As a child in St. Louis, Gus Giordano was fascinated by dance. He studied ballet and theater and picked up moves from a cousin in New Orleans. But Giordano did not study jazz dance, for one simple reason: he hadn’t yet invented it.
Giordano, who died in 2008, is widely considered the father of jazz dance — at once founder, teacher, popularizer and finest exemplar. Giordano Dance Chicago, the company he launched in 1963 (after impressing visitors from the Bolshoi Ballet), is still going strong today.
On Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11, Giordano Dance Chicago will return to its roots with a pair of shows at Washington University in St. Louis. The shows, which begin at 8 p.m. in the university’s Edison Theatre, mark the conclusion of the Edison Ovations Series.
Giordano Dance Chicago
Now led by Nan Giordano — Gus’ daughter, who became artistic director in 1993 — Giordano Dance remains committed to expanding and continually redefining the very definition of jazz dance.
In that spirit, the Edison program will feature six new works, all created since 2009. The evening will open with “EXit4,” a large-scale work for 10 dancers by Israeli-born choreographer Roni Koresh. The piece, which the company premiered in 2013, is divided into four sections: “Face to Face,” “Crash,” “Wall” and “Wet Stones Full of Light.”
Next comes “commonthread” (2009), a lyrical quintet from company alumnus Autumn Eckmann, followed by “La Belleza de Cuba,” an energetic, sun-drenched romp from Liz Imperio, a Cuban-American choreographer who has worked with Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan and Madonna, among many others.
Following intermission, the program will continue with a pair of 2015 premieres: Ray Mercer’s “Shirt Off My Back,” which explores the costs of giving too much, and “the only way around is through,” which was choreographed by company member Joshua Blake Carter, based on concept and structure from Nan Giordano.
Concluding the evening will be the sultry, Broadway-inspired “Feelin’ Good Sweet” (2014). The piece was created by Ray Leeper, a former Giordano student who now choreographs extensively for television shows such as “So You Think You Can Dance,” “The X-Factor” and “Dancing with the Stars.”
Tickets and sponsors
Performances begin at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 10 and 11. Tickets are $36, or $32 seniors, $28 for Washington University faculty and staff and $20 for students and children.
Tickets are available at the Edison Box Office. Edison Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Center, 6465 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, call 314-935-6543, e-mail edison@wustl.edu or visit edison.wustl.edu.
Edison programs are made possible with support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis; and private contributors.
