Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) will present Fall Series: RE/TURN to herald its return to the stage at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph. The program will feature new premieres as well as audience favorites that celebrate the very essence of contemporary dance. These will be the company’s first performances under the leadership of Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, a former dancer with the company who was named to this position in March 2021.
Award-winning artist Jermaine Maurice Spivey makes his Hubbard Street and Chicago debut with a mesmerizing world premiere, alongside the radiant Jardí Tancat by world-renowned Spanish choreographer Nacho Duato, and the Hubbard Street premiere of Aszure Barton’s poignant BUSK, called “wildly eccentric and stunningly original” by Hedy Weiss of WTTW Chicago.
“For our return to the Harris, I have thought deeply about what would excite the audience as we all get back to seeing live performances,” said Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell. “The Fall Series: RE/TURN program is a great mix of new pieces, beloved favorites, and artists making their Hubbard Street debut! I am interested in broadening the spectrum of contemporary dance in our repertoire, while broadening our audience reach as well.”
The Fall Series has performances Thursday, Nov. 18 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Nov 20 at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. Tickets for Fall Series: RE/TURN at the Harris Theater go on sale Oct. 22. They can be purchased at harristheaterchicago.org or by calling 312-334-7777, and range from $15 to $110. To demonstrate Hubbard Street’s commitment to making the arts accessible to all, a number of $15 tickets are available for every performance this season, with over 1,000 Hubbard Street tickets set at this special $15 price this year.
Lead Sponsor of Fall Series: RE/TURN is Sandra and Jack Guthman. Athletico Physical Therapy, Chicago Athletic Clubs, and the Illinois Arts Council Agency are Season 44: RE/CHARGE Season Partners.
About the Choreographers
ASZURE BARTON
Artist and choreographer Aszure Barton has collaborated with celebrated dancers and companies including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Misty Copeland, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, English National Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, National Ballet of Canada, Nederlands Dans Theater, Sydney Dance Company, and Teatro alla Scala, among many others. She is a Bessie Award Honoree and has received numerous honors including the prestigious Arts & Letters Award, joining the ranks of Oscar Peterson, Karen Kain, and Margaret Atwood. She was the first Martha Duffy resident artist at the Baryshnikov Arts Center and is an official ambassador of contemporary dance in Canada. She is the founder of Aszure Barton & Artists, an inter-disciplinary international dance project.
NACHO DUATO
Nacho Duato, born in Valencia, Spain, started professional ballet training with the Rambert School in London at eighteen, expanding studies at Maurice Béjart's Mudra School in Brussels and completing his dance education at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York. In 1980 Duato signed his first professional contract with the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm and a year later Jirí Kylián brought him to the Nederlands Dans Theater in Holland, where he was quickly incorporated into company and repertoire. His first choreographic attempt in 1983 turned into a major success: Jardí Tancat to Spanish/Catalan music by compatriot Ma del Mar Bonet won him the first prize at the International Choreographic Workshop (Internationaler Choreographischer Wettbewerb) at Cologne. Duato has created more than a dozen works for the two companies of Nederlands Dans Theater and in 1988 was named Resident Choreographer next to Hans van Manen and Jirí Kylián. His ballets form part of the repertoire of companies like Paris Opera, Cullberg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Deutche Opera Ballet, Australian Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkian, Finish Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The Singapore Ballet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, The Washington Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, North Carolina Dance Thatre, The Boston Ballet, The Gothemburg Ballet, The Royal Swedish Ballet, The Royal Danish Ballet, The Northen Ballet, Ballet du Capitole, Ballet du Rhin, Teatro Comunale Florence, National Ballet of Portugal, The Norweigian Ballet, National Theatre Tokio, The Universal Ballet, Stars Foundation Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Staats Theater Berlin, Bolshoi Ballet, etc. Since June 1990 and until July 2010 Nacho Duato is Artistic Director of Compañía Nacional de Danza (Madrid-Spain). In 1995 he received the grade of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres which is annually given by the French Embassy in Spain. In 1998 the Spanish Government rewarded him the Golden Medal for the Merit in the Fine Arts. At the Stuttgart Opera he was offered the Benois de la Danse, one of the most prestigious international awards for choreography, presented by the International Dance Association for his ballet Multiplicity, Forms of Silence and Emptiness, in April, 2000. From January, 2011 he held the position of Artistic Director of Mikhailowsky Ballet (Saint Petersburg, Russia). In 2014 he became Intendant and Artistic Director of Berlin State Ballet (Germany).
JERMAINE MAURICE SPIVEY
Jermaine Maurice Spivey was born in Baltimore, Maryland USA and is a graduate of Baltimore School for the Arts and The Juilliard School. From 2002-2017, Jermaine lived and worked predominately throughout Europe. He has been a company member of Ballet Gulbenkian and Cullberg Ballet, worked as a freelance/guest artist for Hofesh Shechter Company, Robyn Live 2016, The LID, Arias Company and The Forsythe Company from 2013-2015 as well as a cast member of American Repertory Theater's original production The Shape She Makes conceived by Susan Misner and Jonathan Bernstein. Since 2008, Jermaine has been a member of Crystal Pite's project-based company Kidd Pivot. He has rehearsal assisted and/or staged Crystal Pite's work for companies such as Cedar Lake Ballet, Carte Blanche, Hessisches StaatsBallett Wiesbaden, Nederlands Dans Theater, and Paris Opera Ballet. Jermaine has instructed dance all across North America and Europe for professional companies, universities, studios and training programs including USC Kaufman School of Dance, Cal Arts, The Juilliard School, UCLA, NYU Tisch, Baltimore School for the Arts, The Performing Arts Project, MOVE NYC, No)one. Art House, Nuova Officina Della Danza and GöteborgsOperans Danskompani. He is a 2001 Princess Grace Awardee and a 1998 National Foundation for the Advancement of the Arts 1st Level Awardee. As a choreographer, Jermaine has been commissioned by Salt Contemporary Dance, Rambert 2, LA Dance Project, The Broad Museum, Christina Aguilera Live at The Hollywood Bowl with Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil, and most recently Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Jermaine has also created and performed two full evening works with partner and collaborator Spenser Theberge titled Rather This Then and Position 3.
About Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s mission is to bring artists, art and audiences together to enrich, engage, educate and change lives through the experience of dance. HSDC is committed to keeping its dancers creating and finding innovative ways to share exceptional contemporary dance with the community. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago grew out of the Lou Conte Dance Studio in 1977, and Conte served as Artistic Director for 23 years. Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell began her tenure at the company in March 2021.
Hubbard Street offers extensive Education and Adaptive Dance Programs to ensure that residents in every neighborhood of Chicago have access to the benefits of dance. Visit hubbardstreetdance.com for more information.