Hubbard Street to Stage U.S. Premiere of SOLO ECHO

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, under the artistic direction of Glenn Edgerton, announces today its second mainstage engagement of the 2015-16 dance season. December 10-13, 2015 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, the Season 38 Winter Series featurxes the Hubbard Street premiere and first production by a U.S. dance company of Solo Echo by Crystal Pite, originally created for Nederlands Dans Theater in 2012. Inspired by poet Mark Strand's Lines for Winter and set to excerpts from two sonatas for cello and piano by Johannes Brahms, opuses 38 and 99, Solo Echo is exemplary of the fluidity with which Pite's choreography shifts between dance and theater, using classical and contemporary techniques.

Solo Echo "speaks of hope and holding on through the dark, as the dancers move as liquid," says Amsterdam-based dance writer Lambrecht Wessels, and "presents a man reckoning with himself at the end of his life," explains Pite. "The character is echoed - copied, reiterated, by seven different dancers. He is portrayed through both male and female bodies, and through various physiques and strengths. Each performer is a distinct and nuanced version of the character, and the connections between them evoke a man coming to terms with himself."

The highly skilled, early-career dancers of Hubbard Street 2 join the main company for the Winter Series, to perform a world premiere by Yin Yue, born and raised in China with an MFA in Dance from Tisch School of the Arts at NYU and currently artistic director of Yin Yue Dance Company, one of two artists selected in spring 2015 through Hubbard Street's 16th annual International Commissioning Project. Titled A Glimpse Inside a Shared Story, Yue's new work features a cast of five and fast-paced, athletic choreography set to music by Wolfgang Voigt (Gas), Rutger Zuydervelt (Machinefabriek) and Michel Banabila, and The Advent and Jason Fernandes, with original costume designs by Rebecca M. Shouse and lighting by Julie E. Ballard.

Penny Saunders also unveils a world premiere during the Winter Series, with costumes by Branimira Ivanova, and décor by lighting and visual designer Michael Mazzola, a two-time New York Dance and Performance "Bessie" Award winner and longtime Bebe Miller Company collaborator, currently in residence at Oregon Ballet Theatre. This new work follows Saunders' previous creations for Hubbard Street (Adalea, 2013), Hubbard Street 2 (Bonobo, 2012), and numerous projects for Hubbard Street's annual Inside/Out Choreographic Workshop. Its score features a wide-ranging collection of music including recordings by Icelandic artist Ólafur Arnalds, as well as from Silfra, the 2012 collaboration for violin and prepared piano between Grammy Award-winner Hilary Hahn and German composer Volker Bertelmann (Hauschka). A Hubbard Street dancer from 2004-13 who returned in August 2015, Saunders' hiatus from the company "led to some interesting discoveries," she explains, "about the fact that every place is always changing and moving forward, whether or not you are there. This new piece is, in part, my way of forging a dance within that truth."

The Winter Series also features the Harris Theater debut of Waxing Moon by Hubbard Street alumna Robyn Mineko Williams, for three dancers with an original score by Chicago composers Robert F. Haynes and Tony Lazzara, costumes by fashion designer Hogan McLaughlin, and lighting by Brooklyn-based designer Burke Brown; Waxing Moon was first presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago as part of Hubbard Street's two-week engagement, Princess Grace Awards: New Works, in December 2014. "Williams, who danced with Hubbard Street for 12 years, has grown into a choreographer of great sophistication and power," wrote Hedy Weiss of the Chicago Sun-Times, while Miriam Finder of Gapers Block noted that "this is the type of dancing viewers get lost in," and Laura Molzahn of the Chicago Tribune called Waxing Moon "breathtaking."

Says Hubbard Street Artistic Director Glenn Edgerton: "Two of my core missions as Hubbard Street's artistic director have been to bring the best choreography from the world's stages to our audiences and dancers here in Chicago, and to foster the creative talents of the artists within our building in the West Loop. This Winter Series program is a great example, with two terrific contributions coming from longtime associates Penny Saunders and Robyn Mineko Williams, alongside a brilliant work created by a Canadian choreographer in the Netherlands, and the exciting new voice of an artist who divides her time between New York City and Nanchang, China. To top it all off, both of our ensembles get to share the Harris Theater's stage for this December engagement. It's quite fulfilling to recognize where we are in this moment."

Says Hubbard Street Board Chair Sara Albrecht: "Crystal Pite is among the most sought-after artists working today, and I am thrilled to help bring Solo Echo into Hubbard Street's repertoire, alongside these two premieres and Waxing Moon. My colleagues and fellow philanthropists Liza Yntema, Denise Stefan-Ginascol and I are proud to support this concentration of incredible choreography by women and their increased visibility in the field of dance."

Hubbard Street's Season 38 Winter Series is at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park, located at 205 East Randolph Street in Chicago, and the complete performance schedule is as follows:

• Thursday, December 10, 2015 at 7:30pm
• Friday, December 11, 2015 at 8pm
• Saturday, December 12, 2015 at 8pm
• Sunday, December 13, 2015 at 3pm

Single tickets for the Season 38 Winter Series are $30-$99 and available now, online at hubbardstreetdance.com/winter. Season 38 "three-pack" and "two-pack" subscriptions are also on sale, online at hubbardstreetdance.com/subscribe or by phone to the Hubbard Street Ticket Office at 312-850-9744. Patrons who purchased single tickets to the Season 38 Fall Series can still upgrade to full or partial subscriptions. All Thursday performances begin at 7:30pm, Friday and Saturday performances begin at 8pm, and Sunday matinée performances begin at 3pm.

Elizabeth Yntema for the Mark Ferguson Elizabeth Yntema Family Charitable Trust is the Lead Individual Sponsor of the World Premiere by Penny Saunders. Sara Albrecht is the Lead Individual Sponsor of the Hubbard Street Premiere of Solo Echo by Crystal Pite. Additional support for the Season 38 Winter Series is provided by Denise Stefan-Ginascol. Waxing Moon is sponsored by the Princess Grace Foundation-USA and supported by a grant from The Chicago Community Trust. Original music for Waxing Moon by Robert F. Haynes and Tony Lazzara is commissioned by the Charles and Joan Gross Family Foundation. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago also extends special thanks to its 2015-16 Season Sponsors: Athletico, Official Provider of Physical Therapy; and Chicago Athletic Clubs, Official Health Club.

Photo credits, from left: Crystal Pite, photo by Joris-Jan Bos, courtesy Canadian Stage. Robyn Mineko Williams, photo by Todd Rosenberg. Penny Saunders, photo by Todd Rosenberg. Yin Yue, photo by Anton Martynov.

Hubbard Street Studio Series: November 2015

Hubbard Street, in partnership with local venues and presenters, is pleased to continue its Studio Series of master classes and workshops for Chicago's advanced, pre-professional and professional dancers. Each Studio Series event is based on the work of dance artists performing in Chicago, or repertoire in production at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Hubbard Street 2, led by internationally recognized artistic directors, dancers and choreographers. Additional Studio Series events will be announced on an ongoing basis.

Twyla Tharp Company Master Classes
November 7, 2015 beginning at 10:30am and 12:15pm
in the Katten/Landau Studio at Roosevelt University, 425 S. Wabash Ave., Fourth Floor
$20 per person, limit 40 participants.
Advance registration is required.

The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University offers two master classes with members of Twyla Tharp's 50th Anniversary Celebration Tour to Chicago's intermediate and advanced dancers. Learn from Tharp's company artists and experience first-hand the innovations of her acclaimed works during these exclusive opportunities. Hubbard Street is proud to serve as a Promotional Partner for the Auditorium Theatre's Twyla Tharp Company Master Classes in recognition of its 25-year relationship with the acclaimed choreographer, whose works in Hubbard Street's repertoire feature six restagings including The Golden Section and Nine Sinatra Songs, and original creations I Remember Clifford (1995) and SCARLATTI (2012).

Twyla Tharp is the choreographer of more than 135 dances and five Hollywood movies, and she has directed and choreographed four Broadway shows. Tharp is a 2008 Kennedy Center Honoree and she has received a Tony Award, two Emmy Awards, nineteen honorary doctorates, the Vietnam Veterans of America President's Award, the 2004 National Medal of the Arts, and the 2008 Jerome Robbins Prize. Her many grants include the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship, she is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and an Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In addition to choreographing for her own companies and ensembles since 1965, she has created original dances for Hubbard Street, the Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Paris Opéra Ballet, the Royal Ballet, New York City Ballet, the Martha Graham Dance Company, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Her award-winning dance musical Movin' Out, set to songs by Billy Joel, ran on Broadway for three years in addition to a three-year national tour; her film credits include Hair (1978), Ragtime (1980), Amadeus (1984), White Nights (1985), and I'll Do Anything (1994). She choreographed Sue's Leg for the inaugural episode of "Dance in America" on PBS, directed The Catherine Wheel for BBC Television, and co-directed Baryshnikov by Tharp (1985). A prolific author, Tharp's books include her autobiography, Push Comes to Shove (1992); and two titles published by Simon and Schuster: The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life (2003), and The Collaborative Habit: Life Lessons for Working Together (2009). Visit twylatharp.org to learn more.

Technique and Repertory Workshop with Eric Beauchesne
based on the choreography of Crystal Pite
November 21, 2015 from noon-2pm
at the Hubbard Street Dance Center, 1147 W Jackson Blvd.
$40 per person, limit 40 participants.
Advance registration is required.

This two-hour workshop focuses on investigating Crystal Pite's movement approach through improvisation and set material. While the improvisation session insists on revealing and uncovering articulations and timings in the body, the second part of the class spotlights a specific excerpt of repertoire, which participants will be invited to learn, examine and experience.

Born in Québec, Eric Beauchesne grew up fishing and hunting before discovering dance at age 16. He has been onstage with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, Aszure Barton & Artists, and Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, as well as with Canadian contemporary dance icons such as La Fondation Jean-Pierre Perrault, Paul-André Fortier, Louise Lecavalier, and Crystal Pite. Performing with Kidd Pivot since 2004, Beauchesne currently collaborates with the company as rehearsal director, and stages Pite's work on companies worldwide including Ballet BC, Cullberg Ballet, Staatstheater Nürnberg, the Royal Swedish Ballet, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. He has served as a guest teacher and faculty member for several programs and organizations including Seattle Festival of Dance Improvisation, BODYTRAFFIC, Springboard Danse Montréal, Ballet Junior de Genève, and the Dutch National Ballet Academy. In 2013, Beauchesne was appointed rehearsal director for Nederlands Dans Theater and since then has been based in the Netherlands. He devotes most of his spare time advocating for climate justice and sustainable practices in the dance world.

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