In 1977, dancer/choreographer Lou Conte (who was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2009) ran a small dance studio downtown located at LaSalle and Hubbard streets.
He started taking four of his students out to perform shows locally, and the company now known as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago was born. That same year, Russian-French artist Marc Chagall created a stained glass masterpiece, "America Windows," for the Art Institute of Chicago and dedicated it to then-Mayor Richard J. Daley to celebrate the U.S. bicentennial. Fast forward 35 years and Hubbard Street mimics the grand gesture by creating its first full-length work inspired by Chagall's windows and dedicating the world premiere to our current dance-loving mayor, Rahm Emanuel.
All the creation, dedication and inspiration is a tall order for one man, but Hubbard Street resident choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo (who's held the post since 2009) is up to the challenge. "I'm honored that I'm doing this … that they trust me with this," he said earlier this summer while on a break from rehearsals. Cerrudo, now recognized internationally as a choreographic talent, just signed on for three more years of creating new works for the company.
This also marks the first-ever full-length work for Hubbard Street. "One Thousand Pieces," premiering at the Harris Theater Oct. 18, runs 75 minutes with a short pause and one intermission. Aiding Cerrudo in his vision are German designer Thomas Mika (sets and costumes) and Michael Korsch (lighting design), with the music of composer Philip Glass. Normally, finding the right music is difficult for perfectionist Cerrudo, but this time it came easily and quickly. He created his own soundscape with Glass' music. "Many people think that it's about time that someone makes something without Philip Glass, but I'm not going to shy away from him because others have used it," Cerrudo said. "Particularly for this project, the mystery of the music and the magic. ... I think it goes perfect."
He's also using all 24 of the Hubbard Street dancers—the full company, plus HS2, the second company. One of those dancers is Arizona native Garrett Anderson, now starting his second season with the company, who is featured in a series of duets throughout the piece with dancer Ana Lopez, a frequent muse for Cerrudo. Anderson, 30, previously danced with San Francisco Ballet, the Royal Ballet of Fanders in Antwerp, Belgium and a brief stint with the Trey McIntyre Project (coming to the Harris Theater Nov. 30) before landing at Hubbard Street in 2011. "Coming here was a dream for a long time," Anderson said. "Lickety Split [by Cerrudo] was one of the first things that I saw Hubbard Street perform. The dancers were so good and they had an understanding of movement. I don't remember any piece seeing them do that I did not find interesting."
He admits that adapting to Cerrudo's movement style hasn't been easy, but credits his fellow dancers, particularly Lopez, with helping him feel more comfortable in his style. "I have a huge advantage because everyone else is so experienced with him already," he said. "Ana has that in-depth knowledge, so she's a great coach for me. She's been wonderful and I'm lucky to be able to dance with that level of intimate knowledge of the work."
Assimilating to Cerrudo's quirky moves aside, the dancers have a respect and confidence in their resident choreographer. They are his biggest fans. "What's unique about his choreography is that it uses a really beautiful line and aesthetic in combination with really unexpected gesture, characterization and humor," Anderson said. "There's that light and dark and playful, with a sense of foreboding as well. I think all of it combines into a beautiful fabric. Therein lies the challenge in understanding it physically, and cerebrally even, but that's also what makes if so unique."
Another of Cerrudo's traits is the element of surprise. Notoriously secretive about his new works, he always offers the audience something it has never seen before. "We haven't seen it," said Anderson. "We've talked about what it's going to be, but I'm just as excited to see it and experience it as someone who is totally in the dark."
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago presents "One Thousand Pieces" at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Dr., Thursday, Oct. 18, at 7:30 p.m., Friday-Saturday, Oct. 19-20, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 21, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25-$94; call 312-850-9744 or visit www.hubbardstreetdance.com .
Also in October:
The Joffrey Ballet presents "Human Landscapes" at the Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, Oct. 17-20, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 20-21, at 2 p.m., as well as Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 27, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 27-28, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $31-$152; call 800-982-2787 or visit www.ticketmaster.com .
The Seldoms' 10th-anniversary season continues with "Exit Disclaimer: Science and Fiction Ahead" at The Dance Center of Columbia College, 1306 S. Michigan Ave., Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 25-27, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $26-$30; call 312-369-8330 or visit www.colum.edu/dancecenter.
The Leopold Group and Bread and Roses Productions present "A Correct Likeness" at the Defibrillator Performance Art Gallery, 1136 N. Milwaukee Ave., Saturday, Oct. 27, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 28, at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20; visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/264244 or call 847-702-5493.
Giordano Dance Chicago's fall engagement includes two world premieres at the Harris Theater of Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St., Friday-Saturday, Oct. 26-27, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15-$60; call 312-334-7777 or visit www.harristheaterchicago.org .
