Forsythe
Choreographed by Alejandro Cerrudo,
William Forsythe and Ohad Naharin
at Harris Theater, 205 E Randolph (map)
thru June 3 | tickets: $52-$94 | more info
Check for half-price tickets
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Hubbard Street makes a daring and joyful noise
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago presents
Forsythe
Review by Lauren Whalen
Dancers make noise. Often that’s easy to forget – sure, they stretch and bend their flawless bodies in superhuman ways to lovely, haunting music. But in Forsythe, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago shows us what happens when the music goes away, when a stomp or slap echoes through the space, when sweat flies and breath pulses without a tuneful distraction. The result is a piece of moving modern art, the ultimate
Indeed, “risk” is a recurring theme throughout the three pieces in Hubbard Street’s summer series. Alejandro Cerrudo’s Malditos contains occasional bursts of silence, pas de deux with two men, and one woman performing an entire section topless. Though the score of William Forsythe’s Quintett – which Hubbard Street is the first American company to perform – is integral to the piece, it’s the ultimate repetition: thirteen bars of garbled spiritual singing, over and over again. And Three to Max, choreographed by Ohad Naharin (perhaps best known for the stellar crowd-pleaser Minus 16, performed in the past by Hubbard Street, Alvin Ailey and other acclaimed companies) revels in its disjointed nature: dancers enact endless patterns, with the occasional flowing solo or duet, set to an eclectic mix of songs, with frequent breaks for live chanting or a deliberately heavy landing.
The most traditional and “pretty” of the evening’s dances, Malditos is a weighty departure from Cerrudo’s trademark humor and whimsy. Choreographed by Cerrudo as a collaborative effort between the Nederlands Dans Theater and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the piece uses eight dancers in various configurations to illustrate coming together through the universal language of dance. As with all Cerrudo’s work, Malditos is technically precise, yet provocative and stirring. The male pas de deux has a brute, playful energy that’s wildly different from a dance with a man and woman, and the sustained raw sexuality of the piece is gratifying. Cerrudo’s distinctive eye for moments and meaning are what make him such a gift to Hubbard Street, and to Chicago’s dance scene. Hopefully the company will hold on to him.
 
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Forsythe’s Quintett is set on a different plane entirely – against a stark, white backdrop with a massive metal projector and another unidentified mirror-like object. The five dancers’ colorful costumes provide a sharp contrast, and there’s more contrast to be found in the score: a repeated refrain of the spiritual “Jesus’ Blood Never Failed Me Yet”. As opposed to the world-weariness displayed by Malditos’ dancers, Quintett moves in a way that is youthful and base. No body part is sacred: the dancers grab, they slap, they stomp all over each other. The score weaves through, a sad maturity among the innocence.
The largest group number of the evening, Three to Max, builds on Naharin’s love for patterns and shock value that never feels cheap. Naharin revels in making an audience uncomfortable – nothing unbearable, but enough to lean forward in one’s seat and take notice. It’s rare to hear dancers’ voices, to see two men ballroom dance, to have a company wear T-shirts and jeans, but Three to Max does it all and does it effectively. Cerrudo’s animal magnetism is on full display here: in an ensemble of stars, he is the sun, so bright and relentless I occasionally had to look away, then turned right back to bask in the light and warmth.
Hubbard Street never gets complacent. The company seeks to push the envelope of modern dance: what boundaries can be pushed next? Forsythe doesn’t fit the mold of the genre but fights to break it. And it reminds a grateful audience that the best art takes chances.
Rating: ★★★½
Forsythe continues through June 3rd at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph (map), with performances Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday at 8pm, Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $52-$94, and are available by phone (312-850-9744) or online here (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More Info at HubbardStreetDance.com. (Running time: 2 hours 30 minutes, which includes two intermission)
Photos by Todd Rosenberg and Cheryl Mann
artists
performers
Garrett Anderson, Jesse Bechard, Jacqueline Burnett, Alejandro Cerrudo, Meredith Dincolo, Kellie Epperheimer, Jonathan Frederickson, Jason Hortin, Alice Klock, Ana Lopez, Johnny McMillan, Pablo Piantino, Penny Saunders, David Schultz, Kevin Shannon, Jessica Tong, Robyn Mineko Williams
Hubbard Street 2: Alicia Delgadillo, Nicholas Korkos, Emilie Lereche, Felicia McBride, Justin Ronald Mock, Lissa Smith, Andrew Wright
behind the scenes
For Malditos:
Alejandro Cerrudo (Choreographer), Alexandre Desplat/Patrick Doyle/Arvo Part/David Lang (Music), Tom Visser (Lighting Design), Carlijn Petermeijer (Costume Design), Todd Rosenberg (photos)
For Quintett:
William Forsythe (Choreographer/Lighting Design), Gavin Bryars (Music), Thomas McManus, Dana Caspersen (Repetiteurs), Stephen Galloway (Costume Design), Tanja Ruhl (Technical Consultant), Cheryl Mann (photos)
