No Kings protests made Saturday an auspicious day across the nation, and the perfect way to wind down was a dance concert by Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC). Ignite the Soul was the first fall engagement by Giordano at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.
The company showed great energy with all parts moving and in perfect order. Then it hit me that the program was almost the same as Soaring from the spring of 2025, with elements of Gershwin in B from the spring of 2024. There was plenty of fresh choreography in Ignite the Soul, with dances composed by GDC company dancers. Interlinked by Simon Shuh was the highlight of the evening for me. It was a textbook definition of kinetic—the energy an object has due to its motion. It was a dazzling composition of movement, and the dancers were fired up and ignited the audience’s enthusiasm. Adam Houston’s Unconditional from 2024 was another highlight. The sexiness and body consciousness were ramped up for this performance. There is always a level of sensuality to dancers’ bodies and the movement, and GDC is settling into a groove that is recognizable as Giordano-inspired.dance-
333 by artistic director Nan Giordano and associate artistic director Cesar G. Salinas was lovely. Red and Black by Ray Leeper was refreshed and more hopped up than its premiere in 2024. World-renowned choreographer Liz Imperio’s La Belleza de Cuba was fire. It looked like a scene from a public square in old Cuba, the men in guayabera shirts and straw hats. The women wore skirts made for tossing and twirling. La Belleza de Cuba was a mix of salsa with some warp speed tango-inspired turns that got some hoots from the audience.
Giordano Dance Chicago dancers. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
Gershwin in B, by Giordano resident choreographer Al Blackstone, started with the red hat in the spotlight. Try a Little Tenderness, featuring the fabulous Erina Ueda, again choreographed by Nan Giordano and Cesar G. Salinas, was from Soaring. It seems to me that Giordano Dance Chicago was playing it safe with surefire spectacular dances. I recall saying that Gershwin in B should be part of the repertoire from my own review, but my opinion is that it should have been later in the season instead of being on the heels of the spring 2025 show. The same applies to Try a Little Tenderness.
Sing, Sing, Sing by founder Gus Giordano was a different story. Louis Prima’s music, the cool vibe, and the dancers were a dazzler like always. That song was an early jazz crossover hit that was a constant companion during WWII. It also felt patriotic on an auspicious day in our country. Red and Black felt updated, and there was extra sizzle in the performance. It is my favorite dance from the choreographer Ray Leeper. The music choices are the same, but Eartha Kitt growls and purrs her way through “My Discarded Men,” and Michael Buble singing “Cry Me a River” was the perfect melding of midcentury and the Millennium.
Girodano Dance Chicago chose to run videos as they did in Soaring. I still find it to be a distraction that takes away from the energy and buzz from the dancing. Also, it isn’t easy to get all of the credits down from the film clips. I would like to see more original material than one or two dances for a staged performance. There is a wealth of talent in the company, and I am sure there is much more to come from Nan Giordano and Cesar G. Salinas. I love that GDC takes risks and dances outside the box. Let’s see more like Interlinked and La Belleza de Cuba. Overall, it was a good performance, but it lacked that edge that I have come to expect. I recommend that you check out a GDC performance whenever you can. Chicago is the birthplace of world-class companies like Giordano Dance Chicago.
Ignite the Soul by Giordano Dance Chicago was performed at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts on October 18 and 19. The venue is located at 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie.
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