Eric Eatherly (1979-2014)
January 6, 2015
Eric Eatherly, the dancer, dance journalist and arts publicist, passed away in December 2014 in a tragic car accident, at the age of 35. He was a well-respected and active member of the Chicago arts community.
Eatherly was born in San Francisco in 1979, and grew up in Chattanooga. He graduated from Northwestern University in 2001 with a B.A. in dance and sociology, and performed with a variety of companies in Chicago, including Hedwig Dances, Mordine & Company Dance Theatre, and Thodos Dance Chicago.
Always drawn to writing as well, he retired from performing in 2007 after an injury, and began writing about dance for the Windy City Times. He joined Silverman Group, the performing arts public relations company, in 2008, where he worked with companies such as Joffrey Ballet, Lyric Opera and Redmoon Theater.
Eatherly was widely known for his positive attitude and his kindness. “He was sweet, goofy, endearing…That showed onstage,” Joanna Rosenthal Read, artistic director of Same Planet Different World Dance Theatre, where Eatherly apprenticed, told the Chicago Tribune. “What moved him was the beauty of dance.”
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