Hubbard Street Dance Presents RE/CONNECT: Program B Review — Centering Connection

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By the time the music begins in Jardi Tancat (choreographed by Nacho Duato), you too may agree with this writer that it almost feels unnecessary, due to the synchronicity exhibited by Hubbard Street’s dancers during the first silent minutes of this dance piece. They need no tempo or tune to keep their choreography in sync. True to the title of Hubbard Street Dance’s spring series—RE/CONNECT—the connection of this company of dancers takes center stage across an evening of three distinct works.

Hubbard Street Dance Displays a Symphony of Synchronicity

In Jardi Tancat, dancers partner with each other in duets that ripple from one couple to the next like carefully lined up dominoes across a stage whose perimeter is lined with tall, wooden poles. Each female dancer also finds ways to connect their movements with the flowing fabric of their sepia skirts, which take on a life of their own when paired with the music of Maria del Mar Bonet.  It’s way beyond just pairing movement and music — Jardi Tancat let’s us see and feel  connection.

In The Seen (choreography and text by Jermaine Maurice Spivey), one microphone on a bare stage gives way to two, then three, then eight, as dancers take turns conjuring a textual tapestry of spoken wordplay, riffing on the nature of communication and perspective. Each dancer readily connects with the text and their vocal instrument to create a syllabic symphony, orchestrated by the rewind/fast-forward/freeze-frame/slow-mo fluctuations in their movement. Throughout the performance, Laurel Shoemaker’s subtle lighting cues helpfully direct the eye and ear towards key speakers—at one point reminding us of our own point-of-view in a moment when the audience itself is illuminated.

Dichotomy of a Journey (choreographed by Darrell Grand Moultrie) closes out the evening, and will be familiar for those who attended Program A.  For this reviewer, the piece takes on new life through the lens of connection, on repeat viewing. Moultrie’s choreography finds ways for the dancers to partner with the floor, as well as an eclectic array of musical genres ranging from strings to gospel. 

RE/CONNECT offers a sample platter of contemporary dance for neophytes and dance lovers alike, showcasing how one company of dancers can utilize their talents and training across myriad genres and styles. For Hubbard Street die-hards, the opportunity to revisit old favorites and take stock of a world premiere work in a different light are both strong reasons to attend Program B in the MCA’s more intimate performance venue.

Highly Recommended

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WHEN:

Program B: March 9 through March 13, 2022

WHERE:

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago
220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60611

TICKETS:

$80+ 
For tickets and more information visit the  Hubbard Street Dance website.
Photos courtesy of Hubbard Street Dance.