Dancer Dies After “Freak Occurrence” at Rehearsal

A DanceWorks Chicago dancer died after a “freak occurrence” during a rehearsal Monday on the Northwest Side.

Marco Antonio Huicochea Gonzalez suffered a life-ending accident after a freak occurrence during a rehearsal break, according to a statement on the DanceWorks Chicago website.

The 22-year-old fell while using a large steel acrobatic ring and suffered fatal injuries to his head in the 5000 block of North Kimberly Avenue, police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said.

Gonzalez, who lived in the 6900 block of West Summerdale Avenue, died at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center at 4:53 p.m. Monday, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office.

An autopsy was scheduled for Tuesday.

“We hope that you will keep Marco, his family, and his DanceWorks Chicago family in your thoughts,” a statement said on the DanceWorks site.

“We are all doing our best to work through this very sad and very difficult time and appreciate your respectfulness,” the statement said.

According to a DanceWorks biography, Gonzalez is from Cuautitlan Izcalli, Mexico. He joined the Chicago company last year after studying dance since the age of 11 in Mexico, New York, and France.

Area North detectives are investigating.