Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Presents IN ANY EVENT Dance Review — Familiar Stories Told Through Dance

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Same Event, Different Perspective

In a dressing room, dancers Jacqueline Burnett and David Schultz prepare for an elegant evening, Burnett is in a shimmering evening gown and Shultz in a suit. In the kitchen, somewhere within the same building, dancers Kevin Shannon and Craig Black maneuver around stainless steel countertops with dish towels in their hands portraying waiters preparing for a dinner service or event. The music is a collection of beats, like the clanging of silverware on pots and pans. And in an elevator, dancer Alysia Johnson struggles to untangle a bundle of red balloons, playing an event coordinator preparing to work a black tie event. Each of these scenes and characters show a different perspective of a single evening. In each scene, the dancers' voices overlay, telling stories from their personal lives and relationships during events like these.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Presents Stories for Every Age

Among the stories told by the dancers, there is something for viewers of all ages. Dancer Andrew Murdock tells a story of watching his four-year old son say goodbye to his wife at the airport and the sadness they felt driving home. While Murdock’s voice tells the story, dancer Abdiel Figueroa Reyes portrays Murdock’sson, performing a solo, wearing velvet overalls in a room full of balloons. The leggy solo is full of full-bodied movements, Reyes’ limbs reaching across the room. It ends with Reyes looking solemnly out the window. You too might find this an apt portrayal of the universal experience of missing a loved one.

Finding the Common Thread

In this way, IN ANY EVENT reminds throughout of the universal experiences that bind us, but also how those experiences shape us as individuals. Saunders asks us to dig into our memories and reflect to find meaning inside of each of our own life experiences and to share those memories with those around us, just as the Hubbard Street dancers have opened their hearts to share their stories and movement with viewers of the film.