Hubbard Street Dance: 'An Evening of Work by Alejandro Cerrudo'

Hubbard Street Dance presented the engaging, dynamic "An Evening of Work by Alejandro Cerrudo," featuring three pieces by their Madrid-born dancer and resident choreographer: "Extremely Close" (from 2008), the world premiere of "Still in Motion," and "Little mortal jump."

"Extremely Close" was perhaps a deconstructed "Swan Lake" starting with a sea of white feathers covering the stage as well as "snowing" from the fly space. Set to taped (and sometimes fuzzy) Philip Glass piano music, the four pairs of dancers (who often broke into groups of three) used the slippery surface to slide in their socks, creating a feeling of children playing on a freshly waxed floor (although sometimes evoking worry that they would slip and hyperextend their joints).

The avian feeling continued with duck hand motions, and other distinctly non-human skimming motions, and the feeling of being on a ledge. Janice Pytel's costume design evoked peacock iridescence with seemingly black, snug leotards that glowed green when hit with light (designed by Trad A. Burns). Three moveable panels, also devised by Cerrudo, ingeniously "wiped" the slate clean between phrases using both vertical and horizontal planes.

A white scrim covered the back wall for "Still in Motion," and the ironic motionless start felt like yoga in body shape and with the black yoga wear (set design by Michael Korsch; costumes by Branimira Ivanova). The eight dancers explored pulsing and breathing as if underwater, as well as the repetition of a fascinating face down, prone, inchworm-like undulation (which morphed into looking like seeds when set under a large "grow light").

The stage floor was also used for dancing while on the back, and the phrases transitioned by the corps implementing big steps in unison, accompanied by change in music from violins to Norah Jones to typewriters.

"Little mortal jump" featured music by hot local musician Andrew Bird of Bowl of Fire ("wasn't long ago / before the reign of Nero / we had no concept of zero"), and began with a dancer entering from the audience. This piece from 2012 had a vaudeville vibe, with the men in suspenders and women in pin curls and flapper-length dresses (also designed by Ivanova), although had a more modern note, and comedic break, with a Velcro wall and suits a la David Letterman.

Cerrudo's physical vocabulary was becoming recognizable yet still innovative and resonant, incorporating more sliding plus leg sits and dancers finding unique ways to wrap around each other to execute fluid lifts. Each piece of his triptych was integrated yet distinct, providing a vibrant voice for modern dance.

Hubbard Street Dance's Summer Series "An Evening of Work by Alejandro Cerrudo" ran through June 14 at the Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Drive, Chicago, IL. For information, call 312-850-9744 or visit www.hubbardstreetdance.com