SR0391 101ST GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0391 LRB101 12160 MST 59757 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to learn of the death of Claire Bataille on December 30, 2018 at the age of 66; and

WHEREAS, Claire Bataille, the daughter of Joseph and Marie Bolvin Bataille, was born on November 6, 1952 in Elmhurst; and

WHEREAS, Claire Bataille was at the forefront of the Chicago dance scene for more than 40 years and was a founding member and lead dancer of the Hubbard Street Dance Company, where she performed works created by Lou Conte, Twyla Tharp, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Daniel Ezralow, John McFall, and Margo Sappington; in 1992, she received the Ruth Page Award for Outstanding Dancer; and

WHEREAS, From 1977 to 2001, Claire Bataille served the Hubbard Street Dance Company (HSDC) as assistant artistic director, ballet mistress, and rehearsal director; as a resident choreographer, she created five works for HSDC and toured nationally and internationally with the company; and

WHEREAS, In addition to HSDC, Claire Bataille created works as a choreographer for Spectrum Dance Theater in Seattle, Akasha Dance Company in Chicago, and the Tennessee Children's Dance Ensemble, among others; in 1993, she conceived, choreographed, and directed "Lifetimes" for the WTTW production of "Love in 4 Acts"; and

WHEREAS, Claire Bataille began teaching at the Lou Conte Dance Studio in 1975, where she directed and taught until late 2018; she also served as a guest teacher for many Chicago-area companies; and

WHEREAS, Claire Bataille became a Pilates instructor in 2003 after studying with Romana's Pilates in New York; she was appointed associate director of the Lou Conte Dance Studio at the Hubbard Street Dance Center in 2005 and director in 2008; and

WHEREAS, Claire Bataille lived as she danced, with grace, high standards, and generosity; she is remembered by a large multigenerational community of artists, friends, family, and others who learned from her and loved her dearly; when she became ill, the Claire Bataille Scholarship Fund was established to reflect her altruism by supporting free training for dancers aged 17 to 23 on the cusp of professional careers; and

WHEREAS, Claire Bataille is survived by her sons, Isaac Sorsa and Jack Sorsa; their father, Don Sorsa; and her brothers, Abbot Vincent P. Bataille and retired Army Major General Emile Bataille (Carol); therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn the passing of Claire Bataille and extend our sincere condolences to her family, friends, and all who knew and loved her; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to the family of Claire Bataille as an expression of our deepest sympathy.