Hubbard Street Dance returns to COD's McAninch Arts Center
When Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performs Friday and Saturday at College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, it'll be a swift return to the suburbs for some members of the 31-year-old Chicago arts fixture.
Several members of the dance company traveled to the college campus in late February to present a program aimed at DuPage County teachers.
"I knew that Hubbard Street does a lot of educational programs," said Janey Sarther, the arts center's education and community engagement coordinator.
Sarther said she invited the troupe to present a condensed version of its daylong workshop titled "Move Right Into Reading."
The workshop, among several choices available to teachers across the region participating in an institute day, proved a popular draw.
"We had such a strong response," said Sarther, adding that 53 teachers gathered in the arts center's Theater II to learn how to use dance as a teaching medium.
The methods allow for freedom of expression and a multiplicity of interpretations, she said.
"The one thing I would say is most valuable is it's an opportunity for teachers and students to work together when there's no 'right' answer," Sarther said.
Karen Rood, a kindergarten teacher at Lowell Elementary School in Wheaton, said the workshop was unlike most institute day sessions.
"I moved more than I thought I would ever move," she said. "I used to teach dance. Boy, could you tell they were dancers."
Rood said she was impressed with the depth of the dancers' awareness of teaching methods.
"They were so knowledgeable about it," she said. "They were sharing ideas about how they teach teachers."
"You could tell that they were very educated. They knew what they were talking about," said Kari Rood, Karen's daughter, a workshop attendee who teaches kindergarten at Lincoln Elementary School in Wheaton.
"It was an action-packed day. We did learn a lot. Instead of being told 'This is what we do,' we did a lot of acting it out," Kari Rood said. "There were a lot of out-of-the-box things, things were not too hard but things you don't think about."
Kari Rood herself is a dance teacher at Moves Dance Studio in Wheaton, where she schools 3- to 6-year-olds in the fine points of tap, ballet and tumbling.
She said she's been a lifelong fan of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.
"I hope I can make it to the show," she said.
The contemporary dance company, under the direction of artistic director Jim Vincent, performs in Chicago and on tours throughout the year. The group appears at College of DuPage about once every other year, said college marketing director Amy Calhoun.
This weekend's shows will feature pieces by choreographers Daniel Ezralow, Lucas Crandall, Alejandro Cerrudo and Johan Inger, Calhoun said.
<p class="factboxheadblack">Hubbard Street Dance Chicago</p> <p class="News"><b>When:</b> 8 p.m. March 27 and 28</p> <p class="News"><b>Where:</b> College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn</p> <p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $42 for adults, $40 for seniors and $32 for students</p> <p class="News"><b>Info:</b> (630) 942-4000 or <a href="http://www.atthemac.com" target="new">www.atthemac.com</a></p>