Review: Summer Series 2014 (Hubbard Street Dance)

  
  
Summer Series

Choreographed by Alejandro Cerrudo,
  Nacho Duato, William Forsythe and Jiří Kylián
at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph (map)
thru June 8   |  tickets: $25-$99   |  more info
  
Check for half-price tickets 
  
  
   Read review 
  

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Breathtaking showcase of well-loved pieces, remarkable world premiere

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago presents

Summer Series

Review by Lauren Whalen 

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is a gem in Chicago’s shining performing arts scene. Never afraid to challenge the audience’s concept of modern dance, Lou Conte’s ensemble (now under the direction of Glenn Edgerton) boasts a phenomenally gifted roster, a host of incredible acts, and a stunningly talented Resident Choreographer, Alejandro Cerrudo. In their season closer, Summer Series, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is firing on all cylinders, showcasing well-loved pieces and a remarkable world premiere.

The evening of June 5th opened with Gnawa, created by Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato. The large group piece evokes a swamp, with a languid score supplemented by sounds of frogs and crickets and a naturalistic lighting design that involves the dancers carrying votive candles onstage. Modesto Lomba’s costume design is so simple that it’s almost nonexistent, with the women (except for one) in black dresses and the men in khaki-esque trousers, no shirts. Kellie Epperheimer and Jason Hortin display remarkable chemistry as the featured couple, and the entire group (including Cerrudo, perpetual standout Jonathan Frederickson and the recently-promoted Alicia Delgadillo) form a tight, well-oiled machine. Though Gnawa’s aura and mood are successfully executed, Duato’s choreography is the clear highlight. The dramatic steps are appropriately sustained, yet the dancers never stop moving, holding perfect moments, and the audience’s attention, as they do so. My mother, a longtime fan of Hubbard Street, put it most succinctly, “They’re like water.”

I am familiar with the next dance, William Forsythe’s Quintett, having seen the company perform it in June 2012. Quintett is an unusual piece, and a polarizing one. Clad in black, white and various primary colors, five dancers couple up, break free and move about a bare stage with white drops and two large spotlights set on the ground. The score is most unusual: a recording of a homeless man singing the same phrase over and over. I wasn’t a fan of Quintett back in June 2012, but the piece has grown on me, possibly because I knew what to expect this time. Forsythe’s choreography alternates between fluid and jerky, punctuated by percussive sounds made with the dancers’ bodies. While the dance is a bit long, with a bit too much running around, the pure emotion of the performers (including Frederickson, Ana Lopez and Jacqueline Burnett) is ample compensation.

Summer Series closes with the world premiere of The Impossible, the latest from Resident Choreographer Cerrudo. After the whimsy of Little mortal jump, the sensuality of PACOPEPEPLUTO and the sheer artistry of his full-length work One Thousand Pieces, Cerrudo takes his newest work in a darker, more cinematic direction. Smoke is blown, blood is shed and emotions run high in Cerrudo’s exploration of mortality and memory. At times a hall of mirrors or a bizarre circus, The Impossible also contains a rare sweetness between its two couples (Lopez and Frederickson, and Jessica Tong and Andrew Murdock). Cerrudo’s hand is also evident in a set that’s just this side of abstract, and Michael Korsch’s lighting adds a spooky feel. Branimira Ivanova’s costume design uses sepia and gray tones, with a dash of devil-red, completing the disturbing, affecting portrait.

With its Summer Series, Hubbard Street continues a long-standing tradition of diverse, thought-provoking choreography, beautifully executed by a solid ensemble of gorgeous dancers. Cerrudo’s new piece, The Impossible, is a welcome addition to the company’s already-robust repertoire. The Impossible challenges performers and audience alike to think outside the box of traditional modern dance – an appropriate piece for Hubbard Street, a company that’s never afraid to take risks.

Rating: ★★★½

Summer Series continues through June 8th at Harris Theater at Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph (map). Tickets are $25-$99, and are available by phone (312-850-9744) or online through their website (check for half-price tickets at Goldstar.com). More information at HubbardStreetDance.com.  (Running time: 2 hours, includes two intermissions)

Photos by Todd Rosenberg 

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artists

dancers

Garrett Patrick Anderson, Jesse Bechard, Jacqueline Burnett, Alejandro Cerrudo, Alicia Delgadillo, Kellie Epperheimer, Jonathan Frederickson, Jason Hortin, Alice Klock, Emilie Leriche, Ana Lopez, Johnny McMillan, Andrew Murdock, Bryna Pascoe, David Schultz, Kevin J. Shannon, Jessica Tong, Quinn B. Wharton

behind the scenes

Glenn Edgerton (artistic director), Terence Marling (director, Hubbard Street 2), Lucas Crandall (rehearsal director), Kristen Brogdon (general manager), Alejandro Cerrudo (resident choreographer)

For “Gnawa”:

Nacho Duato (choreography, set design), Nicholas Fischtel (lighting design), Modesto Lomba (costume design)

For “Quintett”:

William Forsythe (choreography, in collaboration with Dana Casperson, Stephen Galloway, Jacopo Godani, Thomas McManus and Jane San Martin), Gavin Bryars (music), Stephen Galloway (costume design), William Forsythe (lighting design), Tanja Rühl (technical consultant)

For “The Impossible”:

Alejandro Cerrudo (choreography and staging concept), Michael Korsch (lighting design), Branimira Ivanova (costume design)

For “PACOPEPEPLUTO”:

Alejandro Cerrudo (choreography), Dean Martin and Joe Scalissi (music), Matt Miller (lighting design)

For “Falling Angels”:

Jiří Kylián (choreography and lighting concept), Steve Reich (music), Third Coast Percussion (live percussion), Joop Caboort (lighting design), Roslyn Anderson (assistant to the choreographer and staging)

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