“B-REAL” FEB. 17–MAR. 1. | FREE Event The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago

CHICAGO—Expanding and elaborating on its presentation of hip-hop artists in February 2014, The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, partnering with the college’s School of Fine and Performing Arts, Radio Department, The Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's performance series continues its 40th season with “B-Real: A Look Inside Urban Movements,” a convergence of local, national and international hip hop and house dance music workshops, performances and conversations February 17–March 1, 2014.

“‘B-Real’ is a constellation of workshops, classes, performances and conversations orbiting around The Dance Center’s 2013–14 40th season presentations of Compagnie Käfig, a hip-hop ensemble from France with a cast of Brazilian dancers, and Philadelphia breaker Raphael Xavier,” said Dance Center Executive Director Phil Reynolds. “The two-week series of events will provide Chicago artists and audiences multifaceted opportunities to explore and engage in urban dance forms.”

The schedule of events is as follows:

Monday, February 17, 6:30–8:30 p.m., Old Town School of Folk Music, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave.DanceMakers session featuring Mourad Merzouki, artistic director of Compagnie Käfig; The Dance Center’s new DanceMakers series features leading contemporary dance artists offering insight into their choreographic process. Pre-registration is required at colum.edu/Dance_Center/performances/dancemakers/

Tuesday, February 18, 6–11 p.m., Stage Two, 618 S. Michigan Ave. Phaze II School and The Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago presents: “B-Real Two-on-Two Breakin’ Battle” featuring dancers from the international Compagnie Käfig with Chicago dancers, co-organized by Kelsa Robinson and Eric Delgado “B-Boy Wicked.” There is a $300 cash prize. To pre-register (slots are limited to 20 duos), please email wickedphazeii@gmail.com. Hosted by: BraveMonk /Phaze II /ASK, Judges: J-Boogie /SelfX crew, Wicked /Phaze II & Shorty / Brickheadz. DJ's: Illanoiz / Armory Massive & Shon Roka /Brickheadz.

Friday, February 21, Stage Two, 618 S. Michigan Ave. • 12 noon –2 p.m.: “B-Boys B-Men: Moving With/In Our Masculinities,” a panel conversation featuring Compagnie Käfig Artistic Director Mourad Merzouki; Philadelphia hip-hop artist Raphael Xavier; 2013 MacArthur Fellow (“Genius” grant recipient) Kyle Abraham; Phaze II crosstown crew member Eric Delgado “B-Boy Wicked”; and Moncell “ill Kozby” Durden of Rennie Harris Puremovement and Mop-Top Crew, moderated by Dance Center Chair Onye Ozuzu; sponsored by The Ellen Stone Belic Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media and in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s Performance Series.

• 2–3 p.m.: Breakin’ Workshop with Raphael Xavier

• 3–4 p.m.: Funk & Ol’ School Hip Hop Workshop with Moncell “ill Kozby” Durden

Saturday, February 22, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., Stage Two, 618 S. Michigan Ave.Symposium: “Dance Music Evolution: The History of House Music in Chicago,” sponsored by the Modern Dance Music Research and Archiving Foundation in collaboration with Columbia College Chicago’s Radio Department and Honey Pot Performance. The symposium explores the origins of House Music in Chicago and offers a critical review of modern House Dancing and the social effects of House Music via panel discussions, House Dance workshops, performances and live DJ demonstrations. This event unpacks the braided histories of Chicago House Music and dance culture to understand its aesthetics and ways of making cultural meaning through a diasporic/ global lens. Born from the experiences of youth, people of color and alternative sexualities in urban locations—such as Chicago, New York City and Detroit—House Music is an embodied response to disempowerment and marginalization. House Music pioneers, including award-winning songwriters/producers, music scholars and academics, moderate panels. The symposium is curated by DJ Charles Matlock, archivist Lauren G. Lowery and scholar and dance performance artist Meida McNeal. The entire schedule is listed at: www.colum.edu/breal

Monday, February 24, 6–10 p.m., 1104 S. Wabash Ave. “B-Real MC Battle” hosted by MC Raphael Xavier judged by Ang 13, Pugs Atomz and Tomorrow Kings with Adam "Defcee" Levin and Lamar Jordan. There is a $200 cash prize. To pre-register (limit 18 slots), please email danceinfo@colum.edu or contact audience and community engagement consultant Baraka de Soleil at 312-369-8341.

Saturday, March 1, 3–5 p.m., The Dance Center, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. “AMPLIFY,” a teens-only open-stage dance event hosted by and featuring Raphael Xavier

All events are free and open to the public. Call 312-869-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.

Performances

In addition to participating in “B-Real,” Compagnie Käfig performs a double bill of Correria and Agwa, which grew out of an encounter with a group of Brazilian dancers from Rio de Janeiro’s neighborhoods and showcases their dazzling virtuosity in a combination of samba, hip hop and capoeira dance styles. Performances are February 20–22 at The Dance Center. Raphael Xavier performs The Unofficial Guide to Audience Watching Performance, an evening-length autobiographical dance continuing Xavier’s 30 years of experience in hip-hop genres—most specifically, breaking—directed by Ralph Lemon. Performances are February 27–March 1 at The Dance Center. For information and tickets, call 312-369-8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.

Funding

The Dance Center’s presentation of Compagnie Käfig is funded, in part, by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew Mellon Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Arts Midwest Touring Fund, a program of Arts Midwest supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Illinois Arts Council and General Mills Foundation. Special thanks to the Cultural Service at the Consulate General of France in Chicago. The Dance Center’s presentation of Raphael Xavier is funded, in part, by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew Mellon Foundation.

The Dance Center

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, named “Chicago’s Best Dance Theatre” by Chicago magazine and “Best Dance Venue” by the Chicago Reader, is the city’s leading presenter of contemporary dance, showcasing artists of regional, national and international significance. Programs of The Dance Center are supported, in part, by the Alphawood Foundation, The Joyce Foundation, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture at Prince, New England Foundation for the Arts, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Irving Harris Foundation, Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation and Arts Midwest. Additional funding is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council. Special thanks to Athletico, the Official Provider of Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy for The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago, the Friends of The Dance Center and The Dance Center’s 20/20 Visionaries.