Inspired Chicago - Find fun things to do in Chicago!

Butoh first came to my attention as I was looking through a list of more than a hundred Chicago Dance Month (continuing through May 3) events.  I was immediately intrigued by the costumes, makeup, and poses in the photo (shown below) accompanying the event synopsis.  All the details fit with my schedule:  location (Chicago Cultural Center), date (April 19), time (6:30 p.m.), and cost (free).  I would soon be going to see my first butoh performances! What is butoh, you ask?  I had the same question!  Per merriam-webster.com, butoh is "a form of dance or performance art of Japanese origin typically involving slow movement and often white makeup."  Other searches informed that Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno founded the butoh movement in the late 1950s in post-World War II era Japan. Each performance I witnessed was uniquely creative and expressive. In Baroness’s "Pale Saints" ("Spring"), Rosé was the only artist of the evening to use spoke

The inaugural Lake FX Chicago Summit & Expo, a free conference for artists, creative professionals, and entrepreneurs, wrapped up yesterday, April 19.  The conference opened Thursday, April 16, with a 5 p.m. performance by The Charles Health Quartet, followed by a keynote panel discussion of the “Lake Effect" at 5:30 p.m.  Local artists shared the influence Chicago has had on their art and careers. Conference attendees had a full lineup of workshops, panel discussions, and presentations to choose from on Friday and Saturday.  General sessions focused on business and technology topics while other sessions focused on topics of interest to people involved in the culinary, fashion, film, music, and visual and performing arts fields. On Friday, I attended “Grow Your Brand Online,” at Google.  Attendees were welcomed to the Google offices with a selection of hot and cold beverages, fresh fruit, and delicious croissants, muffins, and other pastries.  From the chairs to the paint to