Above: from Amy Hall Garner's As The Wind Blows; photo by Michelle Reid
Tuesday February 14, 2023 - It's been a very long time since I last saw Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Back in the 1980s, when I was living in Hartford, CT, we saw them often at Jacob's Pillow. The Company's founding father, Lou Conte, presented his own choreography alongside works by Claire Bataille, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Margo Sappington, and Taylor disciples David Parsons and Daniel Ezralow. Then along came Twyla Tharp, who fashioned several masterpieces on the Company. But when, in 1998, I moved to New York City, I lost track of Hubbard Street...
...until tonight, when the Company opened their 2023 Joyce season with one of the most brilliant and engaging evenings of dance I have ever witnessed.
Opening the program, Amy Hall Garner's As The Wind Blows begins in silence, with the dancers striking poses in silhouette. Using music by Carl Craig, Aaron Copland, Claude Debussy, and Francesco Tristan, the choreographer goes on to weave a dance tapestry that perfectly shows off the captivating movement qualities and distinctive personalities of the Hubbard Street dancers.
Rich in ensemble passages, partnering motifs, and solo opportunities, Ms. Garner's choreography is fresh, vibrant, and wonderfully musical; her work is a perfect showcase for the Hubbard Street dancers. I don't know the Company dancers well enough to match names to faces, but one who stood out in particular was Elliot Hammans, who I recall from his dancing with Cherylyn Lavagnino's company here in New York. Mr. Hammans (photo above) has developed a striking stage presence to match his gift for movement; in a sustained solo in As The Wind Blows, he found a perfect balance between angst and lyricism.
The whole of Ms. Garner's work was a great pleasure to watch; and a special bravo! to lighting designer Harrison Pearse Burke. As the curtain fell on this opening work, the first of the evening's big ovations erupted.
Above: dancer Abdiel Figueroa Reyes; portrait by Michelle Reid
Next came choreographer Kyle Abraham's electrifying solo Show Pony, set to Jlin's "Hatsheput". Clad in gleaming silver, the ultra-charismatic Abdiel Figueroa Reyes seemed half-robot, half knight in shining armor. Dan Scully's lighting design was perfect for this work, wherein the dancer sometimes seemed to preen and revel in his own allure. At times, this solo reminded me of David Parsons' ever-amazing Caught in its mixture of showmanship and personal pride. A massive wave of applause and screams greeted Mr. Reyes as he came forward to bow at the end.
The stage was then stripped down to the bare back wall for the amusing/touching Spenser Theberge duet Ne Me Quitte Pas. Dancers Jacqueline Burnett and Elliot Hammans, in casual practice clothes, are warming up for a rehearsal run-thru. After a false start, the voice of Nina Simone fills the space with the Jacques Brel song. The duet shows us the creative process as the dancers work together on partnering details, but it also speaks of their personal relationship to one another. Intimate, and responding touchingly to Ms. Simone's singing, this work was given a lyrical feeling by Ms. Burnett and Mr. Hammans, with just a hint of gentle wit and subtle regret.
The iconic Ohad Naharin B/olero employs a spine-tingling Isao Tomito rendering of the classic Ravel score for synthesizer. Dancers Michelle Dooley (above) and Alexandria Best (below) comprise the entire cast. (Their photos are by Michelle Reid).
This B/olero, as with Pascal Rioult's take on the piece, is a real workout for the two dancers, not just in space-covering movement but also in timing and synchronization. Mlles. Dooley and Best are standouts in a Company of super-movers; their stylized, in-place gestural passages were vividly unified, and then the two women would break into free-flowing dance about the stage, whilst maintaining a connection thru their musicality and energy. What a delicious dance treat Mr. Naharin has given us, and how superbly these two dancers served up.
The evening ended on the highest of high notes with Aszure Barton's magnificent BUSK. The choreographer draws on a wide range of music which spans the decades from Camille Saint-Saëns to the blind poet Moondog's "All Is Loneliness Here for Me" and into the 21st century...and what a symphony of sound Ms. Barton has devised to give BUSK its memorable springboard.
All clad in baggy, bulky black - trousers, coats, and hoods - the dancers form a mysterious community of monk...or misfits? The costuming again brought Parsons to mind (The Envelope, but without the sunglasses). And the lighting, by Nicole Pearce, was again a key element (and I loved the disco ball, though it could have been brought into more prominent play).
But it's Ms. Barton's sense of structure, and of a grand design, which makes BUSK a staggering success. Her skill in deploying movement groups, of having the stage feel crowded one moment and then suddenly finding just a single dancer in the space, her showing of the community's moods - from fear to wonderment - all have a Balanchinian feeling of inevitability, meshed with hints of wit and irony.
The dancers were simply marvelous to behold - Mr. Hammans was again stellar, and Shota Miyoshi caught my eye frequently with his fluent moves. It's a grand Company, and tonight's choreographers gave them danceworks worthy of their talent, dedication, and generosity of spirit. An exhilarating evening!
~ Oberon