Review: Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

Beauty. That is the word I would use to describe Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.  

Their performance was at the Ellen Eccles Theatre on March 3, and it is a severe understatement to say I need to see these dancers again. I was blown away by their athleticism and artistry, and the show was entirely captivating and compelling from start to finish.  

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago was formed in 1977 out of the Lou Conte Dance Studio at LaSalle and Hubbard Streets. Lou Conte gathered four dancers to perform in Chicago senior centers, and the group was born. Now, it is a force in contemporary dance, touring regularly —they’ve performed in 44 U.S. states and 19 countries — and showcasing their talent every season in Chicago. 

The show in Logan was divided into three pieces, each about half an hour long. The first, “Echoes of Our Ancestors,” choreographed by Maria Torres, featured the whole company in an explorative blend of Caribbean Latin heritage and modernity.  

It began with all of the dancers on stage, using their colorful costumes as a way to extend their bodies, move them across the stage and call upon ancestral ties. Two dancers wore breathtaking red skirts that highlighted their exquisite lines as they followed the different groups on stage and became a motif symbolizing paying homage to the past while embracing the future. 

Throughout the piece, there were cuts from cultural musical odes to contemporary music and sound to portray how modernism can influence the way we experience and understand history. The music incorporated noises of cars, buses and trains as well as jazz and ballroom elements, showing the versatility among the dancers and how the past influences the present and future. 

After a brief intermission, five dancers returned for the hauntingly poetic performance of “Into Being,” choreographed by Flock, a group made up of Alice Klock and Florian Lochner. In a sharp contrast to “Echoes of Our Ancestors,” the piece exhibited muted colors and spotlight lighting, focusing on diagonal lines and intricate partnerships. 

Standout soloist Alexandria Best flourished in this piece, working with each dancer and individually to demonstrate the intersection between the human body, emotion and connectivity.  

The spotlight lighting on this stage stood out as a fresh and inspirational exploration of self. In one moment, a small pathway on the front of the stage was lit while the rest of the stage spotlit the dancers. One artist walked across the stage in a symbol of coming “Into Being.” 

The final dance of the night was “return to patience,” choreographed by Aszure Barton and featuring the entire cast in a white-out costume and stage performance. Completely brightened by the dancers’ costumes, which were created by the Juilliard School in New York, and the white lighting and flooring, this piece highlighted the dangers of conformity and its apparent inevitability in modern society.  

With disturbingly perfect coordination and each breakout soloist returning to be one of the group, the team came together to produce a beautiful commentary on individualism and what happens when this is lost. At the end, one dancer was highlighted as they tried to emotionally escape this reality, but they again returned to the entire group behind them, posed in creative and somehow also communal loss.  

This piece felt revolutionary and inspired, providing parallels to society that is increasingly focused on artificial intelligence and less on human beauty.  

In this performance, I was reminded of that human beauty and how art will not be lost as long as there are those willing to dedicate themselves to it and people, like the engaged and astonished audience members, who will partake in it. 

As someone who has been dancing since they were three, this performance rejuvenated my desire to explore how art and body can come together through movement and music. Watching Hubbard Street Dance Chicago was an experience nothing short of inspiring, relevant and absolutely breathtaking. I think I can speak for everyone in that audience when I say Logan will welcome them back anytime with open arms.