Bob Fosse staged some fancy steps for the Ed Sullivan show starring his wife (Gwen Verdon) including the famous “Mexican Breakfast” from which Beyonce “borrowed” heavily for her “Single Ladies” video. BFF Barb informed me of that fact just this weekend which immediately sent me searching You Tube for videos and after I typed in “Fosse single ladies” I got plenty of hits. Considering the almost cult status of Fosse among dance enthusiasts it really was a coup d’etat for Thodos Dance Chicago to get the commission to present the world premier of these dances. Unless you watched Ed Sullivan back in the mid sixties you would never get to see these pieces, and you certainly weren’t gonna see them staged live. I commend Beyonce for her vision for incorporating the dances into her video (she got huge kudos for the piece) We were in for a treat.
Of course I was in bed all day having stayed up past four A.M. but I rallied and enjoyed a home cooked meal with BFF Babs and before taking on the adventures in public parking at the huge underground parking garage on Chicago’s Lakefront. It’s a labryinth that goes for miles! And the garage was hosting parking for folks going to the Chicago Symphony (same show time) as well. Lotsa art going on in Chicago.
The dancing was exciting – the dancers were not perfect but who am I to talk? I could barely make it up all the goddamned stairs in the joint! The two hours flew by and during intermission we moved from our catacomb-like front seats to the back of the theater – better view of the stage for dance and due to the odd empty seat, we were able to spread out. Not a bad way to spend an evening. It is always inspiring for me to see other folks creating art. And the music was wonderful.
