Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s ‘danc(e)volve’ explores emotions, ideals

In a world that seems to get more confusing and complex by the day, many find themselves turning to art and dance and live theater to escape the every day.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Rena Butler knows that feeling.

“Amidst all of the turmoil that we’re bombarded with through news sources and social media, you begin to question yourself in relation to what’s happening around you politically, culturally and personally,” explains Butler, who serves as a choreographer for the “III. Third” piece from the troupe’s winter series production of danc(e)volve. “I wanted to create an opportunity for myself and my dancers to explore what that is and explore our identities in the mix of it all.”

And while none of the programs included in danc(e)volve are holiday-specific per se, they all in some way tell the story of the ideals we hold close to our heart, amplified this time of the year.https://youtu.be/BziDbI7ZQxY

“The work is about family, relationships, how we connect to one another, and what death means to us,” explains chorographer Florian Lochner, who helped to create the “Das Feld” work featured in danc(e)volve, which utilizes the dancer’s voices to tell the story of the piece. “The piece starts with the concept of death and as it goes on becomes lighter and lighter moving into the concept of life.”

The 41st season of danc(e)volve also showcases the choreography of one of Hubbard Street’s most treasured choreographers, Alice Klock, in the piece titled “Fold Me.”

“For me, this piece is about exploring different characters and how the worlds they exist in function” Klock says. “The creation for the piece began with me asking each dancer who they felt they might be in another dimension. Their answers were wilder than I could have dreamed. … I believe the work will resonate as at its core it is about the attempts we all make to connect to ourselves and others, the quest to understand beyond our limited scope as humans, and the sensation of prevailing within our individual complexities.”

Tricia Despres is a local freelance writer.