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Dance Tue Dec 09 2014
Hubbard Street Wows With Winter Series
Last weekend, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago continued its season with its Winter Series -- Princess Grace Awards: New Works. The premise of the show was inviting three previous Princess Grace Award winners in choreography to produce new works for Hubbard Street. Kyle Abraham, Robyn Mineko Williams and Victor Quijada each worked on a new piece for the Hubbard Street dancers.
The show began with a piece by MacArthur Genius Award winner Kyle Abraham titled Counterpoint, previously premiered over the summer during the Chicago Dancing Festival.
Counterpoint is technical and intricate, favoring strongly held upper bodies, piques, and small flicks of the wrists and feet. This movement is tempered by sweeping motions and moments of pause and extension. The juxtaposition of the movement embodies Abraham's vision of portraying life's abrupt changes, deviations and uncertainties.
The piece began with a single dancer moving through silence and transitions between dancers in pairs and small groups, at times mirroring each other or smiling and glancing at one another as if they are sharing some private joke.
The playfulness exuded by the piece makes it fun to watch.
Counterpoint was followed by a Robyn Mineko Williams work, Waxing Moon, telling the story of one man's process of evolution, as told through his interaction with two outside forces.
I was immediately drawn in. The central figure, danced by Andrew Murdock, began in creative choreography involving a chair. His dance seemed to mirror his own internal battles and contemplations.
He first interacted with a strong and exacting Jonathan Fredrickson, who appeared to be keeping him from the chair, forcing him into some type of battle. Frederickson was joined in his efforts by Jacqueline Burnett, all extensions and quick movements, who entices Murdock into the center of the stage and continues to entrap the audience, as well.
This is the type of dancing viewers get lost in. The partnering work was seamless. There was tension and moments of tenderness. Burnett seemed to flow through the choreography, rather than performing a set of steps. The three moving together was natural, strong and beautiful. For me, this was the standout performance of the night. I didn't want this piece to end.
The evening came to a close with Enter Woven, choreographed by Victor Quijada. It was contemporary dance with a hip-hop flavor. While the overall concept was engaging and interesting, I felt that the style fell flat on some of the dancers. Conversely, some of the dancers excelled at the meeting of these styles. These ups and downs were showcased during periods when just two or three dancers graced the stage at a time.
The best parts, and pieces where every dancer seemed to embody the style, were when all of the dancers were on stage together, each impacted in spacing and motion by the subtle movements of the others. One dancer's shift in posture could set off an entire series of motions, interactions and partnering. It was a cacophony of movement, which came off extremely engaging and not at all overwhelming. In fact, it all seemed to fall perfectly into place. These moments really delivered the piece's message of the way people's actions impact others and how their lives are intertwined. It seemed to say we all at times are simply pieces in a larger chain reaction. The dancers were all tangled, separated, reconnected, becoming one and coming apart again. This made for extremely interesting viewing of a beautiful piece.
The show runs through Dec. 14 at the Edlis Neeson Theater at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling 312-850-9744.
