Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Returns to Jacob's Pillow
BECKET, Mass. — Popular with both critics and audiences, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago returns to Jacob’s Pillow Aug. 25-29 in for the dance festival's 2010 finale.In the company’s 13th appearance at Jacob’s Pillow in 27 years, Hubbard Street presents four diverse works by three choreographers: Batsheva Dance Company director Ohad Naharin, contemporary choreographer Aszure Barton, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo. The company’s program for Jacob’s Pillow includes two premieres by Cerrudo. An extra performance has been added on Thursday, Aug. 26 at 2 p.m. to accommodate the high demand for tickets.
Naharin’s "Tabula Rasa" opens the program with swirling, fluid movement and gestural hand-work to a dramatic score by Arvo Pärt. Tabula rasa means “blank slate” in Latin, and refers to the philosophical theory that individuals are only the sum of their experiences and environment. Artistic director of Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company since 1990, Naharin’s talent has been recognized by numerous organizations and countries; he was awarded the "Chevalier de l’Ordres des Arts et des Lettres" by the French government (1998), the Israel Prize for Dance (2005), and the Samuel H. Scripps American Dance Festival Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance (2009).
Cerrudo, HSDC’s resident choreographer, has choreographed two new works in the company’s program for Jacob’s Pillow. Originally from Madrid, Spain, Cerrudo is known for his fluid, loose-limbed style as both a choreographer and a dancer for the company. "Blanco" is a world premiere set to music by Felix Mendelssohn and Charles Valentin Alkan. This abstract work for four women is the companion piece to Cerrudo’s "Deep Down Dos," which is also being presented at the company’s Jacob’s Pillow engagement.
"Deep Down Dos" enjoyed its orchestral premiere earlier this year with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and Jacob’s Pillow audiences will be the first to see the work in its full theatrical setting. Clean and architectural in aesthetic, the work is set to a multi-layered score by electronica and classical composer Mason Bates.
The evening is concluded by Barton’s "Untouched," a dramatically-lit work for 12 dancers. The work is set to a layered score by an array of musicians: Russian-born, New York City-based violist Ljova, Toronto-based pianist and composer Njo Kong Kie, and New York City-based sound designer, saxophonist and producer Curtis Macdonald. Barton’s own company has appeared at the Pillow on the Inside/Out stage in 2004, and the Doris Duke Theatre in 2005 and 2006. She has choreographed new works for many prestigious individuals and companies worldwide including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Fang-Yi Sheu, The National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre, Sydney Dance Company, The Juilliard School, and The Martha Graham Dance Company.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago was founded in 1977 by dancer/choreographer Lou Conte who, for the next 23 years, served as artistic director. Originally the company’s sole choreographer, he developed relationships with emerging and world-renowned choreographers as the company began to grow, adding works by a variety of artists such as Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Margo Sappington, Daniel Ezralow, and Twyla Tharp, as well as international choreographers Jirí Kylián, Nacho Duato, and Ohad Naharin.
Current Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton joined HSDC in 2009 after an international career as a dancer and director. 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.
Pillow audiences will have a chance to hear Edgerton speak about Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in a free PillowTalk discussion on Thursday, Aug. 26 at 5 p.m.
Performance and Ticket Information
Wednesday, Aug. 25 through Saturday, Aug. 28 at 8 p.m.
Thursday, Aug. 26, Saturday, Aug. 28 and Sunday, Aug. 29 at 2 p.m.
* Free Pre-Show Talks with Jacob’s Pillow Scholars-in-Residence are offered in Blake’s Barn 30 minutes before every performance.
* A free Post-Show Talk will take place in Blake’s Barn on Thursday, Aug. 26 immediately after the performance.
* Tickets range from $58.50 to $69.50
* Tickets on sale now at jacobspillow.org, 413-243-0745, or in person at Jacob’s Pillow.
Jacob’s Pillow is located at 358 George Carter Road (10 minutes east on Route 20 from Mass Pike Exit 2). The Jacob’s Pillow campus and theaters are handicapped-accessible.
