“Dance Down by The River,” an electrifying evening of Chicago dance and music, is coming to the Riverwalk in conjunction with Art on theMART thanks to a Chicago Presents grant awarded by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) to Open The Circle, a Chicago-based non-profit devoted to channeling resources into grassroots creative projects. Open the Circle places a special emphasis on Chicago footwork, a dance style born in the 1980s to sounds of house music on the west side of Chicago. Footwork is also featured in Art on theMART’s “Footnotes” projection, which kicks off this summer’s nightly program of projections. This live event, slated for Friday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m., spotlights dancers and musicians that present uniquely Chicagoan beats, rhythms and dance moves.
Presented as a part of DCASE’s citywide Chicago In Tune series, the night will kick off with a live jazz set along the Chicago Riverwalk between Franklin and Wells Street at 7:00 p.m., headlined by locally renowned clarinetist and composer Angel Bat Dawid, followed by the dance performance by The Era Footwork Crew. Both Bat Dawid and The Era Footwork Crew are prominently featured in “Footnotes” the animated projection produced by artists and filmmakers Wills Glasspiegel and Brandon K. Calhoun as a part of Art on theMART’s “The Year of Chicago Music” program. Following The Era Footwork Crew are four Chicago youth dance groups that will show off their moves in a final round of performances, culminating with a surprise performance on the water before the nightly showing of “Footnotes” on theMART’s riverside facade at 9 p.m. “Dance Down by The River” and Art on theMART’s nightly projections are both free and open to the public. "Dance Down by The River” will take place in the Confluence area of the Riverwalk, while Art on theMART is best viewed from the adjacent Jetty section.
“With the inclusion of ‘Footnotes’ in our summer programming, Art on theMART established a platform to give Footwork and other Chicago-born art expressions the recognition and appreciation they deserve,” said Cynthia Noble, executive director of Art on theMART. “‘Dance Down by The River’ will allow audiences to witness the vibrant, passionate and talented young people who bring cultural depth to the city in the form of original dance and music. They can then observe the ‘Footnotes’ projection immediately following the live performance.”
Inclement weather on Sept. 10 will prompt a rescheduling of “Dance Down by The River” to September 11 at 7:00 p.m.
“Footnotes” is on view twice nightly on the riverside facade of theMART at 9 and 9:30 p.m. through September 16. Also featured in the summer program are “The Light of the Dark” by Grammy award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird and Xuan, “Woven, Spectralina” by visual artist Selina Trepp and musician Dan Bitney, “Frida Kahlo: Timeless” by George Berlin and “The Obama Portraits” shown in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago.
Art on theMART’s upcoming fall season, premiering on September 17, will feature the bold, provocative work of world-renowned concept artist Barbara Kruger in the public art program’s first solo show. This projection, called Untitled, (Questions) 1990/2021, coincides with the Art Institute of Chicago’s presentation of Thinking of You. I Mean Me. I Mean You., an in-depth look at four decades of Kruger’s practice, the largest and most comprehensive presentation of Kruger’s work in 20 years.
For more information on Art on theMART, visit artonthemart.com.
About Art on theMART
Art on theMART is the largest permanent digital art projection in the world, projecting contemporary artwork across the 2.5-acre river-façade of theMART. This expansive permanent public art platform continues Chicago’s legacy of providing both residents and visitors with exceptional art that is both free and accessible to all. Projections are visible to the public from Wacker Drive and along the Chicago Riverwalk.
The program content rotates seasonally and is selected with the assistance and expertise of the Curatorial Advisory Board. The City of Chicago and theMART work in partnership to manage and curate the projected artwork over the course of a 30-year agreement. Privately funded by Vornado Realty Trust, owner of theMART, Art on theMART marks the first time a projection of its size and scope is completely dedicated to digital art with no branding, sponsorship credits or messaging. The permanent projection system illuminates theMART with 34 state-of-the-art projectors totaling almost one million lumens. For more information, visit www.artonthemart.com.
About theMART
theMART (formerly The Merchandise Mart), located in the center of the sought-after River North submarket, is interwoven into the fabric of Chicago as an innovator in business, technology, culture, art, media and more. As the largest privately owned commercial building in the United States, it is also one of the world’s leading commercial buildings, wholesale design centers and the preeminent international business location in Chicago. Encompassing 4.2 million gross square feet, theMART spans two city blocks, rises 25 stories, and is visited by an average of 30,000 people each business day and nearly 10 million people annually. Offering continuous innovation and creativity from leading manufacturers and design forward showrooms, theMART serves as the home to Chicago's most creative and technologically innovative companies including Motorola Mobility, 1871, PayPal, Yelp and MATTER, as well as Fortune 500 companies ConAgra, Allstate, Kellogg, Beam Suntory and Grainger. For more information, visit http://themart.com.
About the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors. For more information, visit Chicago.gov/dcase.