I dig Chicago. I live and work here, teach part time at The School of The Art Institute of Chicago and just had a solo show at Western Exhibitions. The show was well received and reviewed around the city last October. Generally, I try not to let myself get too happy with good reviews or bummed out when someone writes something negative, allowing myself 20 minutes of emotion. more...

“I’m a dramaturg.”

“A drama-what?”

It is the hard “g” on the end of the word (without an “e”) and confusion about a word with which even many performing artists aren’t familiar. The answer to the question, “What is a dramaturg?” can be just as confusing.
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Over the last few years, Chicago’s concert dance venues have nurtured a particularly wide range of tastes. As you read this, your favorite dance company’s community board is probably advertising a big ol’ menu of flavors. You’ve got your ballet/modern/tap standards, your ethnic styles, your urban styles, and the newest, most cutting edge “contemporary” style that’s been combining itself with everything from hip hop to hula.
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It’s probably a cliché to say that I didn’t choose music, it chose me.  But it’s true.  Throughout most of my formative years, I planned to go into science or medicine.  In fact, my high school class even voted me “Most Likely to Discover a Cure for Cancer.”  I didn’t start piano lessons until I was almost 8, and while I learned quickly and showed great promise, music remained my hobby and neither my parents nor my piano teacher pushed the issue.  more...