THE HANGOVER REPORT – A company in continued evolution: HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO returns to The Joyce performing with game versatility

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in “Dichotomy of a Journey” by Darrell Grand Moultrie at The Joyce Theater (photo by Michelle Reid).

Last night, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago commenced its two-week run at The Joyce Theater, showcasing the diverse highlights from its 46th anniversary season in two separate programs. Overall, the opening night performance conveyed a company in continued evolution — under the artistic directorship of Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell — from local champion and purveyor of the European contemporary dance style to a more distinctly American identity.

The substantial bill began exuberantly with Dichotomy of a Journey choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie. Set to an eclectic soundtrack that includes selections from Shostakovich to V. Michael McKay, the piece is vibrant if a tad scattered, bringing into focus the company’s morphing DNA (e.g., I observed stronger shades of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater than I ever have before). Following was the New York premiere of Thang Dao’s Nevermore, a work inspired both by Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and the Asian folktale The Cowherd and the Weavegirl. While not completely convincing in its evocation of an East-meets-West aesthetic, I appreciated its stylish attempt at gothic imagery. Best of all, the evening ended with a burst of pure energy and joy with Rennie Harris’s Dear Frankie (also a New York premiere), in essence a homage to the city of Chicago, particularly the hip hop/house culture cultivated by DJ Frankie Knuckles.

In each of the three works, the game Hubbard Street dancers performed with game versatility — wonderfully marrying various modes of contemporary and street dance — even more so than their previous visit to The Joyce. Next week continues with the Chicago-based company dancing Coltrane’s Favorite Things by Lar Lubovitch, the New York premiere of Rena Butler’s Aguas Que Van, Quieren Volver, and Aszure Barton’s return to patience.

RECOMMENDED

HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO
Dance
The Joyce Theater
Approximately 2 hours (with two intermissions)
Through March 24

Categories: Dance

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