Hubbard Street Dance Company from Chicago performs in LA April 9-11th, 2010-Preview & Post Coverage

If you are a fan of Modern Dance you know what a treat it is to have Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HDC) come to Los Angeles. Under the artistic leadership of Glenn Edgerton HDC celebrates 30 years as one of the most respected dance institutions in the world. HDC gets its name from the street upon which it was established and features 16 talented dancers from around the USA as well as a few dancers from Spain and Argentina. The dancers mostly have backgrounds in Classical Ballet and many have been dancing since they were young children, some as young as 4 years old. Several dancers have BFAs from the prestigious Julliard School and many have danced with world renowned Ballet Companies.

 

As we watched Friday night’s performances it struck us that these young dancers with their impressive resumes and their life long Ballet training are artists doing what they love. Modern Dance is a medium for artistic expression without boundaries. Through HDC these talented dancers have an opportunity to take their formal training and apply it to a dance company critically acclaimed for its intense, powerful, thought provoking pieces. Tabula Rasa the first piece in the repertoire seemed to express a story of pushing and pulling, attraction, rejection, despair, group thinking and indecision. The piece was choreographed by Ohad Naharin with music by Arvo Part. The second dance, entitled 27’52”, was choreographed by Jiri Kylian and accompanied by an unusual spoken word/musical piece by Dirk Haubrich based on two themes by Gusatav Mahler. This piece is thought provoking with dramatic staging and a surprise ending. Walking Mad, the final piece of the evening was choreographed by Johan Inger and put to music by the rhythmic “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel. It is a madcap comedy sprinkled with slapstick, larger than life, Ancient Greek style sexual innuendos. It was a delight to watch.

 

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will be at the Ahmanson Theatre tonight, Saturday, April 10 at 7:30pm and Sunday, April 11 at 2pm. Tickets can be purchased through Ticketmaster.com

(800) 982-2787. Please check out http://www.musiccenter.org/events/dance_0910_hubbard.html on Hubbard Street’s performances at the Music Center or Contact (213) 972-0711 for more information.

 

Press Contact: Davidson & Choy Publicity

Tim Choy, Peter Goldman – (323) 954-7510

Photos are available by email by request – [email protected]

 

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO

Glenn Edgerton, Artistic Director

 

West Coast Premiere of Jirí Kylián’s 27’52,” music by

Dirk Haubrich, based on two themes by Gustav Mahler;

Johan Inger’s Walking Mad, music by Maurice Ravel;

And Ohad Naharin’s Tabula Rasa, music by Arvo Pärt

 

Three performances only April 9-10-11

Ahmanson Theatre

 

The 2009-2010 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center welcomes the return of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, headed by its new artistic director Glenn Edgerton.  The company will present the West Coast Premiere of Jirí Kylián’s 27’52” (2002), Johan Inger’s Walking Mad (2001) set to Ravel’s “Bolero,” and Ohad Naharin’s Tabula Rasa (1986) to music by Arvo Pärt.  The company will have three performances at the Ahmanson Theatre on April 9, 10 and 11.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC), under the artistic leadership of artistic director Glenn Edgerton, celebrates over 30 years as one of the most original forces in contemporary dance.

 

Critically acclaimed for its exuberant, athletic and innovative repertoire, HSDC presents performances that inspire, challenge and engage audiences worldwide. The company’s ensemble of dancers displays unparalleled versatility and virtuosity, allowing HSDC to expand its eclectic repertoire with works by master American and international choreographers. HSDC also contributes to dance’s evolution by developing new choreographic talent and collaborating with artists in music, visual art and theatre.

 

Tickets for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago are available through Ticketmaster Phone Charge at (800) 982-2787, at all Ticketmaster Outlets, online at www.ticketmaster.com, and at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Box Office. For groups of 15 or more, call CTG Group Sales at  (213) 972-7231. Artists and Program are subject to change.

 

Last July, Hubbard Street announced the appointment of renowned artistic leader and dancer, Glenn Edgerton, to the role of artistic director. Edgerton’s appointment resulted from an international search following the announcement of departure of Jim Vincent, HSDC’s artistic director of nine years.

“Glenn’s extraordinary background combined with his ability to inspire others through dance is a perfect combination for Hubbard Street” said HSDC board chairman David Mekemson, “We are thrilled to have him lead the company into its next era.”

Edgerton, 49, brings over 30 years of experience working with the great dance institutions. He began his dancing career at The Joffrey Ballet where, mentored by Robert Joffrey, he performed leading roles in the company’s contemporary and classical repertoire for 11 years. In 1989, Edgerton joined the acclaimed Nederlands Dans Theater, and after dancing for five years retired from performing to become artistic director of the main company, leading NDT1 for a decade and presenting the works of Jirí Kylián, Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Mats Ek, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo, Johan Inger, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, among others.

 

From 2006 to 2008, he directed The Colburn Dance Institute at The Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. In 2007, Edgerton initiated a series of collaborations between The Colburn School and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and joined HSDC’s artistic leadership team fully as associate artistic director in 2008. 

 

Since Lou Conte founded the company in 1977, HSDC has expanded beyond its main company to include Hubbard Street 2, which cultivates young professional dancers and choreographers, serves as the foundation of HSDC’s education initiatives and performs nationally and internationally with a diverse and engaging repertoire; extensive Education & Community Programs which offer city- and state-accredited professional development for teachers to incorporate movement into curriculums and expose young people to dance; and the Lou Conte Dance Studio, which offers a wide variety of classes weekly in jazz, ballet, modern, tap, African, hip-hop and Pilates at levels from basic to professional, as well as workshops and master classes.

 

About the repertoire

27’52" – First premiered by Nederlands Dans Theater I in 2002 and HSDC Premiere in March 2010, 27’52" takes the viewer along for a game of seeking and being sought, of holding and being held, pulling and pushing, a game in which the dancer must ultimately exit the stage solo. The piece creates an urge to see it again, perhaps in disbelief of what appears on the stage and wondering how this could all be physically possible.

 

Jirí Kylián (Choreographer) was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1947, and started his dance training at the ballet school of the Prague National Theatre at the age of nine. He later studied at the Prague Conservatory and the Royal Ballet School in London. In 1968 he joined the Stuttgart Ballet under the direction of John Cranko as both a dancer and choreographer. In 1973, he created his first work for the Nederlands Dans Theater, where he became artistic director in 1975 until 1999 and is currently resident choreographer and artistic advisor. Kylián has choreographed 66 works for NDT including Sinfonietta, Sechs Tänze, Kaguyahime and Arcimboldo.  His works have been staged by more than 40 companies around the world, such as American Ballet Theater, Royal Danish Ballet, Tokyo Ballet, The Australian Ballet and National Ballet of Canada.

 

Tabula Rasa – Ohad Naharin’s choreography is notable for its movement quality – especially for its smoothness within technical difficulty. Tabula Rasa radiates a general sense of loss. The music by Arvo Pärt in the first half has an affecting melancholy as a violin melody repeatedly builds and fades, while the second half of the work is danced through a textured melodic haze, as the dancers push and pull into Mr. Naharin’s athletically propelled shapes with ease. (Anna Kisselgoff, New York Times)

 

Ohad Naharin (Choreographer) was born in Israel and began his dance training with the Batsheva Dance Company, where he has been artistic director since 1990. He continued his studies at Juilliard School of Music and the School of American Ballet in New York and performed with the Martha Graham Company and Maurice Béjart. In 1980, Naharin made his choreographic debut in Kazuko Hirabayashi studio in New York, where he studied and worked with Maggie Black, David Gordon, Gina Buntz and Billy Siegenfeld. His works have been staged by many companies around the world including the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Nederlands Dans Theater, Frankfurt Ballet, Rambert Dance Company, Ballet Nacional Madrid, Cullberg Ballet and Opèra National de Paris.

 

First performed by HSDC in 2005, Tabula Rasa is underwritten in part by Sidney and Sondra Berman Epstein and Randy A. White.

 

Walking Mad — Our greatest blessings come to us by way of madness… —Socrates

In this madcap comedy Inger has found the perfect balance between pure dance and theatrical effects. Walking Mad, first performed by HSDC in 2008, consists of many bizarre and surreal situations propelled by the rhythmic ‘Boléro’ by Maurice Ravel.

 

Johan Inger (Choreographer) was born in Stockholm and educated at the Royal Swedish Ballet School and at the National Ballet School in Canada. In 1985 Johan Inger joined the Royal Swedish Ballet, where in 1989 he became a soloist. In 1990 he joined Nederlands Dans Theater, where he was a high-profile dancer until 2002. Johan Inger’s official breakthrough as a choreographer came with Mellantid (Swedish for In Between Time)—his first commissioned work for Nederlands Dans Theater II—as part of the 1995 Holland Dance Festival. This work was awarded the 1996 Philip Morris Finest Selection Award in the category of Contemporary Dance. Mellantid was followed by several creations for Nederlands Dans Theater I, II and III. In 2001, Inger was nominated for the Golden Dance Prize by the VSCD (Dutch board of theatre directors) as well as for the British Laurence Olivier Award for ‘Best New Dance production’. In October 2001 he received the Lucas Hoving Production Award for his works Dream Play and Walking Mad. In 2002 Inger received the Prize of Achievement from the Stichting Dansersfonds ’79 (founded by Dutch dance couple Alexandra Radius and Han Ebbelaar). In 2003 the Edinburgh Festival awarded Inger with the Herald Angel for Home and Home. The Italian prize Danza Danza was presented to him in 2004 for Walking Mad. In 2006 Inger received the prestigious Birgit Cullberg Prize. In July 2003, Johan Inger took over the artistic management of the Cullberg Ballet. In the past five years of his directorship, Johan has created numerous works for the company. His latest ballet is Point of Eclipse from 2007.

 

Walking Mad is sponsored in part by Meg and Tim Callahan.

 

The Music Center – Performing Arts Center of Los Angeles County is one of the largest and most highly regarded performing arts centers in the United States. Every year, almost 2 million people visit its four main venues — Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, and Walt Disney Concert Hall — along with its vibrant collection of outdoor theatres, plazas, and gardens. The Music Center produces a variety of programming including Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center, Active Arts at the Music Center, and The Blue Ribbon Presents Global Pop, along with programming for children and families throughout the year.  The Center also provides extensive services and leadership in support of K-12 arts education, and offers tours of all four venues.   The Music Center is home to four internationally acclaimed resident companies: Los Angeles Philharmonic, Center Theatre Group, LA Opera and Los Angeles Master Chorale.

 

Upcoming Engagements

2009-2010 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center

 

Merce Cunningham Dance Company
Merce Cunningham, Choreographer and Artistic Director

World Premiere of reconstructed "Roaratorio"
Walt Disney Concert Hall  June 4-6, 2010

 

American Ballet Theatre
Kevin McKenzie, Artistic Director
“The Sleeping Beauty”
Dorothy Chandler Pavilion July 15 -18, 2010

 

Calendar Listing

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO