HUBBARD STREET DANCE CHICAGO
But what is Hubbard Street? With the retirement of Claire Bataille, in 1992, none of the original dancers remain. The troupe doesn’t have a high turnover, but it does have some (the dance world, with its low pay, short careers, and intense working conditions, is notoriously fluid). Since the dancers move on and the company’s choreography is eclectic, the answer has to be that Hubbard Street is the people who run it. Gail Kalver, general manager since 1984, is no clock puncher: she’s well-known for the generous way she gives her time to other organizations, notably the Chicago Dance Coalition. And Warren Conover, former soloist with American Ballet Theatre and HSDC ballet master since 1985, is known for his exacting standards. Certainly these two have something to do with Hubbard Street’s success, but the man who hired them–Lou Conte–most likely has more.
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We can’t watch two men hold hands, clasp each other around the waist and shoulders, and leap into each other’s arms without thinking they’re gay. The music at this point is feeling, almost sad, and there’s a strong current of emotional energy between Patrick Mullaney and Ron De Jesus: at one point one man pushes the other roughly to the floor and tries to jump him, but the other rolls away. Eavesdropping on the people behind me, I learned that in Argentina (where Wainrot was born) the tango was originally a dance for men–a fact Wainrot passed on to funders at an open rehearsal. But his little gloss doesn’t explain what this section is doing in the dance or the emotional resonance it has.
