Copyright 2001 Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
By Hedy Weiss
Monday, July 30, 2001
SECTION: FEATURES; REVIEWS; Pg. 36
It's called the "second company," but there is absolutely nothing
second class about Hubbard Street 2.
This small troupe was created by Lou Conte in 1997 to nurture young
professional dancers and choreographers, and to help its parent
company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, to keep up with a growing
calendar of community outreach activities. In the five years since
its founding it also has served as a feeder program for dancers for
the principal company. And, under the direction of Julie Nakagawa
Bottcher and Andreas Bottcher, it has developed quite a strong
identity of its own, with a repertoire enriched, since 1999, by an
annual nationwide choreographic competition that requires the
creation of a new work for the troupe during a whirlwind one-week
residency.
Several of the pieces made during recent residencies were on view
last week at the Harold Washington Library Theatre as part of a
benefit performance by Hubbard Street 2. For the most part the work
sparkled. So did the company of six dancers.
The evening began with "Lucid Dream," a lush, lyrical, even rapturous
series of love duets by veteran Hubbard Street dancer Ron De Jesus.
The piece played on the romantic spirit of Chopin's music, but also
possessed a wonderfully contemporary quality as a result of the
complex, acrobatic lifts and partnering De Jesus has devised. The
dancers--Erin Derstine, Lisa Keskitalo, Anne Zivolich, Eric Chase,
Tobin Del Cuore and Christopher Tierney--were sublime.
The troupe demonstrated its versatility by switching into an
ultra-modern techno-style groove for "Whip," a world premiere by the
19-year-old Houston-based dancer and choreographer Brian Enos. The
work starts off promisingly enough but quickly begins to resemble the
rather affectless, aerobically driven early style of Daniel Ezralow.
Kristofer Storey's piece, "I Wantchu Kool, Cuz U Blow My Mind," has
its witty moments, but tends to fly primarily on the shirttails of
its music--Bobby McFerrin's fabulously quirky takes on two
Lennon-McCartney songs, "From Me to You" and "I Want You So Bad."
Robert Battle, a choreographer who most definitely deserves
watching, created "Strange Humors"--a duet brilliantly danced by
Zivolich and Chase, and set to a fascinating crazy-quilt original
score by John Mackey. With biting humor and great invention,
Battle describes a love relationship that is just on the brink of the
aberrational and that might be summed up as: One man's romantic
yearning may be no more appealing to his beloved than the buzz of an
insect.
The grand finale of the program came with Harrison McEldowney's
rollicking "Dance Sport," which should become part of the principal
company's repertoire, too. The choreographer (already well-known to
Hubbard Street audiences), has created a terrific satire on
competitive sports and the marathon aspects of professional dance
that come fully outfitted with a hilarious play-by-play commentary.
Zivolich, as the dancer subjected to brutal instant replays, was a
standout, but the piece was brilliantly realized on every level. It's
an irresistible exercise in clowning and technical
prowess.