Press

“With its sensational program the company demonstrated that it now belongs in the front ranks of this city’s resident companies. Not only is this a troupe of top-flight dancers supported by the most polished design work. But even more crucially, it is a company that has steadily been building its repertoire, and in doing so has amassed a wide range of pieces that suggest the ever-broadening definition of ‘jazz-based dance.’ In the process, it has demonstrated that an ensemble rooted in this technique can be a magnet for very sophisticated choreographers.”

Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times
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“It is programs such as this one, presented by Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, that remind us what the arts can be and can suggest about the human condition – and how the spirit can be elevated through creative programming and brilliant performance.”

Roger A. Cope, Classical Voice of North Carolina
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“Never content to rest on its fleet-footed laurels, the company consistently introduces fresh approaches to the jazz genre… …it honored founder Gus Giordano with an ensemble work devoted to his clean-lined style while premiering two pieces that showed how Giordano’s vocabulary continues to be stretched in athletic and witty directions.”

Lucia Mauro, Chicago Tribune

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Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago is the nation’s original jazz dance company. The company’s mixed repertory encompasses the broad spectrum of jazz dance while incorporating the distinct Giordano jazz dance tradition. A multi-ethnic company of ten athletic dancers, Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago will entice your core patrons and their sports loving spouses!

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Gus Giordano Biography

"Our father was a light for so many people in so many ways in Chicago,"say Nan and Amy Giordano, daughters carrying on Giordano's legacy in the company and the school. "His vision, creativity and passion for jazz dance made a huge impact on dance communities, students and audiences in Chicago and throughout the world. All who knew him personally will deeply miss the elegance and warmth of his presence, but it is now our job to embrace the dreams he shared with his late wife Peg and carry them forward to new and higher levels."

August Thomas Giordano ("Gus") was born in St. Louis in 1923 . During World War II, Giordano joined the Marines, where he was assigned to a performing group that put on shows at the Hollywood Canteen and at military bases around the country. After college he moved to New York with his wife Peg and performed in the Broadway musical "Wish You Were Here," "Paint Your Wagon," "On the Town" and several television variety shows including the "Ed Sullivan Show." In 1953, Gus Giordano moved back to Chicago and opened his Evanston based dance school where he taught and choreographed the Giordano technique. Giordano went on to
write about it in his the highly acclaimed "Anthology of American Jazz Dance," the first book of its kind was released 1975. Giordano organized the first Jazz Dance World Congress in August 1990. This event, co-sponsored by Northwestern University, assembled jazz dance greats such as Luigi, Matt Mattox, and Giordano and numerous jazz dance companies for a week of master classes and performances. Now an annual event, the Congress has been held at The Kennedy Center in Washington,D.C., at Northwestern University and University at Buffalo, in Phoenix, Chicago, Japan, Germany, Mexico, Costa Rica, and just this past August was staged for the third time in Chicago.

Gus Giordano was the recipient of the 1984 Dance Educators of America Award for his "outstanding contribution to the world of jazz dance." His numerous honors included the 1988 Mayor's Award for the Arts (Evanston, Ill.), the 1989 Governor's Award for the Arts for exemplary individual artistic achievement, the 1991 Dance Teacher Now "Circle Award" for lifetime contributions to dance education, the 1993 Ruth Page Lifetime Service to the Field Award (presented to Gus and his late wife Peg); andin 1996 from the University of Missouri the "Distinguished Alumni Award" and the "William Francis English Scholar-in-Residence Award." In 1985, Governor James Thompson declared April 25 "Gus Giordano Day" in appreciation of "his immense contribution to the cultural environment of the State of Illinois." In 1995 he received the "Honorable Artist Award" from Chukyo University in Nagoya, Japan. In 1997 Gus served as National Spokesperson for National Dance Week. In 1999, Gus received the Third Annual Katherine Dunham Award for "excellence and great contributions to the Arts," and in 2003, Chicago's Mayor Daley presented Gus with the Chicago Senior of the Year Award. In 2005 the National Dance Association presented Gus with its Heritage Award, and the same year Gus received an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts Degree from Shenandoah University.

Giordano is survived by daughters Nan Giordano and Amy Giordano, sons Patrick and Marc Giordano and eight grandchildren.

Visitation will be at Wm. H. Scott Funeral Home, 1100 Greenleaf Avenue, Wilmette, Ill. on Thursday, March 13 from 2 to 9 p.m. The funeral has taken place on Friday, March 14 at 10 a.m. at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 1633 N. Cleveland Ave., Chicago. A Tribute to Gus Giordano is being planned as part of the company's engagement at the Harris Theater October 24 and 25, 2008.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Gus Giordano Memorial Fund. The fund will perpetuate the dreams, plans and projects of Gus Giordano. All contributions can be sent to: Gus Giordano Memorial Fund, 614 Davis Street, Evanston, IL 60201.

Nan Giordano Biography

Nan Giordano, Artistic Director of Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago since 1993, Nan has guided the development of a large and diverse repertoire. She is on the faculty of the Giordano Dance Center and has toured internationally as guest teacher in many countries including Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, and Mexico. Ms. Giordano also teaches master classes in the United States. She has choreographed several pieces in the current GJDC repertoire, including Untitled , Chain of Rocks , and Taal . Nan received the Manford Byrd Jr. “Wizard of Oz” Award for Outstanding Service from Howland School of the Arts. She is on the guest faculty of IBC, Jackson MS and the International Ballet Competition, National Honorary Committee. She is Artistic Director of the Jazz Dance World Congress, an annual event that draws dancers, choreographers, and teachers from more than 30 countries. Nan served three years on the Illinois Arts Council Dance Panel.

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Repertory

Coming soon...

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