Northrop Welcomes Hubbard Street Dance Chicago Tonight

ARTISTIC STAFF:

Glenn Edgerton, Artistic Director

Glenn Edgerton joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago after an international career as a dancer and director. At the Joffrey Ballet, he performed leading roles, contemporary and classical, for 11 years under the mentorship of Robert Joffrey. In 1989, Edgerton joined the acclaimed Ned­erlands Dans Theater (NDT), where he danced for five years. He retired from performing to become its artistic director, leading NDT for a decade and presenting the works of Ji?í Kylián, Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Mats Ek, Nacho Duato, Jorma Elo, Johan In­ger, Paul Lightfoot, and Sol León, among others. From 2006 to 2008, he directed the Colburn Dance Institute at the Colburn School of Performing Arts in Los Angeles. Edgerton joined Hubbard Street as associate artistic director in 2008; since 2009, he has built upon more than three decades of leadership in dance performance, education, and appreciation established by founder Lou Conte and continued by Conte's successor, Jim Vincent.

Jason D. Palmquist, Executive Director

Jason D. Palmquist joined Hub­bard Street Dance Chicago in May 2007, after serving the arts community in Washington, D.C. for nearly 15 years. Palmquist began his career at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, completing his tenure there as vice president of dance administration. At the Kennedy Center, he oversaw multiple world-premiere engagements of com­missioned works in dance, the formation and growth of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and the inception in 1997 of the Millennium Stage, an award-winning, free daily performance series that to date has served more than 3 million patrons. Deeply enriching the Kennedy Center's artistic programming, Palmquist successfully presented engagements of global dance companies including the Royal Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Kirov Ballet, Paul Taylor Dance Company, American Ballet Theatre, and New York City Ballet. Palmquist also managed the Kennedy Center's television initiatives, including the creation of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and a prime-time special on NBC memorializing the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks. In 2004, he accepted the position of executive director at the Washington Ballet. Under his leadership, the company presented full performance seasons annually at the Kennedy Center and the Warner Theater, and nurtured its world-renowned school and extensive educa­tion and outreach programs. A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Palmquist currently serves on the boards of the Arts Alliance of Illinois and the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

Alejandro Cerrudo, Dancer and Resident Choreographer

Alejandro Cerrudo was born in Madrid, Spain and trained at the Real Con­servatorio Profesional de Danza de Madrid. His professional career began in 1998 and includes work with Victor Ullate Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater 2, and, since 2005, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. In 2008, Cerrudo was named Hubbard Street Choreographic Fellow and became the company's first Resident Choreographer in 2009. His 11 works to date choreographed at Hubbard Street include unique collabora­tions with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Nederlands Dans Theater. These pieces and additional commissions are in repertory at companies in Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, Australia, and around the United States. Always dancing and constantly creating, Cerrudo was honored in 2011 with an award from the Boomerang Fund for Artists. In 2012, he received a Prince Prize for Commissioning Original Work from the Prince Charitable Trusts, for his first full-length work, One Thousand Pieces. Cerrudo's forthcoming creation for Pacific Northwest Ballet is supported by the Joyce Theater Foundation's Rudolf Nureyev Prize for New Dance.

Lou Conte, Founder

Lou Conte, after a performing career that included roles in Broadway musicals such as Cabaret, Mame, andHow to Succeed in Busi­ness Without Really Trying, established the Lou Conte Dance Studio in 1974. Three years later, he founded what is now Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Originally the company's sole choreographer, he developed relationships with emerging and world-renowned dancemakers Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Margo Sappington, and Daniel Ezralow as the company grew. Conte contin­ued to build Hubbard Street's repertoire by forging a key relationship with Twyla Tharp in the 1990s, acquiring seven of her works as well as original choreography. It then became an international enterprise with the inclusion of works by Ji?í Kylián, Nacho Duato and Ohad Naharin. Throughout his 23 years as the company's artistic director, Conte received numerous awards including the first Ruth Page Artistic Achieve­ments Award in 1986, the Sidney R. Yates Arts Advocacy Award in 1995, and the Chicagoan of the Year award from Chicago magazine in 1999. In 2003, Conte was inducted as a laureate into the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, the state's highest honor. He has been credited by many for helping raise Chicago's international cultural profile and for creat­ing a welcoming climate for dance in the city, where the art form now thrives.

Mats Ek, Choreographer

Mats Ek was born in Malmo, Sweden in 1945, son of acclaimed choreographer Birgit Cullberg and Royal Dramatic Theatre actor Anders Ek. A student of drama at Marieborg College, Ek produced plays and worked with legendary director Ingmar Bergman in the 1960s. In 1973, he joined the Cullberg Ballet, where he choreographed several works including Saint George and the Dragon (1976) and Antigone (1979). In 1982, he radically reimagined the landmark Romantic Era ballet, Giselle, dramatically altering both its choreographic text and theatrical form. It was hailed by critics as the beginning of a new epoch in dance and he went on to rethink other canonical productions such as Swan Lake (in 1987) and Carmen (in 1992). Ek creates wholly original works as well, many of which employ parallel narratives and deliver unexpected moments of humor. In 1993, Ek resigned as artistic director of the Cullberg Ballet but continues to create choreography and stage his repertory for dance companies around the world. Ek has created for the Hamburg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Paris Opéra Ballet, and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, and has produced choreography for television.

Robyn Mineko Williams, Choreographer

Robyn Mineko Williams is a dancer and choreographer from Chicago, Illinois. She was a member of River North Dance Company (now River North Dance Chicago) for four years before joining Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 2000. During her 12 years as a company member, Williams performed works by renowned dancemakers including Ohad Naharin, Ji?í Kylián, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, and Johan Inger, and originated roles in new choreography by Jorma Elo, Alejandro Cerrudo, Sharon Eyal, Aszure Barton, Twyla Tharp, Lar Lubovitch, and others. Williams created her first work in 2001 for Hubbard Street's Inside/Out Choreographic Workshop, continuing to participate in subsequent seasons. In 2010, she and Hubbard Street 2 Director Terence Marling co-choreographed Harold and the Purple Crayon: A Dance Adventure, a full-length work premiered at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and presented since in Chicago, Detroit, Tucson, and other cities, as well as at the American Dance Festival. Williams performed recently with Aszure Barton & Artists, was one of two winners in 2012 of Northwest Dance Project's Pretty Creatives International Choreographic Competition, and in August 2013 received a Choreography Fellowship from the Princess Grace Foundation-USA.

DANCERS:

Garrett Patrick Anderson

Garrett Patrick Anderson (Tucson, AZ) began his training in Walnut Creek, California under the direction of Richard Cammack and Zola Dishong at the Contra Costa Ballet Centre. He went on to study at San Francisco Ballet School and in Pacific Northwest Ballet School's Professional Division. In 2001, Anderson joined San Francisco Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet and in 2005 was promoted to soloist. In 2008, he joined the Royal Ballet of Flanders in Antwerp, Belgium as a first soloist, under the direction of Kathryn Bennetts. In January 2011, he returned to the United States to perform with Trey McIntyre Project and joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago later that year. Anderson received a scholarship from American Ballet Theatre's National Training Program and holds a BA in dance from St. Mary's College of California.

Jesse Bechard

Jesse Bechard (Bolton, MA) began his formal ballet training at age 16 and graduated from Walnut Hill School for the Arts. He attended summer programs at Boston Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Ballet Austin. In 2000, having completed his freshman year at the University of Chicago, he returned to dance, performing for one year with Ballet Austin and for eight with Richmond Ballet, in works by John Butler, Jessica Lang, Val Caniparoli, William Soleau, Mauricio Wainrot, and Colin Conner. Bechard joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in August 2010.

Jacqueline Burnett

Jacqueline Burnett (Pocatello, ID) received classi­cal ballet training in Pocatello, Idaho from Romanian ballet master Marius Zirra, with additional summer training at Bal­let Idaho, Brindusa-Moore Ballet Academy, Universal (Kirov) Ballet Academy, the Juilliard School, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. She graduated magna cum laude with departmental honors from the Ailey School and Fordham University's joint program in New York City in 2009. Burnett joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago as a Center Apprentice in January 2008 while concurrently completing her BFA de­gree, and became a full company member in August 2009. She is also a 2011-12 Princess Grace Honorarium recipient.

Meredith Dincolo

Meredith Dincolo (Indianapolis, IN) began dancing at age seven in Indianapolis and continued her training under Iacob Lascu in Michigan. She graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 1993, then moved to Chicago to pursue a dance career. In 1996, Dincolo joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, remaining a member for four years under the direction of company founder Lou Conte. In 2000, she joined France's Lyon Opera Ballet and went on to perform with Nationaltheater Mannheim in Germany with director-choreographers Kevin O'Day and Dominique Dumais. Dincolo returned to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in November 2004.

Kellie Epperheimer

Kellie Epperheimer (Los Osos, CA) began her dance training in 1988 at the Academy of Dance and Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo. Epperheimer joined Hubbard Street 2 in January 2005 and apprenticed with the main company beginning in December 2006. Epperheimer joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in January 2008.

Jonathan Fredrickson

Jonathan Fredrickson (Corpus Christi, TX) studied ballet at the Munro Ballet Studios, home to Corpus Christi Ballet, under teachers Kay Boone and Cristina Munro. He received his BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from California Institute of the Arts in 2006. Immediately thereafter, he joined the Limón Dance Company, performing lead roles and creating two original works. He is a former winner of Hubbard Street's National Choreo­graphic Competition and was named one of Dance Maga­zine's "25 to Watch" in 2011 for his choreography. Fredrick­son joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in February 2011.

Jason Hortin

Jason Hortin (Olympia, WA) graduated from the Univer­sity of Nevada, Las Vegas with a BFA in Dance under the direction of Louis Kavoura. His performance career includes work with Moving People Dance Theatre, the Erick Hawkins Dance Company and River North Dance Chicago. Hortin joined Hub­bard Street Dance Chicago as an apprentice in August 2007 and was promoted to the main company in July 2008.

Alice Klock

Alice Klock (Ann Arbor, MI) began dancing at age 11. In 2003, she attended Interlochen Arts Academy, graduating with artistic and academic high honors. In 2007, Klock relocated to San Francisco to enroll in Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Dominican University of California's joint BFA program. Klock has also studied dance at San Francisco Ballet School, the National Ballet School of Canada, Miami City Ballet School, the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Springboard Danse Montréal, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. She has worked professionally with San Francisco choreographer Gregory Dawson and performed with Alonzo King LINES Ballet during its fall 2008 season. Klock joined Hubbard Street 2 in September 2009 and was promoted into the main company in August 2011.

Emilie Leriche

Emilie Leriche (Santa Fe, NM) began her dance training at the age of eight. In 2007 she began her formal dance training at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, with additional summer study at Joffrey Midwest, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. Leriche has performed alongside the dancers of zoe | juniper, and at the WestWave Dance Festival as a member of Maurya Kerr's tinypistol. Leriche joined Hubbard Street 2 in 2011 and was promoted the main company in 2013.

Ana Lopez

Ana Lopez (A Coruña, Spain) began her formal training at Conservatorio de Danza Diputacion de A Coruña. Upon graduating Isaac Diaz Pardo High School, she continued her training at Centro Internacional de Danza Carmen Roche. Lopez danced with Joven Ballet Carmen Roche, Compañía Nacional de Danza 2, and Ballet Theater Munich before join­ing Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in January 2008.

Johnny McMillan

Johnny McMillan (Sault Ste. Marie, ON) began his training at age 12 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. He graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy, receiving its Young Artists' Award in dance. He has also trained at the San Francisco Conservatory and Bartholin International Seminar and worked with Gleich Dances under the direction of Julia Gleich. McMillan joined Hubbard Street 2 as an apprentice in September 2010, became a Hubbard Street 2 company member in August 2011, and was promoted in April 2012 to the main company. McMillan was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2013.

Andrew Murdock

Andrew Murdock (St. Albert, AB) is a graduate of the Juilliard School, from which he received a BFA in Dance under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. Prior to being a regular collaborator with Aszure Barton & Artists, Murdock performed with Gallim Dance and [bjm_danse], formerly Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal. Additional collaborators and colleagues include Cherice Barton, Joshua Beamish, Andy Blankenbuehler, Nina Chung, Joe Lanteri, Austin McCormick, Michelle Mola, Abdel Salaam, and Edgar Zendejas. He has appeared at the Greenwich Music Festival, with Zack Winokur, and with Geneviève Dorion-Coupal at Just for Laughs and Le 400e Anniversaire de la Ville de Québec. As a rehearsal assistant to Aszure Barton, he has worked with American Ballet Theatre, Canada's National Ballet School and Ballet BC, New York University, the Steps Ensemble, Arts Umbrella, and Springboard Danse Montréal. Murdock joined Hubbard Street's main company in 2013.

Bryna Pascoe

Bryna Pascoe (Maple Grove, MN) received her early training from Ballet Arts Minnesota, where she studied with Bonnie Mathis and Lirena Branitski. She attended the Juilliard School, earned her BFA in 2006, and received the Martha Hill Prize for Outstanding Achievement and Leadership in Dance. Her professional career began in Reggio Emilia, Italy, with Compagnia Aterballetto under the direction of Mauro Bigonzetti. In 2009, she joined Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, where she performed works by master choreographers including Ohad Naharin, Ji?í Kylián, and Mats Ek, and originated roles in new creations by Stijn Celis, Stephan Thoss, Didy Veldman, and others. Pascoe joined Hubbard Street's main company in 2013.

David Schultz

David Schultz (Grand Rapids, MI) began training in Michigan with the School of Grand Rapids Ballet and later studied at Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto. He performed for four seasons with Grand Rapids Ballet and has danced works by George Balanchine, Gordon Pierce Schmidt, Peter Sparling, and Septime Webre. Schultz joined Hubbard Street 2 in September 2009 and was promoted to the main company in August 2011. Schultz is the recipient of a 2012 Princess Grace Award.

Kevin J. Shannon

Kevin J. Shannon (Baltimore, MD) began dancing under the guidance of Lester Holmes. He graduated from the Baltimore School for the Arts with additional training at the School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet School, Paul Taylor Dance Company, and Parsons Dance. He earned his BFA in 2007 at the Juilliard School, toured nationally with the Juilliard School Ensemble and appeared in the "Live from Lincoln Center" broadcast television special The Juilliard School: Celebrating 100 Years. Shannon joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in November 2007.

Jessica Tong

Jessica Tong (Binghamton, NY) received her formal train­ing at the Ballet School in Salt Lake City, Utah under Jan Clark Fugit, as well as at the University of Utah, where she was a member of Utah Ballet. Her studies also included summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet School, and the Lou Conte Dance Studio. Tong danced with BalletMet in Ohio, Eliot Feld's Ballet Tech in New York, and with Hubbard Street 2 before joining the main company in January 2007. Tong was named one of Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" in 2009.

Quinn B Wharton

Quinn B Wharton (Seattle, WA) trained at Ewajo Dance Center, North Caro­lina School of the Arts, Houston Ballet Academy, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and San Francisco Ballet School. In 2005, he joined San Francisco Ballet, where he performed choreography by George Balanchine, Val Caniparoli, Michel Fokine, William Forsythe, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Mark Morris, Paul Taylor, Stanton Welch, Christopher Wheeldon, and Renato Zanella. Wharton joined Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in July 2012 and is also a professional photographer and videographer.

As the University of Minnesota's performing arts presenter, Northrop is dedicated to advancing the University's mission of education, research, and engagement through the pursuit of excellence and innovation in the performing arts, community engagement, and creative exchange. For 95 years, Northrop has presented world-class artists in ways that engage diverse audiences and support exceptional teaching within the University and throughout the community.

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