Thoughts on HSDC’s Summer Series 2012

Posted on June 1, 2012 by Vicki

In a word: brilliant. The dancers, the dancing, the choreography, the curation – all of it. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago‘s (HSDC) Summer Series opened last night at the Harris Theater with a three-work program that solidified the company as an elite group of dancers at the top of their field. Breaking new ground as the first U.S. company to perform William Forsythe’s Quintett, HSDC proved (again) they have the chops to tackle anything. HSDC resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s cross-company collaboration with HSDC and Nederlands Dans Theatre Malditos and Batsheva Dance Company artistic director Ohad Naharin’s 2011 mash-up of previous works THREE TO MAX bookended Forysythe’s piece for a full, lush, well-rounded evening.

Malditos is a study in shadows. Dark lighting is a tool Cerrudo uses often, but never with as great effect as in this work. The dancers slip in and out of the darkness like ghosts appearing and disappearing at the edges of your mind. The score from the film The Beat That My Heart Skipped by Alexandre Desplat beautifully compliments his choreography. The end, where an almost naked Ana Lopez dances duets with three interchangeable men, is breathtaking. The dancing continues as the lights fade out and back in as a different partner joins her. Each partner touches her with the top of his head, but she reacts differently to each touch eventually taking over and touching one back with her head before they melt to the ground together as the lights fade. The duets throughout are stunning displays of love and trust studded with architectural partnering and razor-like technique. Cerrudo holds his own next to master choreographers Forsythe and Naharin.

The performance of Quintett was transformational. What these five dancers (Meredith Dincolo, Penny Saunders, Jonathan Fredrickson, Jesse Bechard and Kevin Shannon) created on stage was extraordinary. They are always good, but this was something truly special. A looped score of a homeless man singing “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet” created a base canvas for the movement to take life. The repetition let you focus on the relationship of the five characters. Simple ballet moves like a tendu devant or a double pirouette seemed to take on new meaning. The piece was created in 1993 in collaboration with five of Forsythe’s dancers. Three of the original cast – Dana Caspersen, Stephen Galloway and Thomas McManus – worked with the HSDC dancers to set the work over the past few weeks. The connection, emotion and energy of the dancers was palpable. Bechard, a strong presence in all three pieces on the program, at times simply defied gravity. One quiet moment as Saunders rested her head on Bechard’s back for a couple of seconds let the audience catch their breath before being sucked back in to the wonderful whirlwind happening on stage.

Naharin’s piece has the dancers clad in simple jeans and colorful tank and tees. Dressed as civilians, the dancers seemed stripped down to their bare essence. They were open, honest, subtle, sensual, vulnerable. Human. The rich movement sections captured their talents and personalities. At one point a dancer looks at his hands and then extends them to the audience, giving us what’s there as if saying “here, this is who I am”. The counting section (where the dancers ascribe a movement to a number as a voice counts to ten, adding new movements each time the counting starts over) and a partially improvised follow-the-leader sections are stand outs.

Three shows remain in the Summer Series. I highly recommend it.

For ticket information: hubbardstreet.com, call 312.850.9744 or visit the Harris Theater box office at 205 E. Randolph.

Robyn Leaving The Nest

Posted on May 28, 2012 by Vicki

Robyn Mineko Williams. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

This weekend Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) presents its Summer Series at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance (May 31-June 3). The three-piece program concludes another stellar season for the group and sets the bar high for next season, their 35th. Another conclusion this weekend is the tenure with the company of dancer Robyn Mineko Williams. The matinee on Sunday, June 3rd will be her last Chicago performance with HSDC. (She will dance with them this summer at the American Dance Festival – June 29-30 and on tour in Aspen, CO. – July 6-7.) The three-piece, mixed program includes HSDC Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s cross-company collaboration with Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT) Malditos, the U.S. premiere of William Forsythe‘s lush, emotional Quintett and Ohad Naharin‘s choreographic mash-up THREE TO MAX. Williams, always a stand out in Naharin’s works, will dance this final piece for her HSDC finale. “She’s done a lot of Ohad’s work. It’s kind of her forte,” says HSDC Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton. “Robyn is a fantastic force of nature in everything she does. I might start crying…I love her. She’s a special lady.” The feeling is mutual. Williams tears up multiple times talking about leaving Edgerton and the dancers she adores. Anyone witnessing her dance feels like they know her. She’s a friend, a sister, a lover. She dances with open, honest, heartfelt grace. Her eyes sparkle with a sly, wickedness that intrigues, making you want to know all her secrets.

On this Memorial Day, along with celebrating those who serve our country and those who have sacrificed their lives serving, RB gives tribute to Williams who has danced in the Chicago-area her entire life, first in Lombard, as a scholarship student at Lou Conte Dance Studio, for four years with River North Dance Chicago and as a HSDC company member since 2000. “I’ve been here forever,” she says from the company’s West Loop studios. “This was my 12th season. It’s been awesome. When you’re dancing with the company so full-time, it’s all-encompassing. I feel like I’m ready to take on new challenges.” When asked what she’s going to to next, before answering, she shrugs and giggles. “I know I want to stay in the dance realm and I want to keep choreographing. I’d love to perform still, just at a different intensity level.” Her choreography will keep her connected to HSDC. HS2 continues to perform Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure, which she co-created with HSDC Rehearsal Director Terry Marling, and they may be adding Recall, her piece from last season’s danc(e)volve to their rep.

RB sat down with Williams early one morning before company class.

What was the reaction when you told everyone?

Oh…(tears), I’m choked up just thinking about leaving the people. Every week Glenn asks if I”m sure this is really what I want to do, so I have to be strong in my decision. I adore him so much. These small opportunities I’ve had over the last few years with “Harold'”, danc(e)volve and the Art Institute, I’ve realized that I love the challenges of making new things and collaborating with different artists in different mediums. That’s something I’d love to be able to do more of. It’s difficult when you’re in a company.

Are there artists you’d like to work with?

Aszure (Barton). I’d love to work with her again. I’ve gone to a couple of auditions…trying to put my feelers out. It’s such a shockingly different world for me. It’s such a different way of thinking. I still love dance and I’m not ready to leave it. I’m ready to see what else is out there and work on collaborations. I feel like I’m being a little naive and risky taking this leap, but one day it all focused in for me and I thought “this is right”. I’m open to change. I’m hoping something comes my way.

You know, they’re auditioning for Disney princesses down the hall today.

Hmm…maybe I should break out my 16 bars.

What were some of your favorite pieces at HSDC?

“Minus 16”, because I grew up with that piece. It’s the piece that’s in me the most – that I know the most. I got to do it with so many different people.

Did Ohad come set it on you?

Yes, that’s why it has a special place. Ohad and Mari (Kajiwara) came. They were here for about a month and it was this intense workshop process. It was the first big thing I did with the company. It was really a game-changer for me.

What else?

I loved doing “Passomezzo” (Naharin). I felt like that was a chance that was given to me to hold some ground. “Walking Mad” (Johan Inger), “Gimme” (Lucas Crandall), “Lickety-Split” (Cerrudo). These pieces are some of the pieces where I felt like someone was giving me a chance. Jorma Elo (“From All Sides”, “Bitter Suite”), he really played a pivotal role for me in the way I approached movement. His words, though sometimes few are very softly spoken, resonated strongly and allowed me to perceive and explore in ways I never had before. Super cool experience.

Can you tell me a little something about each of the directors you’ve worked with at HSDC? Something they taught you…

Lou (Conte)…I worked with him, technically, for like a month, but I grew up with him. He taught me to be strong. You have to have a certain level of confidence in yourself to be successful. Jim (Vincent), in a similar vein, had the ability to make your attributes work for you, especially in your frame of dance. Take advantage of what you have and explore those qualities, because that’s what makes you special. Glenn…I’m not crying…he’s taught me so much. He instilled such trust…(crying)…

So, your last show…

Chicago, then ADF and Aspen. I think Aspen will be my last show. My Mom will be there. They’re doing “Harold”, so the second company will be there. I’m excited about the Chicago show. I have the opportunity to go out doing something I’m proud of and that represents what I do. I’m excited. I hope I don’t get too crazy and fall off the stage.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Summer Series, Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Dr., Thursday, May 31 – Sunday, June 3. Tickets are $25-$94. Call 312.850.9744 or visit www.hubbardstreetdance.com.

Autumn in the City

Posted on October 19, 2011 by Vicki

Autumn Eckman in the studio. Photo by Mike Canale.

I’m not talking about the turning leaves, chilly weather and shorter days, but dancer/choreographer Autumn Eckman. An artist that has danced with Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago (GJDC), Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Luna Negra Dance Theater, Lucky Plush Productions, Ron De Jesús Dance, as well as choreographed for Instruments of Movement, Inaside Chicago Dance, Northwest Ballet Ensemble, Indiana Ballet Theatre, just to name a few. She’s also on faculty at Northern Illinois University, teaches at a number of area studios and serves as Artistic Associate and Rehearsal Director for GJDC and Director of Giordano II. To put it mildly – Autumn, 34, is everywhere these days.

This weekend at the Harris Theater, Eckman will premiere a new work, Alloy, as GJDC takes the stage for its fall engagement. The first performance of the 2011-2012 season titled Passion and Fire will showcase seven numbers including two premiere, one of which is Eckman’s. Other pieces include Gus Giordano’s signature work Sing, Sing, Sing (1983), last season’s ballroom hit Sabroso (2010), former GJDC dancer Jon Lehrer’s Like 100 Men (2002), a restaging of Davis Robertson’s 2005 work Being One, a world premiere by Kiesha Lalama and Eckman’s Yes, and…! from 2010.

I talked with Eckman over the phone last week as she was walking to rehearsal about her process and her inspiration.

You’re a busy lady. What is a typical day for you?

A regular Giordano day? They start class at 9:30 and we rehearse until 4:00pm. Usually I’m off teaching class somewhere in the evenings. In addition to choreographing, rehearsal directing, mentoring and guiding the second company, I’ve also been rehearsal directing the first company in preparation for the upcoming shows and tours. For this concert, I’m helping get six pieces up and running, cleaned and polished and rehearsed. It’s a big task, but fun.

Who are your choreographic influences?

I take a lot of inspiration from books. I draw my influence off of the vocabulary of the dances that I’ve done with each different company. It’s so ingrained in my body that I try to make it my own and formulate my own style. I love all the choreographers from my time at Hubbard Street – Nacho (Duato), Ohad (Naharin), (William) Forsythe, but I also love jazz choreographers. Randy Duncan has been a big influence. I love Harrison McEldowney. I have been inspired by the work and working with Robert Battle. Other dancers include the great entertainers of our time: Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire. I grew up watching their films along with the works of Busby Berkley. I was obsessed with his pattern making for film and dance. In terms of the dance itself, I am often inspired by the way a writer would write or compose a song for start to finish: the verse, the chorus, the bridge, etc. I aspire to make dance the way a good song takes you on a journey.

When you choreograph something, what is your process or does it change?

I write everything down. I could own stock in Post-It notes. Everything is kind of disorganized, but if I have an idea, I grab a pen and write it down or if I see something, I’ll write down something…like a couple walking in the park. Then I’ll hear a piece of music that will, in my mind, fit the idea. It’s kind of like playing match up. I have these really diverse ranges of music that I know I want to eventually use and finding what matches it and trying to build a story to it. Sometimes it’s about the movement. I like moving for movement’s sake as well.

For your premiere, Alloy, what was the impetus for it?

KRESA (Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency) had asked me to choreograph a piece. They asked for a duet. I was really excited. I hadn’t pushed myself to see how strong my work was in that aspect. It’s a mixture. I researched the word alloy and then it took on this metallicy, liquid kind of tone. Two people that will do anything to be with each other, be one…a blend.

So the idea, the word and the concept came first and then you added music?

Yeah. I wanted to try classical piano…listened to a simple score and see how that worked. I knew I wanted to use soft, simple music. Sometimes I think less is more.

You reworked it for GJDC. How has it changed – or has it?

Nan (Giordano) had seen the dancers rehearsing. She approached me and said she wanted it for the fall concert. Can we add this to it? Can we have these two dancers (Devin Buchanan and Ashley Lauren Smith)? She loved the look of their body types together and thought they’d be a great partnering. Turns out, they are great together. They have great chemistry and it took on a sexier, really stripped down tone. It really came all about their sensuality, their body and their movement and how they…even one touch, how that reacts to each other. It took on a deeper, more personal tone when I worked on it the second time. I’m extremely happy with the results. It’s always my goal to see where jazz dance is going and how to push boundaries of what jazz dance is. I think this is just another direction – for the company as well. Another boundary being pushed.

Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Oct 21 & 22 at 8pm

Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph, 312.334.7777

Moving Up

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Vicki

Dancers David Schultz & Alice Klock in "I Can See Myself in Your Pupil". Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

For two of the three new dancers added to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago‘s (HSDC) roster this season, it was a new road traveled. Alice Klock and David Schultz – 23 and 24 respectively – are the first two dancers to move up the HSDC chain from summer intensive students to members of HS2 to being promoted to the main company. All in two years.

Both dancers hail from Michigan, but the similarities in dance beginnings end there. Schultz stated dancing at five taking tap (he wanted to be Donald O’Connor), then began taking ballet classes with his older brother Nick. Once hooked, he took numerous summer workshops that eventually led to an apprenticeship (while still in high school) and then a full-time position with the Grand Rapids Ballet, where he danced for over four years. Klock didn’t start dancing until age 11 with ballet classes. She quickly took to the form and three years later attended a summer program at San Francisco Ballet, where she decided she wanted to be a professional dancer. She went to Interlochen Center for the Arts for high school and after two years at Dominican University, figured it was time to start her professional career.

Here’s where there stories come together. Both attended the HSDC summer intensive in 2009 and were asked to join the second company HS2. Landing here happen almost by accident, but now they couldn’t be happier. “I’d known a little bit about the company, but once I got here, I realized how much I really loved the whole philosophy and the rep,” says Klock. Schultz agrees. “Just learning the rep I thought ‘this is it’! This is what I want to do.” Their success ties into the larger HSDC mission of nurturing the next generation of artists. “David and Alice are great examples to a bigger mission of mine, which is to mentor young dancers and prepare them for a profession in dance rather or not they continue with Hubbard Street or not,” says Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton. “They’ve matured so quickly in all ways, both in their dancing and also in their understanding of how to approach their work creatively and practically. I feel we have been able to tap into their talents and start to challenge them toward their potential.” That potential will be challenged this season with having to learn the previous repertoire that includes masters like Ohad Naharin, Nacho Duato and Jirí Kylián, as well as new company works by a range of choreographers from Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo to the legendary Twyla Tharp (her world premiere hits the stage this Thursday, Oct 13th).

Alice Klock & David Schultz in "Harold and the Purple Crayon". Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

No one is more proud of these two dancers than HS2 Director Taryn Kaschock Russell, “I’m so proud of them!” After thriving under her guidance in the second company, Klock attributes much of their success to her. “Taryn is amazing,” she says before class last Tuesday morning. “She’s such a caring and passionate leader. Taryn really looks at each dancer in the second company and finds what exactly it is that will take them to the next step. Because of that, we progressed really quickly.” With this close bond, Kaschock Russell was the perfect person to ask what it is about these two that impressed her. On Schultz: “He is a never-ending ball of energy and curiosity. He is willing, always. He has grown exponentially over the course of two years and added texture and versatility to his already dynamic stage presence. He soaked up every bit of information that he could get his hands on from me and all of the choreographers and colleagues he worked with. Don’t get me wrong, he’s also a handful – in a wonderful way. You have to keep your eye on that one.” On Klock: “Alice has an intelligence that often stops me in my tracks. When I first began working with her, I was taken by her physical beauty and long lines. When she attended the summer program, she was very timid and a bit like a young fawn on those beautiful legs of hers. During her two years with HS2, she went from that understated shy presence, unsure of her place in the room, to eating up the stage with her every movement. She commands attention, her stance is strong and her gaze unyielding. ”

Come see Klock, Schultz, along with new HSDC company member Garrett Anderson this week (Oct 13 – 16) at the Harris Theater (205 E. Randolph)as Hubbard Street presents their Fall Series. On the program, a world premiere SCARLATTI by Twyla Tharp, Nacho Duato’s Archangelo and Walking Mad by Johan Inger. Tickets can be purchased by calling 312.850.9744, 312.334.7777 or by visiting the Harris Theater box office.

CDF11 Moderns Program

Posted on August 23, 2011 by Vicki

Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in "Uneven". Photo by Rosalie O'Connor.

Tonight was the Chicago Dancing Festival‘s (CDF) Moderns program at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. The packed house was ready for a great show and CDF didn’t disappoint. Opening with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet‘s commissioned work by Spanish choreographer Cayetano Soto Uneven (2010) set the bar high. There was nothing uneven about it. The local audience (and Hubbard St fans) might have noticed some hints of Nacho Duato, Ohad Naharin and Jirí Kylían in this work, as Soto performed some of their works as a dancer. It obviously had a very contemporary European flavor and the ASFB dancers were on top of their game tonight (although it looked like the floor was slippery) as cellist Kimberly Patterson played live on stage.

River North Dance Chicago followed up with Charles Moulton’s Nine Person Precision Ball Passing (1980). I sat in on rehearsals last week after the company spent two days learning it. This speedy coordination game drew giggles and then awe as the dancers kept the balls in sequence for the seven-minute duration. The program notes call it “community art in the form of a living Rubik’s Cube” and that mistakes are inevitable. Leave it to the perfectionists at Rivno to not make a mistake. Doug Varone and Dancers finished up the first act with Varone’s Lux (2006). I really enjoyed this piece. I hadn’t seen Varone’s work or company before and wasn’t sure what to expect. When the announcer said it was set to the music of Philip Glass, the two ladies next to me said, “oh”. I’m not sure if it was meant to be good or bad, but it turned out (for me) to be good. The dancers’ movement quality was luscious and it just looked like it would be fun to dance. With a slowly rising moon on the back drop center stage, it was like a midnight frolic in the moonlight.

Adam Barruch in "Worst Pies in London". Photo by Christopher Duggan.

Adam Barruch‘s solo Worst Pies in London (2008) opened the second act. Set to music of the same name from Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, this was really duet between Barruch and Angela Lansbury singing the vocals on track. Short, sweet and funny, Barruch looked like a young Jim Carrey with rubbery facial expressions and the flexible body to match. Closing the show was Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) performing Sharon Eyal’s Too Beaucoup (2011). This was one of my favorite works from their last season. Androgynously clad in flesh-toned body suits with white make up, wigs and contacts, the dancers look like a group of aliens that stumbled upon a mixed cd from earth and decided to have a dance party. Weird, kooky, cool. A fun, entertaining evening. The appreciative audience agreed.

HSDC Announces 2011-2012 Season

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Vicki

Dancer Jessica Tong in "Too Beaucoup". Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) announced its 2011-2012 season today. Some Twyla, some Nacho, some Forsythe, some old, some new, a little Harold, LINES and a lot of Cerrudo. On paper, it already looks amazing. On stage, it is not to be missed. Under the direction of Glenn Edgerton, HSDC has continued to show an international audience why they are one of the best. Flawless technicians, intuitive artists, open and honest performers and consummate professionals.

Next season opens with the company at the Harris Theater in October. Nacho Duato’s gorgeous Arcangelo (if you were lucky, you saw it last fall), Johan Inger’s Walking Mad and a world premiere from Twyla Tharp (working with the company again after a 15 year absence) launches the new season. HSDC switches it up for the Winter Series in January, by performing a slew of new works on the MCA Stage and presenting danc(e)volve: New Works Festival. Edgerton will curate the show featuring pieces picked from the company’s Inside/Out Choreographic Workshop, two winners from the annual National Choreographic Competition and HS2 will perform a world premiere from HSDC Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo.

Springtime brings HSDC back to the Harris for a power-packed program bringing back Sharon Eyal’s techo-intense Too Beaucoup (a huge hit from this year’s Spring Series), Alonzo King’s Following the Subtle Current Upstream (which audiences will see in the upcoming May Summer Series) and another world premiere by Cerrudo, his 10th in four years as Resident Choreographer (keep them coming please!).

In December, HS2 bings back the delightful children’s program Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure. Choreographed by HSDC dancer Robyn Mineko Williams and HSDC Artistic Associate Terrance Marling, Harold wowed the sold-out crowds at its premiere, enthralling parents and kids alike. (Case in point: I’m not sure who enjoyed it more – me or my 6-year-old goddaughter!) Rounding out the season, the company revisits Cerrudo’s Maltidos and Ohad Naharin’s THREE TO MAX (which just had its premiere in March) and presents the much-anticipated company premiere of William Forsythe’s Quintett. Of course, this is just the Chicago concert series. The company is always busy touring, cultivating the collaborations with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (now in its 9th year) and the Art Institute of Chicago and doing community outreach through the Chicago Public Schools.

Merde to HSDC for what will undoubtedly be another outstanding season of dance!

rogue ballerina

dishing on dance diva-style

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