Artistic Feats
The newly formed Hedwig Dances became an umbrella for the concert and outreach dance repertoire that Founder/Artistic Director Jan Bartoszek had successfully created and performed since 1974. Most of her original dance pieces continued to receive rave reviews in their world premieres at MoMing Dance & Arts Center, the hub of contemporary dance theatre during this exciting era of modern dance in Chicago. Jan Bartoszek received two awards for her work, the coveted National Endowment for the Arts Choreography Fellowship and an Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship for Choreography (her second IAC award).Photos by: Stacy Nigrelli, Eileen Ryan Photography
Artistic Feats
A critically acclaimed, multidisciplinary dance theatre work, Flight Distance, received its world premiere at MoMing Dance & Arts Center and was co-produced by Hedwig Dances and Fluid Measure Performance Company. Co-directed by Jan Bartoszek (choreographer) and Patricia Pelletier (script writer), with lighting design by Ken Bowen, costume design by Kris Cahill, and the “rich, cacophonous music for voices and instruments, by Michael Zerang, and the 32 detailed papier mache sculptures, by Don Seiden, add resonance and dimension to the work” Richard Christiansen, Chicago Tribune.“A remarkable evening of dance, theater, music and art…Bartoszek’s choreography casts a surrealistic aura. The dancers often appeared as dream figures, arriving and disappearing as easily as the bizarre creatures we accept so readily in our dreams.” – Wynne Delacoma, Chicago Sun-Times
Artistic Feats
Jan Bartoszek collaborated and performed with Deborah Siegel in the world premiere of Open Windows (also the name of the concert evening) at The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. The program also reprised Jan Bartoszek’s earlier works, In Search of a Common Language (1983) and Slask for Busia (1979).Clockwise from top left: Jan Bartoszek and Deborah Siegel in Open Windows; Hedwig Dances graphic; Artistic Director Jan Bartoszek Photos by: Susan Swingle; Eileen Ryan Photography
[Open Windows] “Dancing mostly in separate spotlights, frequently echoing each other`s movements but rarely meeting in unison, the two dancers create a sweet reminder of the delicacies of artistic partnership, a marriage more gossamer than more standard couplings.” -Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune
Artistic Feats
MoMing Dance & Arts Center’s and New Music Chicago’s premier co-presentation included Hedwig Dances’ debut of A Room of Wishes, a duet choreographed and performed by Jan Bartoszek and guest dancer Bryan Saner, with visual design by Eileen Ryan, costume design by Mary Brogger and original music by composer Kathleen Ginther. The piece was reprised later in the year at the American Women Composers’ performance showcase.Clockwise from top left: Image from The I Depend On Tango; Jan Bartoszek; The I Depend On Tango from newspaper review; Dancers performing at MoMing; Jan Bartoszek and Bryan Saner in A Room of Wishes
Dance Lines
Bryan Saner (Guest Dancer in A Room of Wishes – 1988)“Jan’s seamless transitioning of dance into the gallery/performance culture was innovative in the 1980s in Chicago, and she has continued to expand the scale of that endeavor. She has been an important force in activating the visual arts culture in Chicago galleries.”
