Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at Jacob's Pillow
A Pleasant but Not Earth Shattering Performance
By: Adrian Hill - Aug 30, 2010
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago wants you to love them. They’re not one of those experimental, way out there dance companies that doesn’t care what the public thinks about its performances. They’re like the nice girl in high school, who says thank you and always smiles whenever you say something.
Sometimes, that’s a good thing. Sometimes, I don’t always want to see someone smearing mud on themselves while they scream at the top of their lungs. (Yes, I’ve seen that.) Or watch someone walk around a chair and take off their clothes down to their underpants, then turn around, walk the other way and put their clothes back on. (I saw Mikhail Baryshnikov do that once on stage and was bored out of my mind, unlike some of the drooling women in the audience.)
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago put on a nice performance this past week at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket. I liked most of it, but I wasn’t exactly crazy about it, either. I wanted to see more passion on stage. I wanted to see something not too crazy but a little wild and out there just a little, pushing the envelope like a lot of other dance companies that perform each week at Jacob's Pillow.
Hubbard Street's first piece, Tabula Rasa, was the group’s best work. That’s probably because the piece featured the choreography of Ohad Naharin and the mysterious music of Arvo Pärt. Naharin has a way of creating enigmatic dances which hint at something mysterious and a little dangerous without being specific about what’s at stake. That might sound vague and annoying. And in the hands of lesser choreographers, such dancing can sometimes be unfocused and tiresome.
The next two pieces, Blanco and Deep Down Dos, were pleasant World Premiers, but they didn’t exactly break any new ground in the dance world. Both new works featured the choreography of Alejandro Cerrudo, resident choreographer of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (a position created especially for him, according to Jacob’s Pillow press materials). The two new pieces had very dramatic lighting. They gave the effect that you were watching something edgy. But if you took away the smoke and mirrors, the dancing was actually rather routine. Great dancing and choreography should stand out on its own. It shouldn’t need laser lights or bizarre costumes to stand out from a crowd. That’s why I love choreographers like Pina Bausch (who’s group returns in late September to New York City) or Trisha Brown or Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp and Paul Taylor. They know how to create amazing new dances that stand on their own and dazzle us with the virtuosity of their dancing.
The last piece, Untouched, was choreographed by Aszure Barton and created in collaboration with Hubbard Street. I liked the piece. There were some interesting moments. But to be honest, I kind of lost my interest in the performance after watching Blanco and Deep Down Dos. The theater also seemed especially hot the afternoon I saw Hubbard Street. Whatever the reason, I enjoyed some of the show, but deep down, I wish there was one more weekend to savor another magnificent performance at the Pillow.
In fact, that might have something to do with why I felt a little off while watching Hubbard Street. I’m always a little sad to say goodbye to another great summer at Jacob’s Pillow, my favorite place to watch dance anywhere in the world. It’s such a gem and we’re so lucky to have such a magnificent place to see so many amazing dance companies from around the world right in our own backyard.