Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble

Company History

“ Adler capably weaves together stinging snippets of text and the suggestion of one woman's world unraveling in almost lyrical measures -- aided by the unsettling music/sound design by Tim Hort, Braham Fetter and Joe Griffin -- the drama remains on an intimate, subconscious plane”
-Chicago Tribune

While completing her master’s degree in Directing and Movement at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Ellyzabeth Adler became fascinated with dance theater artists Pina Bausch and Martha Clarke and physical theatre directors such as Anne Bogart and Robert La Page, and began seeking opportunities to collaborate with artists and performers whose work defied traditional artistic boundaries. Unable to find a company in Chicago that equally incorporated dance and theater, Adler founded her own company in 2001 as Project Danztheatre Company, creating a resource for dancers and actors whose interests extend beyond their primary artistic discipline. Danztheatre comes from the German Expressionist movement, tanztheater founded byRudolf von Laban, who "through dance hoped to unite all art media and achieve an all-embracing, radical change in humankind." Adler hoped to foster a sense of true artistic collaboration within Project Danztheatre Company, drawing on the many artistic media to create multi-sensory dance/theatre performances.

Believing in bringing quality art experiences to children, the company included opportunities for members to work as teachers and visiting artists in the Chicago area private and public schools. In order to facilitate this growing outreach program, Project Danztheatre Company divided its work into two separate projects: the adult performing company, Adler Danztheatre Company and the outreach program, Kids Project.

Kids Project, founded in 2002, strives to help build a foundation for artistic appreciation and greater self-esteem by introducing young students to the fine and performing arts, using children’s literature as a vehicle. Its goal is to increase an awareness of arts and literacy in children of all backgrounds, through experiences in many artistic disciplines, including painting, photography, acting, and dance.

As a way to build support for like-minded organizations and artists, Adler Danztheatre Project founded Full Circle Danztheatre Festival in 2003. Full Circle is the only Festival in Chicago dedicated solely to ideals of danztheatre. The festival strives to blend all forms of art, dance, text, music and visual art into performances that capture and stimulate the mind. Full Circle’s mission is to create a platform for artists to explore, refine, and present their work, and to create a venue where artists and community groups collaborate to develop new works promoting the artistic ideals of danztheatre.

Believing that art can make radical changes in humankind, Adler Danztheatre Project launched The Voices Project in 2006. The Voices Project seeks to reflect the society around us and illuminate important sociopolitical issues. Through partnerships with grassroots community organizations, The Voices Project helps to raise awareness for organizations that work to better the world. Talkbacks after performances lead by activists, psychologists and artists provide an opportunity for meaningful dialogue and have been described as a gift by those who have participated.

Since 2001, Adler Danztheatre Project has created seven original productions and countless smaller festival pieces. These performances have included T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land and Death's Dream Kingdom, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper,This is not a Pipe based on the paintings of Rene Magritte and the writings of Sigmund Freud, and Ever Your Own, Edgar: an adaptation of the life of Edgar Allen Poe. In an effort to re-imagine the company and bring the organization back to its origins and initial mission, Adler worked with the ensemble and Board of Directors to re-establish the ensemble with a stronger emphasis on theatre. To balance the new artistic emphasis and highlight the collaborative nature of the work, the company chose a new name: Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble.

Looking forward, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble will continue Adler Danztheatre Project's performance style, seamlessly weaving theatre, dance, visual art, media, and text into performances with purpose that both stimulate and engage the audience. Our commitment to community outreach remains unwavering. The change is not so much our going in a new direction, but our renewed vigour in our pursuit of the ideals on which Project Danztheatre Company was first built.