Celebrating 39 years and bold, new moves ahead!
Please join us in ringing in an incredible year of new and vibrant dance work as we honor two stand-out members of the art community and look to bold, new moves ahead! Meet and mingle with our Hedwig Dance Award recipients plus Hedwig Dances leadership, dancers, and designers. Be the first to learn about Hedwig Dances’ exciting plans for 2024 and beyond. We invite you to dress for the occasion! Don your boldest attire: vibrant colors, statement pieces, striking accessories – understated is so last year!
6:00 PM | WINE RECEPTION
6:35 PM | PERFORMANCE
Master of Ceremonies
Amanda Zinn
Board President, Hedwig Dances
WELCOME
Jan Bartoszek
Founder/Artistic Director
EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW OF WORK
by Jan Bartoszek
7:00 PM | DINNER
Opening remarks from honored guest
Brian Hieggelke
Publisher and Editor
New City
PADDLE RAISE
8:30 PM | AWARDS PRESENTATION
DANCE ADVOCACY AWARD
Ken Bowen
Lighting Designer
Presented by John Boesche
DANCE HERITAGE AWARD
Alison Hinderliter
Interim Curator of Modern Manuscripts
Newberry Library
CHAMPAGNE TOAST
Cocktail Attire • Valet Parking Available
Honorees
Alison Hinderliter
- Award
- Hedwig Dance Award for Dance Heritage
- Presented By
- Michael McStraw
Alison Hinderliter is the Lloyd Lewis Curator of Modern Manuscripts and Archives at the Newberry Library. In addition to serving as the Newberry’s Selector for Modern Music, Alison oversees a range of collections related to dance, music, literature, journalism, business, Chicago history, and social action. She has been in the archival field for over 30 years, working as an archivist at the Chicago History Museum, The Chicago Public Library, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and the Old Town School of Folk Music. She holds a B.A. in English from Oberlin College and an M.L.I.S. from the University of California-Berkeley.
Ken Bowen
- Award
- Hedwig Dance Award for Dance Advocacy
- Presented By
- John Boesche
Ken Bowen’s extensive career in Chicago technical theatre began in 1976 with a position as Technical Director for Columbia College Dance Center. He became designer for Mordine & Company, and in 1983 he began work as a freelance designer, tech director, stage manager, tour manager, and rigger. Early collaborations included contemporary dance groups and choreographers Chicago Moving Company, Maggie Kast, Joseph Holmes, Joel Hall, Lou Conte, and Chicago Ballet. He had extensive design relationships with Akasha and Chicago Repertory Dance Ensemble, as well as the experimental group, X-Sight. His connection to Hedwig Dances was especially rewarding due to Jan’s strong, clear, and generous direction.
Ken has served on the board of the Chicago Dance Coalition, received three separate Ruth Page
awards, a JeffNomination, and premiered 480 dance pieces. He discovered a love of teaching and accepted special teaching assignments at Columbia College Theatre Department, DePaul, Carleton College, and spent two years teaching Technical Theatre for Dance at Barat College in Lake Forest. He finally landed at the Latin School of Chicago, where he spent 20 years teaching stagecraft and CAD computer design, and opened 100 different plays and dance concerts.
He is deeply indebted to each and every collaborator who trusted him to help bring their work to an audience, he sees each collaboration as an honor and gift.
Presenters
Brian Hieggelke
- Presenter Type
- Keynote Speaker
rian Hieggelke is the founder and president/CEO of Newcity, an award-winning, Chicago-based company operating in print, digital and social media environments. He also serves as editor and co-publisher.
Hieggelke, who has written about media, politics, running, books, film, art, music, food, fashion, theater and dance, was awarded the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists for a weekly media column, Press Relief, and has been a finalist for the award three additional times.
Newcity operates in the custom publishing business in the cultural space, and has created publications on the behalf of Expo Chicago art fair, Music Box Theatre, University of Chicago Arts, Navy Pier, the Terra Foundation and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events for Chicago Artists Month. In 2015, Newcity launched NewcityBrazil.com, covering the visual art culture of São Paulo and beyond.
Hieggelke has written two short plays that have been produced by American Blues Theater as part of its “Ripped” festival.
He was named to the Crain’s Chicago Business list of “40 under 40” honoring business achievement before the age of 40.-
John Boesche
- Presenter Type
- Award Presenter
John Boesche has created projected images for more than 200 dance opera, theatre, and music productions. Designs for dance include The Joffrey Ballet, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, Lucky Plush Productions, Cynthia Oliver & Company, Mordine & Company, and Erica Mott Productions among others. His scenic and media designs for regional theatre include Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Geffen Playhouse (LA), Goodman Theater, Lookingglass Theater, McCarter Theatre (Princeton), New York Shakespeare Festival (NYC), Seattle Repertory Theatre, and Steppenwolf Theatre, among others. Mr. Boesche has received the Merritt Award For Excellence In Design And Collaboration, 3 Joseph Jefferson Awards for his theatre designs, a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award, a Metro DC Dance Award and a 2018 Bessie nomination, with John Jennings and Stacey Robinson, for Outstanding Visual Design. He is the chair of Digital Media for Live Performance at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Michael McStraw
- Presenter Type
- Award Presenter
Michael McStraw is the Executive Director of the Chicago Dance History Project (CDHP), and a member of and an outstanding advocate for the Chicago performing arts community. As a professional dancer, semi-professional musician, arts administrator, dance educator, board member, and arts patron, Michael has been a positive and constant influence in the community for nearly 40 years. Raised in Western Pennsylvania, his life includes a BS degree in Geology from Allegheny College, a Master of Fine Arts degree in Modern Dance from the University of Michigan, and a stint as an agricultural extension agent in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone, West Africa. He danced extensively with the area’s premier contemporary dance companies, including Mordine & Company Dance Theater, an organization he also managed, Jan Erkert & Dancers, and DanszLoop Chicago, of which he was a founding member. Prior to joining CDHP, Michael was honored to serve as Giordano Dance Chicago’s Executive Director for 13 years. He is an experienced marketing, operations, and project management professional with special skill in developing strategic long-term solutions for complex business issues. Michael has twice served three-year terms on the Illinois Arts Council Dance Panel, is past President and Board Member for See Chicago Dance, Chicago’s dance marketing and advocacy organization, and has mentored young artists/administrators within Pentacle’s Help Desk program. After serving six years as an ex-officio member of the Harris Theater for Music and Dance’s Board of Trustees, representing that organization’s Resident Companies, Michael was appointed as a full Trustee in June 2022. Michael was celebrated as the Chicago Tribune’s “2022 Chicagoan of the Year in Dance.”