Meeting at the Edge

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Vicki

Natya & Mordine collide in "Pushed to the Edge". Photo by Ravi Ganapathy.

Last Saturday, East met West choreographically on the stage in Skokie. Supported in part by the Audience Architects MetLife Stages for Dance Initiative, Indian Bharata Natyam dance company Natya Dance Theatre and modern staple Mordine & Co. Dance Theater shared an evening of dance at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts. The two stylistically divergent companies have worked together before and the respect for the respective art forms was evident in the performance. A note from directors Hema Rajagopalan and Shirley Mordine in the front of the program talked about the collaboration. “The choreography is undertaken with the understanding that culture is written by, in and through the body, and that how we move is in many respects who we are.”

Two works from early collaborations started the show. Two Rivers (2007) presented two duets side by side: one gestural, precise and percussive – the other earthy, grounded and present with the two rivers theme representing “the image of two bodies of water moving separately”. The couples dancing in linear patterns intersected and passed each other like streams and seemed to be using the aesthetically different styles to say the same thing. Lovely. Sahridaya, from 2008, was a short, sweet duet to Philip Glass music with one dancer representing each company. The stark contrast of the dancers, choreography and styles made for a really interesting study in form. Ushasi Naha’s thin frame and pristine, placed approach against Mary Kate Sickel’s muscular, rounded, organic movement.

The title work – Pushed to the Edge – featured live musicians (barefoot) on stage. Wings out, the stage deconstructed as well as folding chairs a la Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16 and video panels on the back scrim added a contemporary feel to the 15-dancer, all-female, cross-company piece. The groups with Natya in beige and Mordine in sage green (beautiful costumes for all pieces by the fabulous Jeff Hancock!) took turns center stage in a passive, progressive dance off joining together at the edge of choreographic similarities, but never fully crossing over to the other style. It was wonderful to see so many talented dancers together in such a cohesive and unique work.

Spring Desire Affinity Night

Posted on April 11, 2012 by Vicki

I’m excited to announce that three weeks from today, Wednesday, May 2nd, RB is partnering with the fabulous Catherine Tully of 4dancers and the Joffrey Ballet for an exclusive event at Joffrey Tower. Spring Desire Affinity Night is a chance for you to see live excerpts from the Spring Desire program, listen to a Q&A about the show with Joffrey Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and stay for FREE cocktails and hors d’ouervres. This is the perfect chance to get an insiders view of the beautiful studios and mingle with some of the finest artists in our city. Bring a friend that’s never seen ballet before and show them what they’ve been missing.

Attendees will receive 50% off tickets* to the final weekend of Spring Desire at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University.
*Offer not valid on previously purchased tickets. (Please note: attendees are NOT required to purchase tickets.)

Here are the deets:

Wednesday, May 2
5:45 pm Registration
6:00 pm Program and Q&A
7:00 pm Cocktails and Hors d’ouevres

Joffrey Tower
10 East Randolph Street, Chicago

World-class dancing on a week night, inside scoop on the creative process and don’t forget – this is a FREE event! Make your reservation now. I hope to see you there.

RSVP by Wednesday, April 25 – Please include your name and number of attendees. Email affinity@joffrey.org or call 312-784-4640

Another Daley in Chicago

Posted on April 10, 2012 by Vicki

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre dancers in "Revelations". Photo by Christopher Duggan.

In middle school, Sarah Daley came to Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre (ATRU) to see Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) perform. She left inspired, but never anticipating that a few years later, at 25, she would be getting ready to perform on that very stage as part of the acclaimed company. “It’s so crazy. It’s very surreal the closer I get to it,” she said. “Especially dancing at the Auditorium, because that’s where growing up I got to see all these amazing companies. To be on that stage is going to be great.” Tomorrow night, Daley will take the stage with her fellow AAADT dancers for opening night of a six performance run. Dreams – with a lot of hard work – really do come true.

Daley grew up in up in South Elgin and started dancing at the Faubourg School of Ballet in Hanover Park. When looking for colleges (her Mom said not going to college was not an option), a dance program was paramount. She ended up at Fordham University which has a partnership with AAADT. After two years dancing with Ailey II, she’s now in her first season with the main company. This is also the first season under new artistic director Robert Battle. While traditional Ailey pieces like Revelations are still in the rep, Battle includes his choreography but is also bringing in different styles of work to challenge the dancers and the audience. On the Chicago programs are works from Ailey, Battle, Rennie Harris, Paul Taylor and Ohad Naharin.

I spoke with Daley over the phone earlier this week. The company arrives in Chicago today.

Did you always want to be in Ailey? Was this your goal?

It was definitely a goal. I wasn’t sure how realistic it was…it seemed like a long shot, but it was always something that I really wanted to do. I was going to do everything I could do to make that happen.

It’s an exciting time with the company going in a new direction. What’s it been like for you?

Like you said, it’s really exciting. There’s this air around Ailey everywhere we tour, everybody knows it’s the beginning of a new chapter. Everyone is excited to see what Mr. Battle is bringing. He’s a great person to be around. He has a really great energy that’s trickled down into the company and how we work with each other. It’s good to be a part of it.

Has it been challenging changing the rep to include a Paul Taylor or Ohad Naharin piece? For instance, Ohad’s work is so particular. Was it hard for your body, since you aren’t used to his technique?

It was difficult in the rehearsal process. Some things came easier for some people. “Arden Court” was a bit more natural for me. It seemed more familiar than “Home”. I’ve never been a hop hop dancer. I love that whole genre of dance, but I’d never done it. “Minus 16” was just totally new for everybody. It was research – a total investigation, pare down of everything you know and start from the beginning with a new language. It was definitely something to get used to, but it was a lot of fun. It made “Minus 16” a lot easier to transition into once we’d started learning his way of moving.

Tell me about the Rennie Harris piece, Home.

We had a three-week workshop when he came in to set the piece. A lot of people weren’t hip hop/house dancers and he wanted it to be authentic and not us just mimicking the moves he would teach us. We learned the basic house language for the whole time he was there. It was inspired by people living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. I think it’s more of a celebration of life and music and dance than it is anything else. When you’re inspired by a topic like that, it can get really dark and heavy, but he wanted it to be about the music and the dance. It’s a club setting, so we’re almost in a trance at times. I really enjoy doing it. It’s so much fun and you get to relax on stage. The audiences everywhere we’ve gone really love it.

Can you describe to me what it feels like to do Revelations. It’s such an iconic work. What’s it like to actually be doing it?

It’s definitely an experience, especially the first few times you do it. You’re excited and thinking about the history of the piece and how many people have done it before. I pretty much do it every night, so there’s always another chance to investigate and get deeper into it. Sometimes it’s good to take a break and watch it from the audience, so you remember why everyone loves it so much. You get the full effect of it, so when you go back, you have something to work with. It’s really an experience to do such an historical work.

Recently on the Ailey Facebook page, they asked the question: what is your favorite section of Revelations? What’s yours?

My favorite section to do is “Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel”. It’s short and gets right to the point. It’s high energy. I don’t know why – out of all the sections – when I do it, I really feel like I’ve made an impact on the audience when I do it. I really enjoy doing it. My favorite to watch is “I Wanna Be Ready”. It has a lot to do with the people I get to watch do it. Being able to watch Matthew Rushing from off stage do this piece is ridiculous.

Your bio includes this quote: “Dance for me is becoming more and more about discovery and imagination.” Can you explain that?

I started to think about this in Ailey II when we started to tour and perform a lot…to think of ways to keep what I’m doing fresh, not just for me but for the audience. If a dancer is over what they’re doing, the audience totally feels that. I’ve been trying to go a little deeper with everything I do. I can focus on something different in “Minus 16”, every time I do it. That’s been my discovery and revelation in a way.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre – April 11 – 15 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy

Tickets are $30-$90. Call 800.982.2787 or visit ticketmaster.com/auditorium.

The Power of Love

Posted on March 21, 2012 by Vicki

ABT's Yuriko Kajiya in "Giselle". Photo by Rosalie O'Connor.

If you like a good love story, then get thee to the Auditorium Theatre this weekend, poste-haste. A romantic tale on par with Romeo and Juliet takes over the stage with some of the top ballet dancers in the world bringing the action to life. Originally created in 1841 for the Paris Opera Ballet (they are coming to Chicago this summer for the first time ever!), Giselle tells the story of a young peasant girl who falls in love with a prince, only to find out he is betrothed to another. She goes mad, dies of a broken heart, then proceeds to come back from the grave to save her love from an untimely death. Drama.

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) brings its version of “the quintessential Romantic ballet” to town for five performance starting tomorrow. The lead roles of Giselle, Prince Albrecht and Myrta, Queen of the Wilis are some of the most sought after in ballet. On top of difficult technical feats, the dancer must add emotion and dramatic acting skills to aid the plot while making it all look easy. And the women are dead in Act II! It takes a tremendous amount of technique to do a series of entré chats and look as if you are other-worldly. Of course, there are artistic choices to be made. Some Albrecht’s play the cad who later tragically regrets his actions. Some Giselle’s commit suicide with her lover’s sword. For real-life couple Yuriko Kajiya and Jared Matthews (both soloists who will be debuting as Giselle and Albrecht in ABT’s version this Sunday, March 25th) they rely on the power of love. Matthew’s Albrecht is truly in love with Giselle and Kajiya’s Giselle dies of a broken heart, yet relies on her love for him to save his life in Act II. “Albrecht is a role you aspire to achieve and work on,” said Matthews. “It’s more than just about dance, you have to bring them into your world.” Kajiya has the dual challenge of the dramatic mad scene at the end of Act I and then switching into Wili-mode for Act II. She’s been working with her coach Irina Kolpakova on the nuances of the character. “In Act II, the upper body has to change,” she said. “You have to be very much forward. That helps with the illusion.” But Matthews adds, “It takes a lot of work to make her look weightless.”

ABT's Jared Matthew's in "Le Corsaire". Photo by MIRA.

The duo have performed together often outside of the company and have even performed Act II of Giselle together, but they have never performed the full-length ballet together until now. The couple met as teenagers while in ABT’s Studio Company (now ABT II) and have been together romantincally for eight years, literally growing up physically and artistically side by side. ( I spoke with them separately from NY on consecutive days off.) “We have a huge passion for ballet,” Kajiya said. “We love and know each other so well. We work really well together in and out of the studio.” Matthews agreed, “We both want the same things and we’re both willing to put in the time…refining and honing, growing and changing…to become better artists. We have the same goals.” With vastly different backgrounds – she is from Japan and moved to China to study ballet at age ten, he grew up in Texas – they both came to know of ABT via the screen. Matthews remembers watching Baryshnikov on television and Kajiya saw videos of the company at school and on the big screen in the movie Centerstage. It is another love story that has them ending up at the same place together now.

They have fond memories of Chicago having danced in the first two years of the Chicago Dancing Festival at Pritzker Pavilion. Some may remember them as well from a July 2010 guest appearance on So You Think You Can Dance, where they performed the second act pas de deux from Don Quixote. “Every few minutes, someone would come by to remind us that the show was live,” said Kajiya. Executive Producer and judge Nigel Lithgoe had seen her perform at a gala and asked her if she’d like to perform on the show. Matthews said, “The air conditioning was on high, which made the floor slick like ice. Once we were out there dancing, it was fun.”

Come see Kajiya and Matthews fall in love again on stage this Sunday with live music by the Chicago Sinfonietta. This story of romance, love, betrayal and forgiveness, set to the achingly gorgeous score by Adolphe Adam is not to be missed.

American Ballet Theatre performs Giselle at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy.

Thurs & Friday, March 22-23 at 7:30 pm, Saturday, March 24 at 2 & 8 pm, and Sunday, March 25 at 2 pm.

Tickets are $32-$137. Call 800.982.2787 or visit ticketmaster.com.

Ballet Hispanico Comes to the Dance Center

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Vicki

Ballet Hispanico in "Mad'moiselle". Photo by Eduardo Patino.

This weekend, March 22-24, Ballet Hispanico (BH) under the direction of Eduardo Vilaro, Columbia College alumni, former Dance Center artist-in-residence and founder and former artistic director of Luna Negra Dance Theater, takes the stage at the Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago. Vilaro’s newest work Asuka, set to salsa music by the legendary Celia Cruz, will make its Chicago debut on the mixed repertory program. “It is thrilling to be back,” said Vilaro. “The Dance Center was home for me for almost four years…and has been a major dance force in the national community since its inception.” BH has been busy touring the past few weeks, so I corresponded with Vilaro and dancer Jamal Callender (graduate of The Julliard School and former member of Hubbard Street 2) via email. Callender told me the best thing about being back in New York after his season in Chicago with HS2 is getting to see his family and his many friends and Julliard peeps dancing on Broadway and on the movie screen. He’s enjoying his time at BH. “Mr. V is very forward-thinking and I like the relationship I have with him. I appreciate his advice and the way he looks out for me and all the artists,” said Callender, who is dancing in three of the four pieces. “The repertory catered to me so well. It’s beyond diverse. It’s eclectic, like me. I feel like an artist here!”

Vilaro, who began dancing with BH in 1985, talked about how the company has changed since he was a dancer there. “When I started dancing there, it was a modern dance company with some neo-classical ballets. Our founder, Tina Ramirez had a strong theatrical background, having had a career in Flamenco and Broadway. The repertory reflected that.” Now as artistic director, he wants to work with choreographers that explore Latino culture…so the work is more contemporary without losing sight of its heritage. As an example, his Asuka celebrates a Latin American music icon, but focuses on how her music impacted the Latin community rather than a narrative of her life. Alongside Vilaro’s piece is Andrea Miller’s Moor-influenced Naci and a duet about human struggle titled Locked Up Laura by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

Also on the program is a commission work from African American choreographer Ron Brown. Set to songs by Peruvian singer Susana Baca, Espiritu Vivo deals with personal loss and recovery. “His work is a direct connection to the African influence in the Latino world,” said Vilaro. “There is a deep connection that can be seen in the seamless harmony of his movement with the music. It can also be seen in the articulated hips and torso found in Latin social dances. Ron is a special human being and his gentle strength embraced by the dancers helped lead them to fully understand his work.” For Callender, dancing in Brown’s piece is a full-circle moment. “When I was younger, I remember watching Ron in the dance studio working with his company. I used to it by the door in awe and just admire everyone in the company.I remember going with my Mom every year to the Joyce to see them perform.”

Aside from touring, the company was recently asked to perform at the victory parade for the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants. After dancing for the crowd Vilaro and crew taught the fans a simple salsa step in honor of wide receiver Victor Cruz, who claims this as his touchdown dance. “I was thrilled that dance was represented alongside such a beloved American sport,” Vilaro said. “There is a large world out there that needs to have more dance in their loves and I hope we gained some new friends.” Callender added simply, “It was a blast.”

Ballet Hispanico, Thursday-Saturday, March 22-24 at 8 pm

Dance Center at Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave. Tickets are $26-$30. Call 312.369.8330 or visit colum.edu/dancecenter.

*There is a post-show discussion on Thursday, March 22 and a pre-show talk at 7 pm on Friday, March 23.

Thoughts on HSDC Spring Series 2012

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Vicki

HSDC dancers Jesse Bechard & Ana Lopez in Alejandro Cerrudo's "Little mortal jump". Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

As usual, the dancers of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) ruled the Harris Theater stage last weekend. Shocking, right? First, they were performing two works from last season I already liked, plus a world premiere by resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo. It was safe to assume, I would be a goner. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no push over. In fact, it usually takes a lot to impress me, but these dancers seem to always knock it out of the park with energy, style, finesse and a humbleness that belies their collective and individual talents.

Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream, kicked off the performances. The LINES director set his work on the company last spring and with a year to play inside the choreography, the dancers seem more comfortable and willing to take more risks. There were a few wobbles in the first all-male section on Thursday, which could be attributed to last minute, lingering opening night nerves or they were really pushing it. The piece grew stronger with every section as the dancers took bigger risks with the movement. (I’m not sure, but I think one of them even danced right off the marley for a second.) Kevin Shannon – looking buff – has really grown in the work. His solo ending the piece was strong and daring. The duet danced by Penny Saunders and Cerrudo (Thurs) and Kellie Epperheimer and Jesse Bechard (Sunday) is the highlight of the work. The Cerrudo/Saunders relationship was comfortable, secure and trusting, while Bechard/Epperheimer showed a fresh tension and sensuality. The same choreography telling two opposing stages of love. Cerrudo expertly navigates the stage dragging, pulling, lifting and stopping Saunders as if he is a compass guiding her back home. Bechard lets Epperheimer take the lead offering support, helping her go where she yearns to be. Also returning from last season was Sharon Eyal’s Too Beaucoup. Think avant garde aliens acclimating to a futuristic Midwest 8th grade mixer.

It was the duet in Cerrudo’s premiere, Little mortal jump, that still has me transfixed. Coming at the end of several vignettes in a shadowy haze of black, white and gray, the duet transports the audience to a different realm at one point even transcending time. The slow motion sequence in the last minutes of the work makes you feel like you were in the movie Inception, taking your breath away with aching emotions, elegant reaches and its technical defiance of gravity. Bechard again shows his partnering prowess, this time dancing with the exquisite Ana Lopez. Cerrudo’s love of movies and music front and center in the short “film” clips hinting at past works melded with an eclectic hand-picked score that was spot on. The final image of the couple in a downlit lift center stage after pushing the through a wall of moveable black boxes was stunning. As they run off into the darkness upstage, the other dancers send the boxes spinning before exiting themselves. The moment was spectacular warranting a standing ovation for Cerrudo and crew at both shows.

I met a new friend at intermission. Max had never been to see a dance performance before. (Way to start at the top!) Let’s just say he was impressed.

Sneak Peek: HSDC’s Little mortal jump

Posted on March 13, 2012 by Vicki

Last week I sat in on rehearsal at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s (HSDC) West Loop studios. The well-respected group is prepping for a spring run of shows at the Harris Theater, March 15 – 18. Two of the three pieces they are presenting are audience favorites (and two of my favorites) from last season that pushed the dancers to new limits. Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream takes classical technique and tilts it off balance, skewing lines and testing the boundaries of center. Sharon Eyal’s Too Beaucoup challenges detail, sensory and memory capacity while stripping away virtually any sign of individuality. They are a study in contrast. It’s the third work on the program that proves to be an enigma. HSDC Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, always a man of mystery, presents the world premiere of Little mortal jump at the top of the show. He will then dance in the remaining two pieces.

His new work for ten dancers has little bits of his older works Off Screen (2008), Extremely Close (2007) and Lickety Split (2006) and is set to an eclectic score that pieces together a collage of musical ranges from Tom Waits to Max Richter. “I think the piece has a twist,” Cerrudo said before a run-thru at rehearsal. “It starts one way and finishes in a completely different world. I tried to do that as smooth as possible. To me, the mood of the piece starts very theatrical and finishes…more dance, more intense.” Although he begins every new work with a fresh perspective, Little mortal jump shows glimpses of his evolution as a choreographer, while also proving he is a master of both extremes – humorous theatricality to intense beauty. Incorporating interactive set pieces adds an intriguing touch that will surprise all. A duet with Ana Lopez and Jesse Bechard includes a slow-motion sequence that is a tender, private moment in a fast-paced piece.

It’s an exciting time for Cerrudo. In late February, it was announced that HSDC’s 35th anniversary season would open with a full-length work by Cerrudo inspired by Marc Chagall’s America Windows at the Art Institute of Chicago. After this week’s premiere, he has a week off then travels to Milwaukee for final rehearsals of Extremely Close, then to set a new work on Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. The rest of the summer will be working on the Chagall piece in the studio. He, of course already is planning it in his head. “I’ll try to make it fun,” he said. “I know what I want a full-evening to look like or feel like, but it doesn’t mean I can make it work that way. I’m going to try my best.” If his past work is any indication, his best will surely delight and enthrall.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph. Tickets are $25-$94. Call 312.850.9744 or visit hubbardstreetdance.com

Thursday, March 15 at 7:30 pm, Friday & Saturday, March 16 & 17 at 8 pm and Sunday, March 18 at 3 pm.

Batsheva Returns

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Vicki

Next weekend, March 17-18 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (ATRU), Batsheva Dance Company makes a return visit to the Chicago stage. The world-renown Israeli company lead by Artistic Director Ohad Naharin impressed audiences last season with their honest, human performances. Local audiences that missed these shows may still be familiar with some of their work. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) has incorporated five of Naharin’s pieces in their repertoire since 2000, including the 2011 premiere THREE TO MAX, which has bits of his 2007 work Max woven into its fabric. Joining Max on the March bill, is a duet for two women set to a synthesized version of the familiar music of Ravel’s Bolero.

The Batsheva dancers landed in California in late February beginning a five-week North American tour that will take them from San Francisco to Montreal, New York City (NY), Tulsa (OK), Chicago, Austin (TX) and Scottsdale (AZ). After a day off to rest and a couple of days of rehearsing, the dancers were still shaking off the last dregs of jet lag prior to their first show. “When we went on stage it was 5:00 am in Tel Aviv,” said Rachael Osborne, company dancer and rehearsal director. “It felt like traveling in a stick of mud, but it became it’s own creature, it’s own texture.” Osborne, 31, has been with the Batsheva, first in the Ensemble and then the main company, for a decade. After graduating from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Brisbane, Australia, Osborne was uninspired by the national dance scene considered giving up dancing. She had a season subscription to a local theater where Batsheva was performing on tour and saw the show and fell in love. After taking a workshop with Naharin and his late wife Mari Kajiwara, she had a private 15-minute audition and made an impression. “He later said I caught his eye immediately.” Naharin invited her to join the Batsheva Ensemble in 2001.

Osborne will be performing Max during the Chicago run. The work for ten dancers runs an hour with no intermission. “We really enjoy performing Max,” she said. ” The framework is very tight. It’s a challenge to find freedom in side the framework.” The Gaga Technique Naharin developed helps to keep the now three-year-old work fresh. Osborne describes the technique as working inside form by exploring different textures, like method actors. The intention is to connect to your senses and find the pleasure in movement. As for preparing for a show where you need to keep your physical and emotional stamina on alert for 60 minutes? She doesn’t think about it. “You can’t try to plan. It’s better to be in the moment and be true to sensing what’s happening.”

Batsheva Dance Company, Sat., March 17 at 7:30 pm & Sun., March 18 at 2 pm. Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress. Tickets are $30-$90. Call 800.982.2787.

A Little Bit of Color

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Vicki

Dancer Gal Mahzari. Photo by Herbert Migdoll.

I guess there really isn’t a good time during the height of the dance season to leave town, so my taking a road trip this weekend lends to missing some great shows (my apologies to all). Gus Giordano Dance Chicago is at the Harris Theater, the Dance Center has a shared bill with Space/Movement Project, Rachel Damon/Synapse Arts and Erica Mott, and Same Planet Different World celebrate turning 15! at the Victory Gardens Theater. However, there is another show happening this Sunday, March 11th, that I hope gets a good audience too.

The Joffrey Academy of Dance presents the Choreographers of Color Award winners works at the Harris with a 4 p.m. show titled Winning Works. This is the second year for the contest that highlights the work of young, minority choreographers. The three winners are Carlos dos Santos, Jr., Ray Mercer and Bennyroyce Royon. Each winner received a $2,500 stipend, 30 rehearsal hours and the chance to work with Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and Academy Directors Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik.

Here are the deets – hope you can make it!

Tickets for the Winning Works: Choreographers of Color Award 2012 at the Harris Theater are $15 in advance and $18 at the door, available in advance by calling the Harris Theater Box Office at 312-334-7777 or online at www.harristheaterchicago.org.

Hubbard St to open 35th Anniversary Season with World Premiere

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Vicki

Hubbard St's Alejandro Cerrudo speaking at the Art Institute of Chicago in front of Marc Chagall's "America Windows".

Chicago’s own Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) hits the 35-year mark next fall. At a press conference this morning at the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC), HSDC Executive Director Jason Palmquist, Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton, along with AIC’s Associate Director of Performance Programs Mary Sue Glosser told a small gaggle of press about the exciting collaboration that will open the anniversary season next fall. HSDC Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo, a rising international choreographic star, will create the company’s first evening-length work on a central theme inspired by Marc Chagall‘s permanent exhibit, America Windows. Glosser talking about the seven-year partnership with HSDC says, “seeing works of art come to life in their choreography…is a joy beyond measure”.

Chagall’s stained glass masterpiece imbeds themes of music, painting, literature, architecture, theater and dance in a royal and cerulean blue swirl celebrating freedom of expression. The work made to commemorate the Bicentennial was given to the City of Chicago in 1977, the same year Lou Conte started HSDC, in honor of the memory Mayor Richard J. Daley. In turn, this new work will be given to the City of Chicago in honor of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his commitment to making Chicago “a worldwide destination for dance”. Commissioner for the City’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Michelle Boone accepted the honor on the Mayor’s behalf joking that everyone knows he’s “crazy about dance”. Edgerton took the mic telling us how all the connections came together to make this “a monumental season”.

Cerrudo’s new piece, set to music by Philip Glass, will premiere during the company’s fall series at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, October 18 – 21, 2012. The shy Spaniard took the opportunity say how grateful he was for the honor of creating this new work “in honor of the city that has become my home” and declared it a big challenge. Taking inspiration from Chagall, he will take the “magic, colors and emotions” from the windows to create a non-literal interpretation focusing on how all the pieces and people (dancers) come together. He suggested a working title of “A Thousand Pieces” for the full-company piece.

The rest of the 35th Anniversary season will be announced later. Subscription tickets go on sale in May.

rogue ballerina

dishing on dance diva-style

Category Archives: culture