In the 23 years since its founding Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has received impressive notices for its athletic and eclectic style of contemporary dance. “Some of the greatest dancing I’ve seen in years” was how the late Fred Astaire put it.Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) will perform in Springfield at Kuss Auditorium, Clark State Community College Performing Arts Center, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 15 as the next event in the Wittenberg Series.
Begun with just four dancers under the leadership of founding choreographer Lou Conte, the company grew into an innovative force in contemporary dance with 20 dancers of diverse ethnic backgrounds. This summer James F. Vincent succeeded Conte as artistic director after an extensive two-decade-long career in Europe as a dancer, teacher, ballet master and choreographer.
“Individualism and Commitment in American Public Life” is the theme for this year’s Wittenberg Series, 13 events of arts, scholarship and entertainment presented free by Wittenberg University for the Miami Valley community.
The HSDC performance is a Heartland Arts Fund program. The Heartland Arts Fund is a collaborative venture of Mid-America Arts Alliance, Arts Midwest, their member state arts agencies* with primary funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and support from private contributors.
Although the performance is free, due to the popularity of the event, reservations are suggested. Call (937) 327-7443 or 328-3874 to reserve tickets.
The scheduled program for the evening will include four selections from the troupe’s active repertoire and one new work premiered in Chicago during performances October 3-8. The five pieces each feature a different choreographer. “Lady Lost Found” for five dancers features the music of Percy Grainger and the choreography of Daniel Ezralow.
“Enclosed Garden” will be choreographed by Macho Duato with music by Maria del Mar Bonet. Mozart’s “Six Dances” will be set to choreography for eight dancers by Jiri Kylian. “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” will use familiar music of George Gershwin and Sammy Cahn in a duet by Harrison McEldowney.
The big ensemble piece for at least 16 dancers, “Minus 16," will be an Ohio premiere of a work by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin. It is described as a humourous, cutting-edge work that intentionally breaks down barriers between the audience and dancers. Its several sections of varying moods are set to a variety of music including cha cha, mambo, Israeli traditional music, techno, Dean Martin and surfing music.
* Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin.
