Evanston Dance Ensemble Presents ‘Breakthrough!’ April 3 to 6

Evanston, Ill. — Evanston Dance Ensemble — a pre-professional dance company in residence at Dance Center Evanston — is pleased to present “Breakthrough!,” featuring a collection of world premiere pieces by seven different choreographers inspired by the theme of science and exploration at the Josephine Louis Theater at Northwestern University from April 3 through 6. Tickets are $15 for children and seniors and $25 for adults.

Under the artistic direction of Enid Smith, this program features new works that are an extension of this year’s theme of “Season of Wonder,” exploring the study of science and some of the famous scientists who have had innovative and surprising discoveries in their fields.

“Scientists are usually seen as very different from artists, but really, the most influential scientists throughout history are the ones who have dared to question the status quo and look at things in new ways, which is exactly what great artists and dancers do,” Smith said. “In this show, we use dance to pay homage to some of the great scientists throughout history, as well as types of scientific study, and I think the results will be both inspiring and thought-provoking.”

The show will feature seven pieces for a group of dancers, as well as four short, interstitial pieces performed by a smaller group of dancers that will serve as transitions between the larger pieces. The interstitials will highlight four famous female scientists — Marie Curie, Katherine Johnson, Rachel Carson and Flossie Wong-Staal.

The longer pieces will include six world premieres by prominent local choreographers including Smith, Ryan Galloway, Sophia Santore, Sophia Vangelatos, Laura Wade, and Eduardo Zambrana, as well as a remounting of a 2011 work created by Evanston Dance Ensemble founder Béa Rashid.
All of the pieces are inspired by scientific themes such as the Fibonacci sequence; ethology, which is the study of animal behavior; and Leonardo DaVinci’s flying machine.

For example, one piece by Smith, is set to Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” and explores the idea of an eclipse, depicted by bodies passing in front of each other and creating shadows, while Smith’s second piece, set to intense, percussive music followed by serene choral music, is about the destruction caused by extreme weather events and how communities have to pick up the pieces of their lives afterwards.

Another piece by Eduardo Zambrana of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago is a contemporary dance based on the binary code, with all of the dancers representing ones and zeros and moving to a very percussive score. And, Zambrana, who studied computer engineering, says if you are familiar with binary code, you should be able to recognize some numbers written out in the dancers’ formations.

The finale of the show will be a musical theater dance piece created by Ryan Galloway, a former member of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago and a current member of Kaleidoscope Dance, that will be set to the song “Weird Science.”

New this year is the fact that the company will be presenting a Saturday matinee show that is designed to be a more “relaxed” performance that is appropriate for young children. This inclusive, judgement-free event will be a "shush-free" program, where children are allowed to move around or talk during the show, if needed.

“We recognize that many young families are reluctant to bring young children to a dance performance because they may not be able to sit still for a long period of time, so we wanted to create a performance that would be more welcoming to people of any age,” Smith said.

The dancers will be made up of 34 high school students hailing from Evanston Township High School, Beacon Academy, Glenbrook South High School, Hersey High School, Lane Tech High School, New Trier High School, Niles West High School, Northside College Prep and Senn High School.

“I think audiences are going to love how imaginative, energetic and fun this entire show is,” Smith said. “The dancers are all extremely talented, and I’m excited to see how they will bring these choreographers’ visions to life in really interesting ways.”

Tickets are on sale now at the Louis Theater box office. They can be purchased through the box office, over the phone at 847-491-7282 or online at https://ci.ovationtix.com/1771/production/1229955.

EVENT DETAILS

Breakthrough!
The Evanston Dance Ensemble asks big questions and searches for big answers in Breakthrough! Artistic Director Enid Smith is joined by guest choreographers Ryan Galloway, Béa Rashid, Sophia Santore, Sophia Vangelatos, Laura Wade, and Eduardo Zambrana in this celebration of the scientists, seekers, and explorers of the world.
When: April 3 and 4 at 7:30 p.m., April 5 at 10 a.m., April 6 at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Where: Josephine Louis Theater, Northwestern University, 20 Arts Circle Dr., Evanston, IL 60208
Info: (847) 491-7282 or https://tinyurl.com/EDE2025
Tickets: $28 for adults, $18 for children and seniors. The April 5th show is $12 per person or $30 for a family of three or more.