Hedwig Dances Finds New Home in the New Year

Hedwig Dances, courtesy of Jan Bartoszek Hedwig Dances, courtesy of Jan Bartoszek Hedwig Dances kicked off the new year with a move to the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Headed by founder and artistic director Jan Bartoszek, Hedwig Dances becomes one of the center’s Artists In-Residence with their move. “I have known Jan and her dance company for many years,” said Ruth Page Center executive and artistic director Venetia Stifler. “I felt they would be a great fit for our artistic community.” The Artists In-Residence program provides artistic organizations a home base from which to grow and operate. With the move comes the opportunity for Hedwig Dances’ rehearsal space and office to occupy the same building for the first time in the company’s 30 years. Over the past 30 years, the company has rehearsed at the Chicago Cultural Center and most recently at Hubbard Street Dance. The administration has worked out of the Athenaeum Theatre and a Ravenswood office. “There is also great potential for partnerships among the resident organizations within the building that we are beginning to explore,” Bartoszek said in an email. In the new space, Hedwig Dances offers company classes each Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 to 11:30am. They also plan to hold an open rehearsal on April 1 from 12 to 1pm. This February, Hedwig Dances heads to Guadalajara, Mexico, to perform in Bailar a Pantalla, a dance examining how dance and media intersect. Located at 1016 N. Dearborn on the near north side, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts has been a hub of Chicago arts for 45 years. Founded by dancer Ruth Page, the center connects artists with audiences, fosters creativity and artistic development and acts as grounds of collaboration and innovation.
Miriam Finder Annenberg