Chicago’s Giordano Dance Company joins North Coast Dance Festival in its third year

MARQUETTE, Mich. (WJMN) — Pliés, pirouettes and now, chasses. The North Coast Dance Festival is back at the Forest Roberts Theatre for its third consecutive year, and this time, a Chicago jazz group is joining the action.

Professional dancers from across the country gather on the Northern Michigan University campus each year for this festival, where they work alongside NMU dancers to teach high-level dance techniques and put on “mesmerizing” performances.

The Wednesday before the Thursday and Friday night shows, the event organizers host a free master class for experienced dancers. This event is open to the public, but pre-registration for anyone wanting to participate is required and closes Tuesday night.

Jill Grundstrom, the festival’s artistic director, is happy that the festival is starting to expand on the styles of dance it features, something she believes is important.

One of those styles is jazz, and Grundstrom is excited that the director of Chicago’s Giordano Dance Company , Nan Giordano, will be leading the Wednesday workshop this year.

“She’ll be teaching her dad’s [Gus Giordano] jazz style, which is like, a really big deal…He was one of the first people to take vernacular jazz movement and start to codify it into what we do in the studios nowadays,” said Grundstrom.

For those interested in the master class but not able or wanting to participate this year, the public is invited to watch the class. It will take place at 6:30 p.m. July 24 at the Forest Roberts Theatre. Professional performances will be held at 7:30 p.m. July 25 and 26. Tickets can be purchased here .

The Giordano Dance Company will be performing a piece they premiered last April set to music by George Gershwin and choreographed by Al Blackstone , an Emmy Award-winning choreographer.

Other performers at this year’s event will be returning ballet dancers Mate Szentes , Julia Feldman and Ava Chatterson, as well as the Wildcat Performing Arts Academy , which will be performing for the first time this year.

“We have a group of high schoolers from across the country on campus at the moment, and they are in dance class from about 9:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night, and on Friday evening of the festival, they [the Wildcat Performing Arts Academy] will do a special guest performance,” said Grundstrom.

Thanks to the Siril Endowment for the Arts , the North Coast Dance Festival and other artistic events throughout the year are free for NMU students.

For the general public, tickets this year are $20.

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