The Era, En Media Res. Photocollage: Wills Glasspiegel.
“Richly layered and textured, this incendiary work begs to be seen again.”
—Chicago Tribune
Feet fly at high speed to equally frenetic and rhythmically complex beats as the performers of the Era Footwork Crew are enveloped in sound, video art, and poetry. The group unfolds the story of footwork dancing, from roller rink parties and Chicago basement battles to global stages in London and Japan. Dance and music from another dimension, IN THE WURKZ represents a flourishing dance company and artist collective, rooted on Chicago’s South Side and gaining national and international acclaim. The show features original music from pioneering Chicago DJs and producers, including Teklife-founder DJ Spinn and DJ Sydfalls.
The Era Footwork Crew: IN THE WURKZ
October 22–23, 2021, 8pm
$28.50 ($22.50 Walker members)
McGuire Theater
Program length: approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes (including intermission)
Pop-up Performances: The Era Footwork Crew
Thursday, October 21, 7 pm
Cargill Lounge, Free
Experience the incredible energy of the Era! Join the crew as they bring their high-speed footwork dancing into the Walker for pop-up performances in advance of their McGuire Theater show.
ABOUT THE ERA FOOTWORK CREW
The Era Footwork Crew are pioneers of the battle dance known as Chicago footwork. Since 2014, they have expanded upon what it means to be a dance crew, addressing inequality and racism through their lyrics and panel discussions and supporting women and girls in the history of footwork through collaboration and documentation. They have performed from Japan to Peru, performing and choreographing alongside leading artists such as Chance the Rapper, DJ Rashad, DJ Spinn, and Theaster Gates. Institutions like the Field Foundation, the University of Chicago, the Joyce Foundation and NEFA (New England Foundation For The Arts) have recognized The Era with grants in support of the group’s boundary-breaking artistic and social leadership. The Eras work has been in short documentaries by VICE, CBC (Canadian Broadcast Company), and the Chicago Tribune.
In 2019, The Era was awarded the recent National Dance Prize from NEFA (New England Foundation For The Arts), a $90k grant that puts The Era and IN THE WURKZ at the frontlines of American concert dance. IN THE WURKZ by, The Era features Artists Jamal “Litebulb” Oliver, Sterling “Steelo” Lofton, Brandon “Chief Manny” Calhoun, Jemal “P-Top” De La Cruz, and William “Wills” Glasspiegel, P.I.C (Partners in the Circle) Diamond “Queen Diamond” Hardimon, Elisha “Eleelee” Chandler. The story of IN THE WURKZ will also build on The Era’s lyrical approach to footwork with previous music releases that have been in The FADER and other high-end press surrounding music. With IN THE WURKZ, dancers have been able to narrate their life stories through memories associated with footwork dancing — from “juke parties” at roller rinks on the South Side to battles after the Bud Billiken Parade in Jackson Park. Chicago themes will drive this story about the life-saving power of footwork and community across generations of dancers. This new project will tour nationally and internationally in 2020-2021 with support from NEFA.
From Chatham to Tokyo, our work calls attention to the history of footwork across three generations of black dancers and also to the global scope of this history as footwork continues to develop and expand. In the words of the Chicago Tribune, which featured us in an Arts Section cover story: “The Era has taken footwork back for Chicago.” – Chicago Tribune