Photo Courtesy of Al Zayed

First and forest, a HUGE thank you to all those that attended our Quiceañera-themed soirée and celebrated 15 years of Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble. We had over 130 people attend! You can click on this link to find photos taken throughout the soirée and from Al Zayed's wildly fun photobooth. Couldn't attend? You're still able to donate online
towards our "Giving 100" campaign. Donate $100 and enjoy 4 tickets to any of this season's performances.

Soiée, check! Upcoming for the season, The Heart Knows Festival! A part of Chicago Artists Month, we are pleased to present an evening of sight-specific works centered on the many experiences of love. Travel between the alcoves of the auditorium at Ebenezer Lutheran Church to experience personal stories of first love, vulnerable love, unconditional love, lost love, and forbidden love. To kick of this season performances dedicated to the women's voice,  each work is presented by local female artists.

CDE's founder, Ellyzabeth Adler tells us a tale of her first love, Boogie. A stuffed animal given to her at just two days old. J. Lindsay Brown Dance plays with the meanings and connotations. The work explores trust and balance  to awaken  viewers to vulnerable love happening all around them. Mignon McPherson Stewart's Artistic Impulse uses inspiration from Alice Walker's, "Temple of My Familiar, Gospel of a New Earth," to warm viewers' soul through a journey of unconditional love of the self, humanity, nature and spirit. Valerie Alpert Dance Company grapples forbidden love as it pertains to religion and laws of state. Lucy Riner of RE|Dance discusses lost love and how we attempt maintain equilibrium of what makes us complete. Finally, Michelle Shafer with CDE's Sara Maslanka present a triptych about love, loss and longing. Music and dance work interdependently to peel away the layers of the heart to reveal its capacities of what binds us.