The Era (dance crew)

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Meet the Era
The Era Black-dance-matters-a-documentary-on-chicago-footwork-collective-the-era-1448056844.jpg
The Era

The Era is a Chicago-based footwork dance crew. Dancers from the group have performed at London's Barbican, the Pitchfork Festival in Chicago, [1] and South by Southwest. [2] The group also teaches footwork at High Concept Laboratories, where they have an incubation studio space. [3]

Pitchfork Music Festival

The Pitchfork Music Festival is an annual summer music festival organized by Pitchfork Media and held in Union Park in Chicago, IL. The festival, which is normally held over three days in July, focuses primarily on artists and bands from alternative rock, hip hop, electronica, and dance music, although it has also ranged into hardcore punk, experimental rock, and jazz in its lineups.

South by Southwest is an annual conglomerate of film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas, United States. It began in 1987, and has continued to grow in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with SXSW interactive lasting for five days, music for seven days and film running concurrently for nine days. Comedy and gaming components to the festival are particularly fast-growing.

The group was founded on the South Side of Chicago. Members Litebulb, Steelo, Dempsey, and Chief Manny (along with DJ Jody Breeze a.k.a. JodyDigital) met as members of the Chicago battle crew Terra Squad. Litebulb and P-Top met on the set of the film Manglehorn. [4]

<i>Manglehorn</i> 2014 film by David Gordon Green

Manglehorn is a 2014 American drama film directed by David Gordon Green and written by Paul Logan. The film stars Al Pacino, Holly Hunter, Harmony Korine and Chris Messina. It was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival. The film was released in theaters on June 19, 2015, by IFC Films.

In 2015, Litebulb received the Chicago Dancemakers Forum Award. [5] In 2015, members Litebulb and Glasspiegel received the Crossing Boundaries award from the University of Chicago. They expressed plans to use the prize to develop an educational project on the history of footwork. [6] In 2016, the group performed their debut stage performance, In the Wurkz, featuring new choreography, music videos and performance by The Era. [7]

University of Chicago Private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. The university is composed of an undergraduate college, various graduate programs and interdisciplinary committees organized into five academic research divisions and seven professional schools. Beyond the arts and sciences, Chicago is also well known for its professional schools, which include the Pritzker School of Medicine, the Booth School of Business, the Law School, the School of Social Service Administration, the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, the Divinity School and the Graham School of Continuing Liberal and Professional Studies. The university holds top-ten positions in various national and international rankings.

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References

  1. "DJ Spinn's Full Pitchfork Music Festival Set Now Available". Pitchfork. Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  2. "SXSW Schedule: The ERA Footwork Crew". South by Southwest.
  3. "Living at 160: Footwork Dance". High Concept Laboratories. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  4. "Black Dance Matters: A Documentary on Chicago Footwork Collective The Era". Thump. Vice. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  5. "2015 Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artists Announced". Chicago Dancemakers Forum. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  6. "2015/2016 Crossing Boundaries Artists". University of Chicago. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
  7. Tribune, Chicago. "The Era takes footworking a step further in 'In the Wurkz'". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2016-10-12.