Review of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Elizabith Costey ‘16/Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Presented by Celebrity Series of Boston, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performed four remarkable pieces at the Shubert Theater in Boston, each piece as impressive, if not more so, than the last. With contemporary work by choreographers Penny Saunders, William Forsythe, and Crystal Pite, the company awed their audience throughout the entire performance.
The curtains draw back for the opening number, “Out of Keeping” by Penny Saunders. The soft voice of a violin cuts through the theater, and the dancers begin to move. The dancers utilize a beautiful balance of strength and subtly in their movements that would impress even the most exacting critic. The movements are rapid and intricate, yet clean and sure. Despite the speed, each action is full and expertly executed. Grandiose movements are punctuated by flutters of minute gestures- the wiggling of fingers, a heel toe. The population on stage dwindles to one dancer, then two, then many- running, turning, walking, and leaping on and off the stage until all of the dancers once again return to the stage. They form one solid line. Spotlighting casts their shadows against the back wall of the stage. The vision is simple and yet striking, doubling and even tripling the impact of each dancer’s gestures.
The dancers slide across the stage somehow stopping perfectly in the right spot every time, just before jumping into choreography or dynamic partner work. If only one thing could be said about Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, it would be about their partnering. It is impeccably timed. It is personal. It is flawless. In “Out of Keeping” the partnering between Jacqueline Burnett and Jesse Bechard is particularly striking. The pair moves with confidence and perfection. It is beautiful and human. Burnett displays remarkable definition in her torso, every motion smooth and stunning.
After a brief intermission, “N.N.N.N.” by William Forsythe begins. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is the only company to perform this piece with a gender diverse cast, as well as the only American dance company to hold performance rights for this piece. A lone dancer stands on stage, playing with her arm. She watches it swing back and forth before catching it. She holds it momentarily, and then lets it swing again. A second dancer joins her, interacting and playing along. As the dance takes off, two more dancers join the performance. Following the music of their own breath, the four dancers test each other, interacting and exploring as if discovering their combined movements for the first time. The contrasting movements, speeds, sounds, and personalities meld together, creating a combined understanding. They are four distinct parts, but they function as one. “N.N.N.N.” is a brilliant piece with personality, well wrought choreography, and charm. The four dancers take their bows and disappear as the stage goes dark.
Not even minutes later a faint glow on one half the stage reveals a dancer in a disheveled suit standing towards the back of the stage. Soloist Jesse Bechard walks forward, head dropped until spoken word begins. “A Picture of You Falling” by choreographer Crystal Pite is unyielding and in a word indomitable. Dark and grinding, the piece is a narrative of ‘falling’. It breaks down the motion in a very physical and literal way. However, there is also a sense of poetry in the literal nature of the fall. Bechard turns a fall into art, piece by piece weaving jagged motion into unreal movement. “A Picture of You Falling” is as beautiful as it is jarring. Bechard’s incredible movement exemplifies the edginess of the musical clanks and clangs as well as the tense spoken word.
Finally, “Solo Echo” by Crystal Pite, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s final piece of the evening, takes the stage. Inspired by “Lines for Winter,” a poem by Mark Strand, “Solo Echo” is a poignant narrative of acceptance and surrender. A dancer stands on stage alone as snow falls along the back wall. Other dancers enter the stage coming and going as the dance accelerates. The movements are grounded and textured, yet retain the quick, precise style Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is known for. Pite’s piece is gripping. The dancers move with quiet definition, flexibility, and strength, performing acutely to the music and every melody found between the notes. Snow falls once again along the back of the stage as the dancers stand in a vertical line, holding each other in place. Suddenly one of the dancers allows the dancer she holds to slip through her fingers, falling to the floor. The audience sees her shock, her shame, her guilt. Allowing one subtle movement to guide the next, the guilty dancer sets off a chain of motion, a ripple that echoes louder and louder through the throng of dancers until suddenly, it stops. Again in a line, dancers slip through their holders’ arms and leave the stage, until only one fallen dancer remains. He lies on the ground, the snow collecting around him.
Amazed, the audience stands and applauds. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s performance was not one to miss; rather it was one to see again and again. The fluidity of the company’s work is impeccable and undeniably arresting.