Dancer/choreographer Lou Conte founded Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in 1977 and directed the company until his retirement in 2000. Although he was originally the company’s sole choreographer, Conte built the repertory by forging a key partnership with Twyla Tharp in the 1990s, acquiring seven of her dances including Nine Sinatra Songs and an original work which had its world premiere at the Pillow. The relationship between the company and the Pillow has been particularly close, encompassing more than a dozen engagements since 1983, and including an unusual two-week season in 1990. The company continued to develop and thrive for nine years under the direction of Jim Vincent, and was led by Glenn Edgerton from 2009-21. Edgerton presented works by Aszure Barton, Jiří Kylián, and William Forsythe in previous Pillow visits, and in 2018 revived Lou Conte’s The 40s in honor of the company’s 40th anniversary. The performance seen here represents the company’s first Pillow visit under the directorship of Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, a longtime Ailey performer who began her career with Hubbard Street, showcasing a work that she commissioned from the prolific Juilliard-trained Amy Hall Garner.
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