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Q&A with Alejandro Cerrudo, choreographer of One Thousand Pieces
This December, we present One Thousand Pieces, the "luminous salute to the arts" the Chicago Tribune gave four stars. Resident Choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo answered a few questions to give us a deeper sense of his connection to its inspiration: artist Marc Chagall's iconic stained glass artwork America Windows, the 1977 gift to the city of Chicago installed at the Art Institute of Chicago.
As a Spanish choreographer living and working in America, what do Chagall’s Windows mean to you?
People might think, “What’s this Spanish guy doing, making a work about America Windows?” But I feel completely comfortable.
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Alejandro Cerrudo at the Art Institute of Chicago, in front of America Windows. Photo by Todd Rosenberg. |
The windows aren’t [just] about America. They’re about character, painting, cultural freedom, celebration. They’re an homage and they were a gift. Chagall was a guest in this country and America treated him well. I’ve been adopted, in a way, by America, too. I’m not comparing myself with such an amazing artist as Chagall, but I'm very thankful to Chicago. I want to give a gift, too.
How are you responding to Chagall’s America Windows?
The evening is inspired by the windows, but I'm not making them in dance. I might give you another perspective. You might look at the windows in a different way, after you see my piece. That would be a huge compliment.
Why did you choose the title One Thousand Pieces?
Literally because of the symbolism of the work, observing how each piece of glass combines to make a whole larger piece made from many individual pieces, the same way human beings come together to create a project. I'm not trying to tell a story or represent the art. The work will have three sections, and the scenic design is quite abstract, yet I hope everyone will be immersed in the images that will appear and connect them to the windows.
First and second questions and responses excerpted from and copyright 2012 Dance Magazine, the comprehensive and influential publication which has served the dance world since 1927. Read the complete interview.Third question and response excerpted from One Thousand Pieces program notes, October 2012.
Video
» One Thousand Pieces trailer
» Inside the Studio:One Thousand Pieces
» Press Conference to announce One Thousand Pieces
Banner at top: Jacqueline Burnett in One Thousand Pieces by Alejandro Cerrudo. Alejandro Cerrudo in front of America Windows, Marc Chagall ©2012 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris. Below: Hubbard Street Dancers in One Thousand Pieces by Alejandro Cerrudo. Photos by Todd Rosenberg.
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@HubbardStreet on Instagram: One Thousand Pieces Tech Rehearsal at UMS in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Photo by Marisa Santiago.
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| | Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at the Art Institute of Chicago November 14 |
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Hubbard Street Dancers, from left: Garrett Patrick Anderson, Alice Klock and Kevin J. Shannon at the Art Institute of Chicago. Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Rinaldo and Armida in Her Garden, 1742/45. Oil on canvas. Bequest of James Deering. Photo by Todd Rosenberg. |
Old Masters. Contemporary interpretations.
November 14, 6–7 pm
Free with museum admission
Hubbard Street begins its fifth year of collaboration with the Art Institute of Chicago, offering a multi-disciplinary experience in the galleries of the renowned museum.
This one-hour event led by HS2 Director Terence Marling begins with a special presentation in Fullerton Hall at 6 pm, then proceeds to the galleries, where attendees will be able to experience a performance by the dancers of Hubbard Street 2 among paintings by Old Masters such as El Greco, Tiepolo, Titian and de la Tour.
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| | | LCDS Workshop: Robyn Mineko Williams November 25–27 |
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Robyn Mineko Williams. Photo by Cheryl Mann. |
Lou Conte Dance Studio Workshop:
Robyn Mineko Williams
November 25–27
November 25, 26 and 27, 2–4 pm
Winner of the 2013 Choreography Fellowship from the Princess Grace Foundation, rising choreographer Robyn Mineko Williams “...has a full-blown vision and aesthetic,” declared the Chicago Reader, upon the premiere of Grey Horses (2013). Her previous work, Recall, “used a body’s store of moves — a Michael Jackson thrust, a Flashdance swoon — to inject the present with the texture of memory,” wrote Apollinaire Scherr in the Financial Times. An avid collector of vinyl records and occasional DJ, Williams’ work is both firmly of the moment and resonant with cultural echoes from the past; one might credit her Japanese heritage for its minimalist qualities and subtle poetry. Teaming up a second time with Grey Horses composer Robert F. Haynes, Williams made her mainstage debut as a choreographer during Hubbard Street’s Fall Series with Fluence, set in a stage environment conceived by Brooklyn-based lighting designer Burke Brown. Fashion designer Hogan McLaughlin designed costumes for the nine-member cast.
$25 daily. Register for all three days for $60 (a savings of $15). Students may register in advance or immediately prior to class at the LCDS desk or by calling 312-850-9766.
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| ELEMENTS: Shopping Event to benefit Hubbard Street |
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Sarah McGuire, 18K Oxidized Silver Raw Diamond Elephant Necklace |
November 13, 6–8 pm
Elements, 741 N. Wells Street
Join us for a festive evening to help kick off Bold Moves for Bold Women.
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres and wine/cocktails — and get all of your holiday shopping done while benefiting Hubbard Street!
Meet the artist
This event features Chicago-based jewelry designer and metalsmith Sarah McGuire, whose jewelry has been featured in Lucky and Self magazines.
Her elegant, striking designs feature recycled metal — primarily high-karat gold and sterling — mixed with linen, leather, rough gemstones and diamonds that are conflict-free and responsibly sourced.
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Elements, the elegant home and lifestyle store will donate 15% of profits from this one night of shopping to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
RSVP by Monday, November 11 to Jeanne Newman at events@hubbardstreetdance.com or 312-850-9744 x-130.
Elements Store on Wells Street
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Return to what the Chicago Tribune calls "dance heaven": the full-length, full-company One Thousand Pieces, inspired by Marc Chagall’s America Windows. Choreography by Alejandro Cerrudo illuminates music by Philip Glass. Back by popular demand.
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One Thousand Pieces was created with funds
from the Prince Prize for Commissioning Original Work.
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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