Hubbard Street Dance Chicago

The Hubbard Street Dance Chicago dancers move with strength and grace. At their Berkeley engagement at Zellerbach Hall in Jan. 2019, they danced Jardí Tancat (choreographed by Nacho Duato) in near-perfect synchrony. In the silent opening, they moved as a tight ensemble. The dance, set to haunting Catalan music, mesmerized with its interplay of couples dancing as one. But the rest of Hubbard’s repertoire disappointed. The repetition in N.N.N.N. (choreographed by William Forsythe) grew tiresome. And the finale, Grace Engine (choreographed by Crystal Pite) felt like Munch’s The Scream come alive. Powerful, yes, but an overly dystopian end to the night. Still, it’s a troupe worth watching; let’s hope they shake up the repertoire. See excerpts from Jardí Tancat (recording by vocalist María del Mar Bonet i Verdaguer):