Dancer Bill T. Jones presents `The Breathing Show' at the Shubert

Dancer Bill T. Jones presents `The Breathing Show' at the Shubert

Considered one of the most riveting performers of his time, dancer Bill T. Jones has always shared the stage with his troupe of dancers, until now.

On Friday, April 21 and Saturday, April 22, Jones will perform "The Breathing Show," an evening-length solo work that he describes as an opportunity to discover the source of his own inspiration, "to locate the 19-year-old boy who wanted to fly."

Performing in only 10 U.S. cities, Jones is making a special appearance in Chicago to be part of Performing Arts Chicago's (PAC) 40th anniversary season.

"The Breathing Show" will be performed at the Shubert Theatre, 22 W. Monroe, April 21 and 22 at 8 p.m.

"The Breathing Show" comprises predominantly new works choreographed by Jones. The program is divided into three sections and includes a short original film entitled "Bill's Garden" by Abraham Ravett and a projection of "Ghostcatching: A Virtual Dance Installation," which Jones created in collaboration with Paul Kaiser and Shelley Eshkar of Riverbed Productions.

The first section of the evening, "Some Schubert Songs," will feature a series of new dances choreographed to Schubert Lieder.

The second section, "TV Arranged," will include a reworking of some of the earlier solos such as "21" and "Floating the Tongue" that established Jones's iconoclastic reputation.

The title of the third section, "Our Garden," suggests the artist's exploration of the symbolic meaning of "gardening" at the end of the century. The section will combine music and text with dance.

Receiving its world premiere at Hancher Auditorium at the University of Iowa, the Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote "An entire evening of solo dancing is a huge undertaking for one person. Wait. This is Bill T. Jones. Jones is a creative man and you can expect more than just ordinary dancing when he's around."

Performing Arts Chicago is one of the city's leading presenters of new directions in theater, music and dance.

In celebrating 40 years of presenting, PAC is recognized around the world for presenting artists at the forefront of their disciplines who question our notions of the stage, including the Maly Theatre of St. Petersburg (Russia), Theatre de Complicite (England), Robert Lepage (Canada), the Handspring Puppet Company (South Africa) and Cirque Invisible (France).

Article Copyright Sengstacke Enterprises, Inc.

Photo (Bill T. Jones)