Culture of Chicago
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The culture of Chicago, Illinois, is known for various forms of performing arts, such as improvisational comedy, and music, such as Chicago blues and soul. The city is also known for various culinary dishes, notably the deep-dish pizza.
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[edit] Performing arts
Chicago has a major theater scene, and is the birthplace of modern improvisational comedy.[1] The city is home to two renowned comedy troupes: The Second City and I.O. It is also home to one of the longest running plays in the country — the Neo-Futurarium's Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind, an ensemble of 30 plays in 60 minutes. Many world-famous actors and comedians are Chicagoans or came to study in the area, particularly at Northwestern University in Evanston.[citation needed] The form itself was invented at the University of Chicago in the 1960s by an undergraduate performance group called the Compass Players, whose members went on to found Second City.
Since its founding in 1976 as an ensemble effort, Steppenwolf Theatre Company on the city's north side has nurtured a generation of actors, directors, and playwrights. It has grown into an internationally renowned company of thirty-five artists. Many other theatres, from nearly 100 black box performances spaces like the Strawdog Theatre Company in the Lakeview area to landmark downtown houses like the Chicago Theatre on State and Lake Streets, present a wide variety of plays and musicals, including touring shows and original works such as the premiere in December 2004 of Spamalot. The Goodman Theatre and the Victory Gardens Theatre have won regional Tony Awards, along with Steppenwolf.
The Lyric Opera of Chicago, founded in 1954, performs in the Civic Opera House. The Civic Opera House was built in 1929 on the east bank of the Chicago River and is the second-largest opera auditorium in North America with 3,563 seats. The Lyric Opera purchased the Civic Opera House from the building's owner in 1993. The company has reported an average of 100% sales for the past 16 years and approximately 34,000 subscribers for its six-month season.[citation needed]
The Joffrey Ballet makes its home in Chicago. Other modern and jazz dance troupes that are located in the city include Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, River North Chicago Dance Company, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Thodos Dance Chicago and The Joel Hall Dancers.
[edit] Music
Chicago has made many significant pop-cultural contributions. In the field of music, Chicago is known for its Chicago blues, Chicago soul, Jazz, and Gospel. The city is also the birthplace of the House style of music, whose history is related to the development and fostering of the Techno style of music in Detroit, Michigan. The Hip-Hop scene in Chicago is also very influential, with major artists including Kanye West, Twista, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Da Brat & Shawnna.
The rock band Chicago was named after the city, although its original name was the Chicago Transit Authority. The band's name was shortened to Chicago after the CTA threatened to sue them for unauthorized use of the original trademark.
In the late 1970's, local band The Shoes arguably started indi rock with a power pop album recorded in their living room. 1980s' and 90s' alternative bands Local H, Eleventh Dream Day, Ministry, Veruca Salt, Big Angry Fish!, The Barbie Army, My Life With the Thrill Kill Kult, Material Issue, Liz Phair, Urge Overkill and The Smashing Pumpkins hail from Chicago. Contemporary rock bands The Lawrence Arms, SOiL, Kill Hannah and Wilco are also Chicago-based. The 2000s have seen local artists Disturbed, Alkaline Trio, The Academy Is, Spitalfield Chevelle, and Fall Out Boy also attain success in the U.S.
A handful of punk rock bands are based in Chicago. Some of the more famous punk rock products of the city are Naked Raygun, The Effigies, Big Black (featuring Steve Albini), Screeching Weasel, and The Blue Meanies. Many of these punk and indie bands got their start at noted alternative music venues Metro (originally Caberet Metro), and from 1987-2000, Lounge Ax.
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is one of the nation's oldest and most respected orchestras.
Chicago's colorful history and culture have provided inspiration for a wide variety of musical compositions. In the 19th century, the chain of events surrounding the Great Chicago Fire led Chicago resident Horatio Spafford to write the hymn It Is Well With My Soul.
The city's Uptown neighborhood is proported to be the birthplace of Slam Poetry, a style of spoken word poetry that incorporates elements of hiphop culture, drama, jazz and lyricism.
- See also: Wax Trax! and Chicago record labels
[edit] Sports
Chicago has 15 sports teams. Chicago is one of only a few cities to have its major sports teams play within its city limits. It is one of three U.S. cities that has two Major League Baseball teams, and the only city to have always had more than one baseball team since the forming of the American League in 1900. The Chicago Cubs of the National League play at Wrigley Field, which is located in the North Side neighborhood of Lakeview, commonly referred to as "Wrigleyville." The Chicago White Sox of the American League, who recently won the World Series in 2005, play at U.S. Cellular Field, located in the city's South Side Bridgeport neighborhood.
The Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association are one of the world's most recognized basketball teams, thanks to their enormous success during the Michael Jordan era, when they won six NBA titles in the 1990s. The Bulls play at the United Center on Chicago's Near West side. They share the "UC" with the Chicago Blackhawks, of the National Hockey League. The Hawks are an Original Six franchise, founded in 1926, and last won the Stanley Cup in 1961.
The Chicago Bears of the National Football League play at Soldier Field. Chicago is the largest city to have a NFL stadium. The Bears have won nine American Football championships (eight NFL Championships and Super Bowl XX) trailing only the Green Bay Packers, who have twelve.
The Chicago Fire, members of Major League Soccer, won one league and four US Open Cups since 1997. After eight years at Soldier Field, they recently moved to the new Toyota Park in Bridgeview at 71st and Harlem Avenue during the summer of 2006. Toyota Park is also home to the Chicago Machine of the Major League Lacrosse.
The Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League and Chicago Rush of the Arena football League both play at the Allstate Arena in nearby Rosemont. Owned by Mike Ditka, the Rush are the defending Arenabowl champions. The Wolves have won league champonships in 1998, 2000, and 2002. Their first season was 1994-95.
The Chicago Hounds of the United Hockey League, the Chicago Shamrox of the National Lacrosse League and the Chicago Storm of the Major Indoor Soccer League play at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.
Chicago United, USAFL members, are the Australian Rules football club in the city, competing in the MAAFL.
The city has offered an official bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.[2][3] Chicago also hosted the 1959 Pan American Games, and Gay Games VII in 2006.
[edit] Cuisine
The great triumvirate of Chicago-style foods are pizza, hot dogs and Italian beef.
Chicago-style pizza, a deep-dish pizza with a thin crust covered by a thick layer of cheese, is world-renowned and popular locally. Chicago pizzerias also serve the less well-known stuffed pizza (a close relative of deep-dish) and a unique crispy style of thin crust.
A Chicago hot dog is traditionally a steamed or boiled natural-casing wiener on a poppy-seed bun loaded with yellow mustard, chopped onion, sliced tomato, neon-green sweet-pickle relish, sport peppers, a dill-pickle spear and a sprinkling of celery salt -- but no ketchup. Many hot-dog stands also serve the Maxwell Street Polish sausage, topped with grilled onions and mustard.
Italian beef sandwiches feature thinly sliced roast beef flavored with Italian-style seasonings and served on an Italian roll sopped in the meat juices and topped with sweet sauteed peppers or hot giardiniera, sometimes combined with a grilled Italian sausage.
Not unique to Chicago, but ubiquitous there is gyros, reportedly introduced to the U.S., along with flaming saganaki, by Chicago's Parthenon restaurant[1]. Many locally owned fast-food restaurants serve hot dogs, Italian beef and gyros.
The newest Chicago specialty is the jibarito, a sandwich served on fried plantains. The oldest delicacies are chicken Vesuvio and shrimp de Jonghe. Chicago is also home to many fried shrimp shacks, and has its own local fried-chicken chain, Harold's Chicken Shack.
The Windy City also features many ethnic restaurant districts, including "Greektown" on South Halsted, "Little Italy" on Taylor Street, just west of Halsted, "Chinatown" on the South Side, and the Indo-Pak stretch of Devon Avenue.
Along with fast food and ethnic fare, Chicago is home to many steakhouses, as well as a long list of world-renowned, upscale dining establishments serving a wide array of cuisine from some of the best-known chefs in the United States. Some notable destinations include Frontera Grill, a gourmet Mexican restaurant owned by Food Network star Rick Bayless, and Everest, a new-French restaurant on the top floor of the Chicago Stock Exchange building downtown. Others are Charlie Trotter's, owned by well-respected chef Charlie Trotter, and Tru from chefs Rick Tramonto and Gale Gand.
In the June 2006 issue of GQ magazine, Chicago was hailed as the best restaurant city in America, and in the October, 2006, issue, Gourmet magazine chose Alinea as the finest restaurant in the United States. Chicago has recently become a center for molecular gastronomy, thanks to Alinea, Moto and Avenues.
[edit] References
- ^ Sawyer, R Keith (September 30, 2002). Improvised Dialogue. Ablex/Greenwood, 14. ISBN 1-56750-677-1.
- ^ Levine, Jay. "Chicago In The Running To Host 2016 Summer Games." CBS. July 26, 2006. Retrieved on December 1, 2006.
- ^ "Official Chicago 2016 Website." Retrieved on December 1, 2006.
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