| | Inside the Studio: Four Works by Jirí Kylián |
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Hubbard Street Dancers Ana Lopez and Kevin J. Shannon in rehearsal. Video screen shot by Quinn B Wharton.
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A conversation with Glenn Edgerton, Artistic Director
What is Hubbard Street’s history with Jirí Kylián, the first choreographer to receive a full repertory program from Hubbard Street?
We’ve been building his repertoire here for a while, in an ongoing process. First Sechs Tänze, then Petite Mort, then No More Play, 27'52", and now Falling Angels and Sarabande. Our founder Lou Conte started that relationship, which is one that I have, too, having been at Nederlands Dans Theater (NDT), first as a dancer, then as director.
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Hubbard Street Dancers Jessica Tong and Jason Hortin rehearsing 27'52" by Jirí Kylián. Photo by Todd Rosenberg. |
Where were you in 1998, when Lou Conte first brought Kylián’s work to Hubbard Street?
I was in Holland, at NDT. I’d heard of Hubbard Street but hadn’t seen the company yet. Jim Vincent [Hubbard Street Artistic Director from 2000–09] started to bring more work from Holland to Chicago — which became a question for me, directing NDT: How much did we want to let out? I had to manage this relationship from that end, had to make sure NDT could continue to tour Kylián’s works, and so had to be a little…possessive about them. [Laughs]
You danced Sarabande yourself. What do you remember about its creation?
It was fun. There are so many things Jirí tried that didn’t make it into the piece. He wanted it wild, manic — a little crazy. And it still has those qualities, but he brought it into focus. We were asked to vocalize, which was a blast.
Falling Angels, for eight women, premiered the year before. Was there a sense that an all-male piece would follow?
No, we didn’t know. I do think he got flak from some of the guys, like, “When are you going to make a piece for us?” [Laughs] Maybe he made Sarabande in part as a response to them, but it’s hard to say. You never know with Jirí. It’s easy to assume he makes master plans because, in the end, his works present such clear, overarching visions. To watch the works come out, one after another, each so beautifully laid out and all connected in such intriguing and unexpected ways: It was like watching someone unroll a fascinating carpet, or a scroll.
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Hubbard Street Dancers Jessica Tong and Jason Hortin in 27'52" by Jirí Kylián. Photo by Todd Rosenberg. |
What can you say about these four works as a set?
I think it shows Jirí’s range, which I appreciate about him and about any choreographer. You will see a thread throughout, but the atmosphere, the feel of each piece, is totally unique. He’s always trying something new, creating a different environment for the stage, making it interesting and challenging for the dancers, as well as for the audience. Consequently, you can see how it’s also about him challenging himself.
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From left: Actress and Dizzy Feet board member Jenna Elfman; and Nigel Lythgoe, creator and executive producer of So You Think You Can Dance and co-president and a founding member of the Dizzy Feet Foundation. Choreo Lab participants, from left: David Wolfe, Nina Chrusfield and Ruby Rosenthal. Photo by Todd Rosenberg. Follow @HubbardStreet on Instagram. |
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What does a dancer need to perform Kylián’s work?
There’s an internal dialogue that goes on when you’re performing them, a balancing act you have to do between honoring the choreography and honoring the moment. The counting of the rhythms in Falling Angels, keeping track of all of their changes, for example, or the movements with the foils in Petite Mort: You can do everything “right,” with perfect technique, handle your foil exactly the way you’re supposed to, be organized and all set, and the thing can still just fly off with a life of its own. [Laughs] Dancing a piece of his, you’re on this journey, this adventure, from beginning to end, and if you lose control of it, how do you respond? I believe that’s the lesson of his work: It teaches you how to maintain a kind of serenity about the moment. Which is why 27'52" has the title it does: The piece lasts 27 minutes and 52 seconds, and you can’t skip a beat. “You can’t miss a heartbeat,” Jirí would say. You have to gather all of the power, emotion, romanticism and exactitude within yourself, without letting any one of those things take over the rest. The challenge is to perform that contrast between complete freedom and complete clarity. Like the sound that the men’s foils make in Petite Mort: that “Whoosh!” through the air: That’s what Jirí’s works are like. They cut so deeply, and quickly, but with such refinement.
» Spring Series: March 13–16 » Inside the Studio: 7 minutes / 90 seconds
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Hubbard Street Dancer Emilie Leriche in Fluence by Robyn Mineko Williams. Photo by Quinn B Wharton.
Bold Women. Unique Artworks.
For this year's Bold Moves for Bold Women, we're offering a different kind of silent auction.
We're collaborating with local artists to create one-of-a-kind artworks inspired by the artists of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Meet three bold women and artist-entrepreneurs at the heart of a special auction:
Lindsey French
Lindsey French is an artist and educator based in Chicago, having received her Master of Fine Arts in Art and Technology Studies at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2013. She is a recent recipient of a Propeller Fund grant, and was a nominee of the 2013 Clare Rosen & Samuel Edes Foundation Prize for Emerging Artists. Her work has been presented at the Chicago Cultural Center, and exhibited at the International Symposium of Electronic Arts in Albuquerque, the LeRoy Neiman Center in Chicago, and the Berlin Studios of the Royal Institute of Art in Berlin. In her work she explores the complexities and tensions between new technologies and the natural world.
Kahindo Mateene
Kahindo Mateene founded Modahnik in 2009, a fashion design collection known for the mix of vibrant colors with bold prints. She has lived and traveled in Africa, Europe and America, and she expertly combines these different stylistic elements, bringing a unique point of view to her design aesthetic. A native of The Democratic Republic of Congo, she pulls inspiration from the Avant Garde spirit of the Congolese art and culture. She appeared as a contestant on the Emmy-nominated designer competition series Project Runway.
Kellen Walker
Kellen Walker is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist working primarily with movement, fragrance, food and audio montage in a narrative format. Her studio practice toggles between collaborative rehearsals and solitary hours in a basement writing and tinkering with homemade perfumes. Using fragrance with dancers in live performance is her main line of inquiry. She is currently working toward a master's degree in Interdisciplinary Arts & Media at Columbia College.
» Get tickets today for Bold Moves for Bold Women.
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| | | LCDS Open House Sunday, March 23, 11 am–3 pm |
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Photo by Todd Rosenberg. |
Try something new this month.
The Lou Conte Dance Studio invites you to take free beginner classes in ballet, modern, jazz, tap, yoga, Pilates, hip hop, African, BeMoved®, Zumba® and more.
This is the perfect opportunity to try new classes for the first time, or bring a friend along to try your favorite
No pre-registration required. All Open House attendees receive 2-for-1 Class Passes.
"What I love about LCDS is not only the amazing classes, but the atmosphere. It is so welcoming and human. The teachers are caring, the students are eager and the studio is a framework for dance education unlike anywhere else in the city." —Kalin, former LCDS student
Lou Conte Dance Studio at the Hubbard Street Dance Center
1147 W. Jackson Blvd [MAP]
312-850-9766
Please note regular Sunday classes will not be held on Open House Sundays.
» Visit hubbardstreetdance.com/LCDS for more information.
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| Hubbard Street Youth Dance Program Summer Camp |
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Photo by Todd Rosenberg. |
Let your child dance through summer.
Youth Dance Camps offer creative and challenging opportunities for young dancers ages 3–16.
Drop in for one session or spend the summer dancing!
Each week offers new opportunities.
» Register now for camps starting in June.
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| Hubbard Street recommends... |
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Ashley Rockwood and Sean Rozanski in Sabroso. Photo by Gorman Cook. |
Giordano Dance Chicago
March 28 and 29 at the Harris Theater, Giordano Dance Chicago presents a world premiere by resident choreographer Autumn Eckman, with acclaimed vocal ensemble Bella Voce performing live. GDC’s engagement also features the return of two audience favorites: Taal, called “an elegant work boasting flowing columns of hanging drapery as crucial imagery” (Chicago Tribune), set to a blend of Indian and jazz rhythms sung live by Sheetal Heinert; and JOLT, dubbed a “nonstop caffeine high” (Dance Magazine), with composer Evan Bivins and Matt Martin providing live percussion.
» Hubbard Street audiences save 20% using code GDCHSDC on level A, B & C tickets.
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In Hubbard Street’s first all-Kylián program, see Company premieres of celebrated choreographer Jirí Kylián’s Falling Angels and Sarabande along with audience favorites Petite Mort and 27'52".
A scene in 27'52" includes partial nudity.
Photo, in banner and above: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in Petite Mort by Jirí Kylián. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
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This project is partially supported by the Illinois Arts Council Agency.
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Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization
supported in part by contributions.
Mission: to bring artists, art and audiences together
to enrich, engage and change lives through the experience of dance.
Donate today to support Hubbard Street's mission.
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