RECOMMENDED

Certainly nothing compares to a Hubbard Street Dance premiere, but this year’s Winter Series is doing everything it can to top itself. When this fantastically dexterous beast of a company crawls onto this Harris Theater stage this month, it will dig into its pocket to bring with it some of its most dynamic work. It is hard to decide what to get the most excited about. We can be thankful the company will bring back Israeli choreographer Ohand Naharin’s “Tabula Rasa.” Smooth and technical and melancholy and dynamic, there is a reason Naharin is one of the most respected dance makers in the world. Quickly taking his own place on that list is Hubbard Street’s own Alejandro Cerrudo. His “Off Screen” is a testament to his deliciously wiggly aesthetic. But more important, it is a testament to his ability to make us laugh. Johan Inger’s “Walking Mad” will continue that smile’s creep across your face. Set to Ravel’s  ”Boléro,” this theatrical piece elicits laughs and audible gasps out of the audience every time. Apparently Hubbard Street knows that as the dark days of a Chicago winter approach, we all need a little something we can smile about. (William Scott)

At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph (312)334-7777. December 3-6; Thursday at 7:30pm, Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. $25-$90.

RECOMMENDED

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago begins its first season under Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton, who gets right to business leaving his mark on the company’s repertoire with the world premiere of a work by Finnish choreographer Jormo Elo set to music by Mendelssohn and Monteverdi.  Also on the docket is the return of  audience favorite “Jardi Tancat” by Nacho Duato.  The evening continues with Hubbard Street’s Associate Artistic Director Lucas Crandall’s “The Set,” a quirky love story featuring three dancers and a divan.  No evening at Hubbard Street would be complete without a work by resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo.  The young dance maker’s “Lickety-Split” is a sensual ride that embodies what is fresh about Cerrudo’s brand of movement.  While this may not be the most daring program of the season (stay tuned for more exciting premieres), it does offer a pretty accurate survey of just what makes Hubbard Street hot. (William Scott)

At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph (312)334-7777. October 1-4; Thursday at 7:30, Friday at 8, Sat at 8 and Sun at 3pm. $25-$90.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, whose current artistic director Jim Vincent is leaving to take the helm at Nederlands Dans Theater, has appointed Glenn Edgerton, a former artistic director of the same Dutch company to take his place. And if you’re wondering what’s so great about about NDT, it just so happens that they’re performing in Chicago next week at Auditorium Theatre.

Here’s the press release from Hubbard Street:

GLENN EDGERTON APPOINTED AS THE THIRD ARTISTIC DIRECTOR IN HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO’S 32-YEAR HISTORY

Nation’s Foremost Contemporary Dance Repertory Company to be led by Former Artistic Director of Nederlands Dans Theater I

CHICAGO – June 10, 2009 – Today, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) announced the appointment of internationally renowned artistic leader and dancer, Glenn Edgerton, to the role of artistic director.  Edgerton’s appointment results from an international search conducted by the board during the last several months following the announcement of the departure this summer of Jim Vincent, HSDC’s artistic director of nine years.

Edgerton, 49, brings over 30 years of experience working with the great dance institutions of the world including the Nederlands Dans Theater, The Colburn School of Performing Arts and The Joffrey Ballet. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

Hats off to Hubbard Street for adding a Summer program to their season. Now that the Midwest has finally thawed, folks are venturing out, calling in, cooking out and—I hope—getting out to see some dance. And this is the month for it people—starting with Chicago’s best-known contemporary dance company, which presents three strong works this weekend. “Slipstream,” a new work by Hubbard Street artistic director Jim Vincent, moves across the stage in elegant waves and eddies, riding the strings in Benjamin Britten’s “Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge.” In contrast, the revival of Nacho Duato’s “Gnawa” surges and heaves in tribal ensemble movements; slithers, entwines and blossoms in an organic, hypnotic duet. The Summer Series also provides a second opportunity to see Alejandro Cerrudo’s extremely appealing “Extremely Close;” the clean lines, black-and-white mise en scene and downright sexy pas de deux make Cerrudo’s work accessible yet gracefully sophisticated. (Sharon Hoyer)

At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph (312)334-7777. June 4-7; Thurs at 7:30, Friday at 6:30, Sat at 8 and Sun at 3pm. $25-$86.

Here’s the press release from Harris Theater:

MIKHAIL BARYSHNIKOV, LANG LANG, CHRISTOPH ESCHENBACH, STEPHEN SONDHEIM, EVELYN GLENNIE AND KATHLEEN BATTLE HEADLINE HARRIS THEATER FOR MUSIC AND DANCE 2009-2010 HARRIS THEATER PRESENTS SEASON

SIXTH SEASON AT THE HARRIS FEATURES CHICAGO PREMIERES, HARRIS THEATER DEBUTS AND EXTRAORDINARY ARTISTS

SUBSCRIPTION AND TICKET PRICES REDUCED

CHICAGO, May 6, 2009 – The Harris Theater for Music and Dance today announced its Harris Theater Presents 2009-2010 season.  The schedule of Harris Theater Presents events features nine programs, a remarkable thirteen Chicago premieres and includes an impressive and diverse selection of music, dance and conversation by internationally acclaimed artists and ensembles. Highlights of the Harris Theater Presents 2009-2010 season include a rare opportunity to see Mikhail Baryshnikov in a solo dance performance, an evening of insight with the “Master of the Musical,” Stephen Sondheim, the Harris debut of Lang Lang under the baton of his mentor Maestro Christoph Eschenbach, the Chicago premiere of Orquestra de São Paulo with virtuoso percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie, Kathleen Battle’s unusual program of holiday spirituals, and much more. Read the rest of this entry »

Photo: Todd Rosenberg

RECOMMENDED

Hubbard Street offers a diverse palate this weekend, with revivals and premiere pieces ranging from the elegant to the primal. In the former category, place the revival of Artistic Director Jim Vincent’s “counter/part,” a blithe roundel that playfully weaves classically inspired choreography into Bach’s contrapuntal tapestry, and Danny Ezralow’s “SF/LB,” which matches Bernstein’s score in stylish, urbane theatricality. In the latter belongs the Chicago premiere of Andrea Miller’s “Blush”—fierce, passionate, with grey-and-leather uniformed costuming and a rock score that evoke a post-industrial landscape, leaving plenty of space on stage for flushed emotions to reach the boiling point. Rising star Alejandro Cerrudo’s “Off Screen” will be performed for the first time; the preview clips reinforce Cerrudo’s fast-growing reputation for soulful, fluidly sensitive choreography. Also on the program is a revival of Lucas Crandall’s fun, stompy, be-booted “Gimmie.” (Sharon Hoyer)

At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph (312)850-9744. April 1 & 2 at 7:30pm, April 3 & 4 at 8pm and Sunday, April 5 at 3pm. $25-86.

Here’s the press release from HSDC:

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO ANNOUNCES 2009-10 SEASON

World-Class Art Reaches Chicago Audiences, On Stage and Around The City

CHICAGO – March 11, 2009 – Today, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) announced its 2009-10 season, unveiling a premiere-packed series of performances at home in Chicago, domestic and international touring, pre-professional training initiatives and innovative collaborations with cultural partners in the city. Read the rest of this entry »

Batsheva Dance Company may be one of the most fascinating companies in the world.  If  that is so, then Ohad Naharin, the company’s artistic director, must be one of the genius choreographers of that world. Naharin’s work is familiar to Chicago.  His “Minus 16” has become an audience favorite in Hubbard Street Dance’s repertoire.  Based in Tel Aviv, this weekend the Israeli company will be at Auditorium Theatre bringing selections from ten of Naharin’s  best creations in a program called “Deca Dance.” I caught up with Brett Batterson, Auditorium’s executive director and a man who shares my excitement for this company.  We put together this short list of just a few reasons to go see Batsheva.

1. “Anyone who creates a new style of movement and has it accepted around the globe is obviously unique,” says Batterson.  The style is called Gaga and it was developed on the bodies of this company so no one does it better. The company’s Web site describes it like this: “At once we, the users, can be involved in moving slowly through space while a quick action in our body is in progress.”  The best way I know to describe it is it has characteristics of one of those inflatable waving tubes you see by car dealerships…but beautiful.

2. “The company is not afraid to try new ideas in their work and challenge the status quo a little bit.  For instance, Batterson explains, “the upcoming performances at the Auditorium include some brief nudity and mature language, but both are used to emphasize the message of the work.  It is not about simply shocking the audience or as an attempt to be hip and trendy.”

3. “The company helps build bridges between Israel and other communities around the world,” Batterson feels.  It has been fifteen years since Batsheva came to Chicago and it seems to be an opportune time.  Just when the entire world could use a few bridges.

If you want to know more, visit Batsheva’s website (batsheva.co.il), or go on opening night (February 7) for the opportunity to hear Naharin speak at a post-show discussion. (William Scott)

At Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Parkway, (312)902-1500. February 7 & 8, $30-$89.

What makes Chicago’s theater world special? We picked up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly for clues. In the cover story, “CSI” star William Petersen explains his decision to leave his role as one of the top paid actors in television, earning a rumored $600,000 an episode, to move back to Chicago and Chicago theater: “It was too safe for me at this point. So I needed to try and break that, and the way to do that, for me, is the theater.” EW went on to credit Petersen for much of the show’s success, notably bringing a theatrical ensemble philosophy to play in its production. Or consider the runaway success of Steppenwolf’s “August: Osage County,” which transferred to Broadway,  receiving critical acclaim and multiple Tony Awards, not by shaking it up with Broadway “names” but instead by virtually transferring the Steppenwolf production intact, with the addition of lead producer and fellow Chicagoan Steve Traxler. What makes Chicago theater—or for that matter, Chicago dance or any other form of performance practiced on our stages—special? We’d contend it’s the power of the ensemble, the spirit of collaboration that champions artistic risk-taking and subordinates the commercial. And so, in that spirit, the critical ensemble responsible for Newcity’s ongoing stage coverage presents our take on the most influential people on and offstage in Chicago. Read the rest of this entry »

RECOMMENDED

If you haven’t yet seen this Chicago institution, the upcoming Winter Series at the Harris Theater is sure to be an appealing introduction to the most popular modern dance company in the city. The program includes two premieres: “One On One” by Hubbard Street’s artistic director Jim Vincent and “Walking Mad,” a highly publicized new work by Johann Inger set to Ravel’s “Bolero”—familiar, yet bold choice of material and one certainly well suited to the company’s crowd-pleasing, dramatic athleticism. Also on the program is the elegant, balletic “Strokes Through the Tail” by Marguerite Donlon and “The Set” by Lucas Crandall. (Sharon Hoyer)

At the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph, (312)334-7777. Wednesday, Dec 3-Sunday, Dec 7. $25-$86.