Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre

Description

Through an intense focus on personal narratives, the combined talents of its diverse company, and the multiple artistic languages with which they communicate (including dance, music, and visual art), Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre engages audiences in magnetic human stories that are at once new and deeply familiar. Cerqua Rivera tackles big issues and never shies away from challenging conversations, finding common bonds where others only see division "“ resulting in a resilient message of hope.

The Chicago Tribune named them among the Best in Dance 2019. See Chicago Dance notes they perform "a powerhouse repertory of emotionally-driven works." Picture This Post recommends Cerqua Rivera to "anyone looking for a thoughtful, beautiful, and emotional meditation on the state of the world today, as well as the more general nature of human society." WTTW calls their work "stunning" and "richly evocative." (for more reviews, visit cerquarivera.org/news)

Cerqua Rivera's dynamic professional Dance Ensemble and Jazz Band are available for workshops, interactive programs, and concert performances. The company is skilled in adapting its programs to suit each unique audience, venue, and budget. In response to safety protocols, the company offers both virtual and (when possible) in-person programming.

Work Sample

ROOT, choreography by Monique Haley, music by Joe Cerqua

The result of a two-year creation process, exploring a modern African American experience influenced by traditional African modes.

0:00 Performance at Inside/Out event - shows the intimate and informal nature of our innovative Inside/Out program.

0:12 Performance of ROOT in 2019 concert "“ shows the quality and impact of our concert performances

0:28 See the close collaboration between our musicians and dancers.

1:51 See the full company in performance

American Catracho, curated by Wilfredo Rivera with music by Joe Cerqua

The culmination of a four-year creation process involving over 30 artists and other collaborators, rooted in Wilfredo's own experience as an immigrant to the US.

2:43 Audience participation at Inside/Out event.

3:54 Performance of Catracho in 2019 concert - see how we adapt our work, here without projections to suit the space.

5:15 See the range of this epic piece.

Place Between Earth & Sky, choreography by Shannon Alvis, music by Clarice Assad

A piece inspired by a Blackfoot legend and Shannon's Native heritage.

6:38 Excerpt from Inside/Out.

7:14 Performance of the work in progress at Inside/Out.

8:14 Audience conversation at Inside/Out.

8:54 Performance of Place in 2019 concert

The work sample we submitted is a collection of video showcasing the range of our season in 2019. It includes both interactive experiences with small audiences as well as full scale theatrical concerts. It includes excerpts of the three new works developed in 2019, demonstrating the range of the company and the themes we address.

Notably, in 2019, we celebrated our 20th Anniversary "“ a landmark year which included:

- Debut of American Catracho, our largest and most expansive piece ever. Developed over four years and involving more than 30 collaborators, it was called "a tour de force" (Chicago Magazine), "easily [Wilfredo's] most promising work" (Chicago Tribune), and was described as having "all the makings of a classic and deserves to be seen on stages far beyond Chicago" (WTTW).

- Selection for the historic Auditorium Theatre's 2019-2020 Season. We performed on a double bill with Ensemble Español in October 2019, an event which Chicago Tribune named among "Best in Chicago Dance 2019."

History

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre was founded in 1999 by Joe Cerqua, composer and musician; Wilfredo Rivera, choreographer and dancer; and Matt Lamb, painter. Over the years, programming grew from collaborations among the founders to include a diverse collective of creative artists across the three disciplines (dance, music, visual art). Our work is rooted in our founders' vision of what art can do - gather people to contemplate factors that knit our community together and differences that add complexity to our society.

We have performed in venues across Chicago and collaborated with organizations ranging from the Chicago Sinfonietta to the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Six years ago, we launched Inside/Out to showcase our collaborative, diverse collective of artists and our focus on original dance and music. Inside/Out is a series of new work preview performances and discussions where audiences get involved in the art and get to know our artists. Our season extends spring through fall, culminating in an annual fall concert series that is a mini-tour of Chicago "“ showcasing the year's new multi-disciplinary work in full production. We also perform in education and community settings and tour regionally. In a normal year, we engage with over 7,000 people across Chicagoland.

Artistic Vision

Our founding mission remains our focus: to fuse dance, music, and visual art to explore and celebrate contemporary society.

Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre makes magnetic, layered art that explores specific personal narratives. We approach each season with a selection of artistic concepts generated by the Cofounder and Artistic Director, Wilfredo Rivera, in collaboration with talented choreographers he recruits to make work on the company. Each choreographer is paired with a skilled composer to develop the concept and lead creation. These lead artists make new pieces with the company's diverse, professional Dance Ensemble and Jazz Band. Visual and theatre artists, other consultants and collaborators, and production designers add to each piece too.

With our intense focus on personal narratives, the combined talents of our diverse collective of artists, and the multiple artistic languages with which we communicate, Cerqua Rivera engages audiences in magnetic human stories at once new and deeply familiar.

Programs for Specific Audience(s) Expertise

In addition to his 30+ year career as a working artist "dancer, choreographer, director, curator" Wilfredo Rivera, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre's Artistic Director, has extensive experience as a teaching artist. He provided dance residencies in Chicago Public Schools 1993-2005 through Urban Gateways. In that role he was responsible for developing and delivering curriculum and assessment tools, including student objectives and goals. He taught dance classes to the public at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago's Lou Conte Dance Studio 1993-2020 (when the studio closed). Since 2018 he has also been a teacher at Gallery 37 in the Advanced Arts Program (AAP) of the CPS Arts in Education office, which includes ongoing certification in education and teaching related subjects.

Throughout the history of Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (20+ years) Wilfredo has developed community programming, including residencies and touring performances which adhere to CPS and IL learning standards. This included summer dance intensive programming for 8 sites of the Chicago Park District in 2010, the Arts Infusion Program with the Chicago Community Trust in Little Village and Pilsen 2010-2016, and the music and dance education programs at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School 2012-2020.