And the whole room became possessed by the Christmas Spirit!
Dr. Charles Joseph Smith cordially invites you to his inaugural Avant Garde Christmas & Dance Party, Saturday December 19, 2026 at Elastic Arts.
Dr. Smith recounts that perhaps his earliest loves in classical music and dance come from his mother’s holiday tradition of watching Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Lo and behold, Charles would go on to love classical and ballet. He would also be heavily influenced by the Russian school, with its emotional intensity, virtuosity, and pianism highly visible in his musical output. Beginning as a teenager and continuing through the rest of his life to today, Charles performs as a church musician in holiday concerts around Chicago. Those celebrations draw on classical, Gospel, popular holiday music, traditional Christmas carols, and the spirit of celebration and community. Charles’ love of the Christmas Spirit has only deepened, continued to grow, and taken on new meaning throughout his life. The Holidays are a time to celebrate each other with music and dance, in a palette of genres spanning classical to popular music, in an atmosphere characterized as perhaps the most welcoming and inviting throughout the year. The spirit of inclusion at the core of the holidays is something Charles values a great deal. In a sense, the Holiday Spirit bears a striking resemblance to the DIY Spirit that Dr. Smith has spent a lifetime pursuing and documenting, and from whence he has also became possessed by the avant garde and experimental currents of underground music. This year, Charles brings it all together for his inaugural Avant Garde Christmas & Dance Party at Elastic Arts.
Join Charles and Friends for a night of participatory singing, dancing, and celebration; from the drama of classical bacchanalia to the group singing of the carols... and whatever other psychedelic adventures Dr. Smith has in store for us. In addition, some of Charles’ DIY and musical friends will stop by to share their favorite Christmas and Holiday tunes with us as well. Guests to be announced later.