In this excerpt from a 2000 interview with the Chicago Tribune, LCDS and Hubbard Street founder Lou Conte talks about some of the turning points in the company's history.
Rodin Impressions (1981): “Claire [Bataille, a founding dancer and now director of the Lou Conte Dance Studio] and I had gone to the Rodin Museum in Paris, and, flying home, we talked so much about what we had seen in the sculpture that I decided we had to do something about it. At the time, people were calling us a jazz company, but I knew we were more than that, and the Rodin piece, which has music by Rachmaninoff and Kodaly, showed that we were ready to do anything we wanted to do. And, of course, Claire and Greg Begley were wonderful in it.”
Cobras in the Moonlight (1986): “It was emotional... Margo Sappington, the choreographer, was very demanding... But the experience made the dancers strong; it changed how the company worked."
The Golden Section (1991): "It's a masterwork by Twyla Tharp, which we put on in the second phase of our Tharp Project. By then, our dancers were in tune with Twyla’s kinetic movements, and they were at a point where they could really handle them. It was ours and we had earned it.”
Petite Mort (2000): “I think Jirí Kylián is a true genius. [Petite Mort] is another beautiful piece from Kylián, so enjoyable and absolutely gorgeous. It’s a nice way to remember my last season.”
Hear more from the founder of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
Join us February 1 to celebrate the legacy of Lou Conte, the Lou Conte Dance Studio and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at a very special event that promises a look back at the past and a vision for the future.