CheekyChicago

Maeghan McHale just won a spot on Dance Magazine’s coveted “25 To Watch” list for 2010, and this weekend you can catch her performing at the Harris in Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago’s spring engagement, Ovations. The show features a collection of Giordano’s greatest hits, including Randy Duncan’s “Can’t Take This Away,” which has not been performed by the company since the memorial service of GJDC founder Gus Giordano, held two years ago this month.

Other works include the energetic “Prey” by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago member Ron DeJesus, and Gus Giordano’s “Wings,” performed by Cesar Salinas and dedicated to the late choreographer.  This is a don’t-miss chance to see a Chicago-based, world class company showcasing some of the best works in its rep. We talked to Maeghan about her recent honor and this weekend’s show.

Cheeky: So let’s start with being picked for “25 to Watch” – congratulations!

Maeghan McHale: Thank you!

Cheeky: Can you tell us how that came about?

MM: It came out of left field.  I had no idea it was even happening.  The whole thing happened during Congress [last summer] and, [Dance Magazine’s] Lynn Shapiro had come to watch us perform.  Apparently, the story that I heard was that she had gone to [Giordano Assistant Artistic Director] Laura Wade and said, ‘I really want to nominate Maeghan for the top “25 to Watch,” do you think that would be okay?’  And, of course, Laura’s like, ‘oh my gosh, that’s great – but don’t say anything to her yet.’ And so all this stuff was going on behind the scenes and I had no idea what was going on.

And I think we were off contract for a little while and I get a phone call from Nan [Giordano, GJDC’s Artistic Director].  And Nan always tells us, you never know who’s in the audience watching, there’s always someone out there.  You should always have a really good performance no matter where you are.  And I said, yeah, I understand, you always tell us that.  And she said well, news flash – you were just nominated for “25 to Watch” in Dance Magazine.  And I’m like, oh . . . that’s great!  I wasn’t even thinking anything else of it, like maybe something came from it . . . And then she said, well, you got it!  And I flipped out.  I’m by myself in my apartment in Chicago.  I dropped my phone, I’m running around my apartment screaming at the top of my lungs, acting like a crazy woman.  I forgot Nan was still on the phone!  . . .

I know previous people who have been on the top “25 to Watch.”  Close friends I grew up with, who are now big, huge stars.  So I never really thought that was anything that could ever happen to me.  I’m very shy.  I like to hide out in a crowd.  So it was a little weird at first – the pictures, and the magazine, and the poster for Giordano.  It still hasn’t sunk in yet.  It’s all happened but it’s a little like – oh, this is kind of cool.  I could get used to this! (laughs.)

Cheeky: Is there anyone else on that list who makes you especially proud to share the honor?

MM: Well, there’s definitely one up-and-coming girl, Whitney Jensen, whom I’ve seen through ballet competitions because my sister runs a dance school where I’m from, in Baltimore, Maryland, and they always pick their students from the Youth America Grand Prix and a lot of the ballet competitions.  And I had seen Whitney Jensen at some of those competitions and it’s just amazing, at her age, even when I saw her then.  Not just technically is she brilliant, but her artistry as well. For as young as she is, to be that expressive through her port de bras, and everything else – when you watch her you think you’re watching a more seasoned dancer, not some young teenager who’s still in high school and has crushes on boys and that kind of thing (laughs). You’re like, how does that happen?

It’s a good thing because Dance Magazine really had an eclectic group of people, I’d say.  They had ballet, they had hip hop, they had us from Giordano; they had those guys from Miami City Ballet, who are so brilliant.  So it definitely was an honor to be a part of that.

Cheeky: Can you talk about how you got started in dance?

MM: I was a little brat when I was a kid (laughs). I was kind of a little spitfire, and my mom didn’t quite know what to do with me.  And my sister had already been doing a lot of gymnastics, dancing, anything – you name it, she did it.  I would always go to the studio with her when I was little, maybe three-years-old.  I would just stand at the door and watch and I was completely enamored by it.  I’d jump into the room and start dancing with all of them.

So it definitely started at a young age, and I really trained hard.  By nine or ten I’d already gone to Washington, DC for conservatory classes, and I went to an arts high school.  So I really tried to go for that goal of being a professional dancer.  Once I graduated high school I just shot off to New York. I’d gotten a scholarship at Dance Theatre of Harlem, and that was pretty much how everything got started.

Cheeky: And then how did you join Giordano?

MM: I’d been in New York for a couple of years, and my sister actually had a piece in the Jazz Dance World Congress – their choreography competition.  As luck had it, one of her younger students wasn’t able to perform.  So my sister, she calls me, and she goes, ‘Hey I’ve got an opening, want to come to Buffalo, NY, and perform and see Giordano?’  And I was like, ‘Yeah sure, I’m not doing anything here!’

It was great.  That was the first time I’d seen the company perform . . . and I was sold.  I was like, I would fit perfectly there.  That’s what I want to do.  From there on, I think I went to about four auditions and was repeatedly told no (laughs) until the last Congress I went to, which was here in Chicago, and then I auditioned and finally got a scholarship.

It was a long process – I was definitely kind of stubborn.  I wasn’t really sure if it was ever gonna happen, but I kept with it, so I’m glad I did because this has definitely been a dream.  It’s one of those things, like, you never think it’s gonna happen and when it does you’re like oh, crap, this is for real!  I have to do this now!  And it’s fun because this is what I love to do.  I love to entertain, I love to dance, I love to travel.  I would never be able to go to the places we’ve been to if I didn’t have this job.  We’ve been to Latvia, Germany, Hawaii, Guatemala . . . so, it’s fun!

Cheeky: So tell us about the show at the Harris this weekend.

MM: It’s definitely gonna be a great show.  It’s our Ovations show, which is basically what we think of as our Giordano favorites that the audience loves to see.  And two of my favorite pieces are in it, so I’m really stoked about that.

Cheeky: Which ones?

MM: That would be “Entropy,” which is the first piece we’ll do.  And the second piece is “Prey,” which is a killer.  We have Cesar [Salinas] doing “Wings.”  And, of course, everyone’s favorite – which we’ve been wanting to do for so long – is “Can’t Take This Away.”  It’s sort of dedicated to Gus, and everything that he’s done for us here.  It’s gonna be a tear-jerker, I think, at the end.  But it’s an honor to be able to do it, because everyone’s asked for years now, ‘Are they gonna do the dance?  Are they gonna do “Can’t Take This Away?”’  It’s been associated with Gus’ funeral and with [his wife] Peg and everything else, so Nan was always saying, you know, no.  But we finally get to do it, and I think we’ll hopefully make her proud when we do it, because we enjoy doing it. It’s going be a great show.

Cheeky: When you have any time to go and see other performing arts in Chicago, where do you go?

MM: I try to frequent as many dance shows as possible.  I go to see Danceworks, I go to see Hubbard, I go to see River North . . . You’ve gotta go out, it’s just good inspiration and motivation to see these people and what they’re capable of doing.

Cheeky: And finally, what’s the Cheekiest thing you did this week?

MM: It probably sounds lame, but I went and hung out with some old friends and we played – well, we of course had a nice, lovely bottle of wine or two – and we played games.  Everything from foosball to the board game Sorry, to Clue and all this fun stuff.  That’s the cheekiest thing I do.  I’m old, so my body tends to say ‘Okay, you’re staying in for the night – you gotta rest.’  So that’s the cheekiest thing you’ll get from me!