REACH FOR THE SKY
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, which began its 23rd season with a virtual new work from Rena Butler’s propulsive, truly lovely 25-minute work A Tale of Two (watch here), now presents Jonathan Fredrickson‘s The Sky Was Different, a premiere 50-minute surrealist film debuting on Thursday, December 3. 2020 on HSDC’s site.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in The Sky Was Different by Jonathan Fredrickson.
Still Image by Tobin Del Cuore.
Fredrickson, who joined the Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in 2015, created this fascinating work remotely from Germany, rehearsing late into the night to accommodate the the Chicago dancers. Co-directed with Tobin Del Cuore of Imagination + Muscle, this highly personal piece incorporates complex choreography and new music (Oleg Stepanov) with original poetry written by the dancers, discussing their experiences during the global pandemic. Cinematographer Alex Birnie shot the film at Schweikher House in Schaumburg and C5 in Chicago, where precautions were taken for the safety of all.
Hubbard Street Dancer Andrew Murdockin The Sky Was Different by Jonathan Fredrickson.
Still Image by Tobin Del Cuore.
The stunning film is a dream-like journey through the imaginations of Hubbard Street Dancers Alyssa Allen, Craig D. Black Jr., Jacqueline Burnett, Elliot Hammans, Alysia Johnson, Adam McGaw, Andrew Murdock, Abdiel Figueroa Reyes, David Schultz and Kevin J. Shannon, taking them into the minds and movements of the characters through stories that are at once disjointed and interwoven.
Hubbard Street Dancer Alyssa Allen in The Sky Was Different by Jonathan Fredrickson.
Still Image by Tobin Del Cuore.
“I see myself in the work in a way that I was really not anticipating,” said Fredrickson. “The film has become somewhat autobiographical, even though it is born from the personal stories of the artists of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Isolation, reflection, introspection, loss and love are themes that make up The Sky Was Different, and I believe many of us can relate to those emotions now. For me, the film is about change — recalling where you once were, while anticipating that things will not be the same.”
Watch the trailer here. The entire season is free, so please consider donating when making an RSVP.
Dancers David Schultz and Jacqueline Burnett in The Sky Was Different by Jonathan Fredrickson.
Still Image by Tobin Del Cuore.
