Under the leadership of Artistic Director Joel Hall, the Joel Hall Dancers have carried their unique yet universally accessible voice to venues that span the world. In June of 2010, the Joel Hall Dancers presented “Here’s to Life” which included six premiere works in addition to the re-staging of multiple works, including the critically acclaimed piece Y2Day.
In September of 2010, the Joel Hall Dancers performed at the Floral Pavilion in New Brighton, United Kingdom at the invitation of Merseyside Dance Initiative. The Joel Hall Dancers presented “In the Shadow of Nina Simone,” which once again received extraordinary reviews and feedback from both the public and the dance world. Just as Nina Simone always searched for new ways to present her music, the Joel Hall Dancers mirrored this quest for novel presentation, building upon their original unique style rooted in traditional jazz dance. The Joel Hall Dancers also performed several other staples from their repertoire, including “El Gato Negro” and “Compassion of the Sorceress.”
During our 2015 40th anniversary “Celebration Season,” the Joel Hall Dancers electrified audiences across Chicagoland with performances on some of the region’s grandest stages. From creating the world’s largest kick-line at Ravinia Festival in Highland Park…to “Anja: the Unexpected,” an ambitious fusion of live jazz music and dance at the University of Chicago’s Logan Center in Hyde Park…to the spectacular culminating performance of the Billy Strayhorn centennial celebration: “Lush Life: The Music of Billy Strayhorn” at the Auditorium Theatre. As Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich said of “Lush Life” in his review: “Add to this the sometimes slinky, sometimes sensuous choreography of the Joel Hall Dancers, and you had a multifaceted Strayhorn homage that captured the intrinsic elegance of the man’s music.”