Voguing is the subject of Third Swan From the End: Battle Gracefully to Be Legendary. Choreographer Darrell Jones says he’s haunted the sidelines of the scene for 15 years, so he knows the moves and the culture. But after receiving a 2006 grant from the Chicago Dancemakers Forum he began looking into the form intensively, struggling out of bed at 3 AM to attend local balls. A recent transplant to Chicago, Jones is an elegant presence onstage (he’s performed with the Bebe Miller and Ralph Lemon companies, among others). The other five dancers–including two women, because Jones was curious about how vogueing would look on the female form–can be a little rough around the edges, but that’s OK: they’re amazing to watch, especially in the improvised battles that are part of the piece. Also impressive is a duet Jones performs with Damon Green that’s alternately brotherly, sexual, aggressive, and strangely delicate; it shows off Jones’s fragility and diffidence, qualities not usually associated with the flamboyant art of voguing. A miniball spectacular hosted by the House of Avant Garde follows the Saturday performance. a Fri-Sat 9/21-9/22, 8 PM, Galaxie, 2603 W. Barry, 866-468-3401, $12-$18. –Laura Molzahn
