Memento by dropshift: Enchanting, Breathtaking, and Impressive

The opening night of Memento presented by dropshift dance was incredible. The ambience was filled with positive energy and anticipation. Everyone was wondering how were the dancers going to perform with such limited space? The constraint of the space turned into a constructive challenge for the dancers as they seized the opportunity to interact with the audience. Dancers Andrea Cerniglia, Weichiung “Coco” Chen, Colleen Welch, and Chelsea Harkelroad were captivating as they performed throughout the gallery. A few surprised audience members became part of the show and did a wonderful job as impromptu performers!

Before the performance began, fellow art enthusiasts enjoyed the beautiful artwork by visual artist Ashley Sullivan. The piece that is most remarkable was her screen-print of a CTA train on the tracks in the loop. The dominance of the color orange makes it pop and exudes urban drive. Come check it out before it’s too late. Ashley printed an edition of 45 and only has 10 left!

Dance/film artist Nadia Oussenko’s short film vignettes are impressive. One film in particular evokes the feeling of a location set abroad, yet the shoot took place in our very own backyard of Chicago – at a beautiful pavilion down by the lake near Fullerton.

Such a collaboration between dance, film, and visual art attracted many arts supporters and even journalistic coverage! Allison Friedman, a journalism graduate student from Northwestern, came out to the opening reception to experience Memento and learn more about I AM. Her piece on our event will be posted on our website as soon as it becomes available.

The food provided by our sponsor D’Noche was delicious as always and beer was provided by our sponsor Beck’s Beer. If you missed out on the opening reception, come out to the gallery on the designated dates for pop-up performances. The next one takes place this Wednesday, Dec. 12^th from 5pm to 7pm.

 

About dropshift dance

dropshift is an emerging modern dance company led by artistic director Andrea Cerniglia, a member of the Chicago dance scene since 2002. The group works through a rigorous process of studio investigation to make work that energizes the space and creates an environment for the performer and viewer. Using specific directives of quality, imagery, and trajectory, dropshift creates movement environments that allow the viewer an opportunity to connect with what is abstract by layering the physical experience with one that is human and authentic.