Dance: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago @ the Joyce
Chicago, called the “city of big shoulders” by Carl Sandburg, is a repository of what’s best about American culture. There’s a Chicago school of architecture, a Chicago school of painting, even a Chicago school of advertising. Nothing is second-rate about the Second City.
The Windy City is also home to what is arguably the best dance company in America: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC), founded in 1977. Over the course of 40-something years, it has still managed to stay as fresh as a Lake Michigan sunrise, as the company ably demonstrated last night at the Joyce.
Most cultural experiences, I’ve found, can fall somewhat short of expectations. HSDC consistently exceeds and defies them. Last evening, for example, we saw a collection of pieces that offered opportunities for both soloists and the ensemble to shine. Alyshia Johnson (pictured), wearing an iridescent body-hugging outfit, gave a performance of “Show Pony” (choreography by Kyle Abraham, music by Jlin) that would rival Rihanna’s Super Bowl halftime show.
A simple pas de deux by Jacqueline Burnett and Simone Stevens to “Bolero” (choreography by Chad Naharin) showed you don’t need a whole production company to do justice to Ravel’s masterpiece. Same goes for Abdiel Figueroa Reyes and Michele Dooley who partnered sensuously to Nina Simone’s “Ne Me Quitte Pas.”(choreography by Spenser Theberge).
The final piece “Busk“ had the company sporting all-black “Seventh Seal”-type robes and Gorgon-like grimaces while moving energetically across stage to arias in Swedish and French. Wowza.
So if you don’t want to miss Chicago’s best GOAT since Michael Jordan, tap-dance over to the Joyce box office, or tap https://www.joyce.org/ on your nearest keyboard and snag some last-minute tickets to HSDC (The run ends Sunday, February 19). Carl Sandburg would love you for it.