SOUTH LAKEVIEW — Those who've admired the work of choreographer Jan Bartoszek over the past 30 years might see something familiar in this weekend's production of "One Grand Dance."
Then again, they might not.
"Some [dances] are intact, and some are changed considerably. When you set your work on different dancers, you immediately change things, because you have different people, different body types. No two people are exactly the same, and you have to work with who's in the room," Bartoszek said.
Hedwig Dances will celebrate its 30th anniversary with "One Grand Dance" at The Athenaeum Theatre on Friday and Saturday. [Eileen Ryan Photography]
"One Grand Dance," playing this weekend at The Athenaeum Theatre, 2936 N. Southport Ave., is a 30th anniversary celebration for Bartozsek's dance company, Hedwig Dances.
The Michigan native structured the "retrospective collage of works" around three of her earlier Hedwig Dances pieces — a tango, a waltz and a polka.
"The waltz is about the courtship, the tango is about dependence and independence and the polka is actually a celebration at the end, also referencing a piece I did very early on in my career," Bartoszek said.
Hedwig Dances Founder Jan Bartoszek [center] dances in one of the company's first productions, "Polka." Bartoszek's early choreography is being integrated into "One Grand Dance" in celebration of the company's 30th anniversary. [Stacy Nigrelli]
Earlier this year, Bartoszek began reviewing her three decades of work with Hedwig Dances as she began to piece together the production.
"It was really fun actually. I've had VHS tapes and I've gone through photographs that I hadn't looked at in years, remembering all the people who had a part in building a company," she said.
In 1985, after 11 years of creating and performing dance for annual concerts and other productions, Bartoszek said, "At a certain point, it was like, OK, am I going to be more serious? If I am, then let me find the structure that helps support it."
Jan Bartoszek, founder and artistic director of Hedwig Dances, has spent 30 years choreographing productions for the dance company. [Hedwig Dances]
Slowly, Hedwig Dances gained traction in the community, "from zero [dancers] to 10, and from 10 to 20 and then 30," Bartoszek said. "Even in the last 10 years, it's been even more rewarding to see where things have gone and how we've developed as a company."
Since those early days, her work has become "richer, deeper and more complex," particularly with the help of collaborators like Susan Marshall, Andrea Miller and, most recently, company member Edson Cabrera.
Cabrera's African-inspired piece, "Bangweulu," will have its world premiere during the "One Grand Dance" celebration this weekend. The series of duets weaves tales of relationships between loved ones, set before a bangweulu, which translates to "where the water meets the sky" or the "infinite horizon."
It's fitting for the love-centered dance to take place this weekend; if there's one thing that's clear, it's Bartoszek's own love for her Hedwig Dances companies, both past and present.
"When you've been around as long as 30 years, you've had many different companies along the way, and each has its own personality, because the dancers are very integral to the work," she said. "I guess what I feel right now is just a lot of gratitude toward all the people who have given so much of their artistry to the company over the years."
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