Duets for My Valentine

Are you looking for an alternative to the cliché dinner-and-a-movie on Valentine’s weekend? Do you hate Valentine’s Day and would rather do something completely different? Maybe you just want a night out with the girls. Or maybe you’re trying to find a way to drag…er, convince…your significant other to try to appreciate dance and other more “cultural” events.

If any of the above pertain to you, next year, you have to check out Duets for My Valentine.

Established in 1998, and presented by Chicago Dance Crash and Culture Shock Chicago, Duets is an intimate and energetic display of love, hate, and everything in between, performed mainly in duet-style from some of the best dance companies in and around Chicago. You can expect to see ballet, modern, hip hop, tap, and more, and there’s something for everyone to love – even those who don’t know a thing about dance.

Last evening a group of us “non-dancers” made it out to the Park West to see our Fear Experiment choreographer perform in the show. We all went for different reasons. Some to support our fabulous choreographer. Some to check out the stage we ourselves will be performing on in April. Others to have a unique night out with their significant other. And some just to see a great show. But regardless of our reasons for going, I think every one of us left feeling completely impressed.

 

The Fear Experiment Crew after the Show

 

 

For me, some of the show’s highlights included a black light hip hop performance by Culture Shock Chicago, a passionate and impressive Latin number by Latin Street Dance Company, and a piece called Classical  performed by FootworKINGz, where the duo’s feet moved as fast as a pianist’s fingers to the music of Beethoven. I was also blown away by the Tribute to Chicagoland Dance Schools, where dancers from Visceral Dance Center (modern), Ballet Chicago (ballet), The Center for Ballroom and Dance (ballroom), and Breakdance Chicago (breakdance) all came together to dance to “Stairway to Heaven”. (Bonus points for Breakdance Chicago for figuring out a way to pull this off!)

And if the show itself isn’t enough for you, afterwards, they clear out all the tables on the main floor to open it up for a big dance party for anyone in attendance. If you’ve ever been to a wedding or other party with a dance floor, you’ve likely experienced a dance circle where the good (or confidently bad) dancers jump in to show off their moves. But I’m fairly certain you’ve never seen anything like this, when you’re out on the floor with some of the best dancers from the best companies and dance schools in Chicago.

So, whether you love or hate Valentine’s Day, if you have even the slightest interest in dance performance, you won’t want to miss Duets for My Valentine next year – likely to be the Saturday of Valentine’s Weekend, 2012.