IN THE END
Choreography: Frank Chaves
Music: Zoe Keating; Secret Garden; Anibel Arias y Osvaldo Montes: Olafur Arnalds; Ezio Bosso
Lighting Design: Joshua Paul Weckesser
Costume Designer: Jeff Hancock
Section I:
Dancers: 6
Section II:
Dancers: 2
Section III:
Dancers: 2
Section IV:
Dancers: 2
Section V:
Dancers: 6
"Frank Chaves' poignant "In the End" for six men was both heart wrenching and uplifting in its stunning exploration of masculinity. Chaves' movement invention is at once bold and vulnerable.
Frank Chaves' sculptural dance poem is a celebration of masculinity in strikingly original movement. That Chaves choreographed this piece from a wheel chair is beyond imagining. That he was able to achieve such a spectacular effect with 'In the End' is continuing evidence of his distinctive choreographic vision and unique movement language that speaks directly to the soul.
Chaves' eclectic blend of music is evocative and supportive without sentimentality, taking us on a universal exploration of the balance and relationship of human partnership and individual strength."
- Lynn Colburn Shapiro / SeeChicagoDance
River North Dance Chicago artistic director Frank Chaves brought a new work for the company's six men to the Harris Theater for River North's 25th Anniversary season. The piece "travels through the idea of connectivity," says Chaves, "and how we gradually lose it," using the metaphor of clothing to reflect the constraints that society, family and religion place upon us. Chaves' inherent faith in the power of human contact to guide us to our truest selves follows the non-linear story through three duets, each exploring a different aspect of non-romantic male relationships.
“I have had an all-male piece ruminating within me for a while, initially sparked by my first male duet in The Good Goodbyes (2012). It is now revealing itself to me, through the music, to be a celebration of strength and beauty. Using platonic relationships among men and the various expressions of masculinity as a vehicle to explore a journey which we all face: our entry to this world begins in a raw and vulnerable state, only to be constricted by societal expectations placed upon us by politics, religion, family, etc. Ultimately, we can move beyond these constraints to stay true to ourselves; we are not defined by what society has in store for us.” -Frank Chaves
“We Insist” from “Looper’s Delight” by Zoe Keating; “Ode to Simplicity” from “Songs from a Secret Garden” by Secret Garden; “Mi Dolor” from “Bien Tanguero” by Anibel Arias Y Osvaldo Montes (Epsa Music); “The Wait” from “Another Happy Day” by Olafur Arnolds (Mandalay Pictures and Mercury Classics); “Thunders and Lightnings” from “Music for Weather Elements” by Ezio Bosso & Ezio Bosso Trio (The Bosso Brothers.)
