Beyond All That Jazz

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago was founded in 1977 by Broadway dancer Lou Conte, who booked and choreographed a few jazzy numbers for a quartet of ladies in Chicago-area senior centers. More than three decades later, Hubbard Street is one of the leading dance companies in the United States, with a repertory that’s less jazzy and more dark and European. HSDC’s nearly 20 dancers display flawless technique with an ease that makes it seem they are gliding across the floor. They are always graceful, no matter that they’re wind-milling their arms or bending their knees in a deep squat. With simple costumes and bare stages, the emphasis with Hubbard is all on the dancing. This Saturday’s performance at the Arsht Center’s Ziff Ballet Opera House features work by internationally renowned choreographers, including Miami-favorite Ohad Naharin of the Israeli’s Batsheva Ensemble, as well as company member Alejandro Cerrudo, whose intricate stop-and-start works are a perfect showcase for his fellow dancers’ virtuosity. Sat., Dec. 11, 8 p.m., 2010 Originally published in the Miami New Times in December 2010.