 8 PM, 12/10 3 and 8 PM, Links Hall, 3111 N. Western, 773-281-0824, linkshall.org, $10-$40 (12/10 performances limited to ten participants).

On Monday, 12/12, the Chicago Human Rhythm Project brings you Holiday Rhythms 2022 at the Jazz Showcase in the South Loop. This one-night-only performance features live jazz music with The Jazz Hoofing Quintet, featuring Isaiah Spencer on drums, Marlene Rosenberg on bass, Brent Griffin Jr. on alto saxophone, Justin Dillard on piano, and Jumaane Taylor on taps. Special guests include vocalist Amyna Love, Stone Soup Rhythms, and more. The event benefits The Mayfair Art Center, a new arts incubator space on the south side. Mon 12/12 7 PM, Jazz Showcase, 806 South Plymouth Ct., 312-360-0234, chicagotap.org or jazzshowcase.com, $50-$75.

Mary, a Holiday Dansical Credit Jordyn A. Bush

Coming up on 12/18 at the Reva and David Logan Center is Mary, a Holiday Dansical, brought to you by Black Girls Dance, a company that empowers Black girls to pursue professional dance. Choreographed, written, and directed by founder Erin Barnett, Mary, A Holiday Dansical is a modern twist on Langston Hughes’s Black Nativity, told through ballet, hip-hop, tap, and contemporary dance. Sun 12/18 7 PM, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th Street, 773-702-2787, blackgirlsdance.org or arts.uchicago.edu/explore/reva-and-david-logan-center-arts, $20 kids, $40 adults.

And finally, we already previewed and reviewed this show, but we have to give yet another nod to The Buttcracker: A Nutcracker Burlesque. With its naughty premise and featuring some of the hottest burlesque, drag, and performance artists in Chicago, this send-up of the traditional Nutcracker breaks all stereotypes with its sex- and body-positive spin on the Tchaikovsky classic. Through 12/31: Thu-Sat 8 PM, Sun 3 PM; also Sat 12/31 9 PM, no performances Sat-Sun 12/24-12/25; Greenhouse Theater Center, 2257 N. Lincoln, 773-404-7336, thebuttcrackerburlesque.com or greenhousetheater.org, $30-$50 general admission (industry and SRO $20, VIP $75-$100, which includes stageside table, private VIP bar, meet and greet with artists, and show merchandise); NYE $60-$100 general admission, $150-$200 VIP. 18+ (21+ to drink) with a “pole booty drop” at midnight.

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