Get Behind the Scenes with Hubbard Street 2 + You Help Plan Their Birmingham Visit

The dynamic Hubbard Street 2 Dance Company is headed to the ASC, Nov 6-8, for two evening performances and one afternoon family matinee.  We recently caught up with Ethan, one of the company's dancers to chat about the visit. 


Jessica (ASC): It sounds like a very interesting program for your Birmingham shows.  I know that not all pieces are as easy to connect to as a dancer as others.  Is there one that stands out as a favorite or maybe as most challenging?

Ethan (HS2): There are two pieces in the program you'll be seeing that I connect with the most at this point, one for being my favorite and the other for  being the most challenging. My favorite piece to perform is Terence Marling's "Glass Skin" because he created a piece that can be different every time it is performed. The blue print always stays the same, but the architecture of the piece always turns out a little differently. For example, I have two solos in the dance with no choreography; he has simply given me some tasks and images to base an improvisation off of. It's a piece that really brings all the dancers into the present moment and helps us connect with one another. 

The other piece I am enjoying right now is Alejandro Cerrudo's "First Light". This is the first piece created on this set of Hubbard Street 2 dancers and it was completed a little more than two weeks before our shows in Birmingham. The challenge then, is to come together as new dancers with new choreography, and make it appear as if we've been dancing this piece together for decades. I always enjoy a race against time and if any group of dancers could bring Cerrudo's work to fruition, I have to be a little biased and say it is this Hubbard Street 2. 

 Jessica (ASC): Dancers have bad work days just like the rest of us, right?  How do you motivate yourself to go out and perform on those days that you just don’t feel quite up to it?

Ethan (HS2): Most definitely! I have found that the majority of my performances happen on the days I feel are the least ideal. Many factors go into how a dancer feels before a show, ranging from past or new injuries to having had to do 3 shows in a row two days prior, travel for five hours the next day, and then perform the following day. Thus, there are many different ways for dancers to push past these "slight" obstacles. Sometimes I find strength in my colleagues; the sheer joy to be out there dancing with people who wholeheartedly share my passion. When performing I have to be completely committed to the present moment, so that can help me forget the long bus drive I may have had the night before etc. Also, we are constantly reminded to keep the dances fresh, not performing them the same exact way every time but finding new challenges and ideas within the strict framework of our choreography. Sometimes we can use our lethargy, sickness, or soreness to go deeper into the movement, finding new pathways or effort qualities that we wouldn't have explored had we been in the perfect mood. Even when it is the worst day possible, when all is said and done, we get to go out there and do what we LOVE. I don't want to spend a day not dancing.

Jessica (ASC): Do you have any upcoming performance between now and your Nov. 6-8 dates at the Alys Stephens Center?  Same program or is it always changed up?

Ethan (HS2): We actually have two shows prior to our run at the ASC. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has a partnership with the Art Institute of Chicago, but this will be the first time the second company will get to take advantage of this collaboration. We will be performing a condensed show consisting of 3-4 pieces. Our next show will be in Storm Lake, Iowa and it will be the same program that will be seen in Birmingham. For this fall tour we are bringing just one program, but it varies per tour. Our last spring tour to Germany consisted of five different programs, some of which had overlap of pieces, but nonetheless a lot of variety. 

Jessica (ASC): The company is being so generous to participate in many of the ASC’s educational programs while in Birmingham including a family performance on Sunday afternoon.  How will the family performance differ from the Friday and Saturday evening performances?

Ethan (HS2): We are very excited to be a part of the ASC's educational programs. I know I love performing for children because they are a very honest audience; they find humor or amazement in moments I never would have seen before. The program for the Sunday matinee will be slightly shorter than our Friday and Saturday shows and will be much more interactive. I will hopefully be able to come out at some point and lead the audience in some basic movements found by HSDC's educational outreach program to increase self and spacial awareness, focus, and even help with classroom activities such as reading. We strive to show just how accessible dance is, and not only get the kids active and moving but also mentally stimulated by the ideas and concepts behind what we do. 

Jessica (ASC): Is there anything you would like to see while in Birmingham?  Any favorite cuisine you’ll search out while here?  Just let us know and we’ll post a question on our blog and let readers make suggestions for you.

 Ethan (HS2): I'm not sure what I'm looking for in Birmingham. I'm the type in the company that gets pulled into what everyone else has researched or wants to do, but other times I let things find me. I asked around the company if they were looking for any specific cuisine unique to Birmingham and to be honest, none of us were really sure what that would entail. So if your readers have any suggestions for food idiosyncratically "Birmingham" please do share. Mostly, we are always on the look out for a nice restaurant that would be open after our shows (around 9:30 or 10:00 PM). And a place with karaoke wouldn't hurt either...

 Tickets are still available for the shows, Friday, Nov. 6 and Saturday, Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. and the family matinee Sunday, Nov 8 at 2:30 p.m.  Just call 205-975-2787 or visit www.AlysStephens.org.