Powell HallBolero

Two arts beat as one when
St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
perform Bolero

Whether the Bolero audience mostly applauded the musicians or the dancers was difficult to determine. But several rounds of standing ovations sent a clear message that patrons thoroughly enjoyed a recent sold-out collaboration between the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago at Powell Hall.

A subdued opening number featured a partial orchestra paired ballet with Bach, as a dozen or so dancers performed to “Allegro form Brandenburg Concerto No. 3” and to a cello solo in “Bouree I and II” from “Suite in E-flat.” After the first of two intermissions, the audience was treated to a solo clarinet performance by Scott Andrews, which garnered another enormous round of applause.

No dancers accompanied Andrews, but their reappearance during the lively “Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs” sparked an energy like that of putting a lit match to an accelerant. Men and women dressed androgynously in black suits executed modern dance movements in synchronicity, bringing to mind a pack of nose-to-the grindstone corporate drones in the workaday world.

Suddenly a few renegades broke out and frolicked in a playfully choreographed routine that stood in stark contrast to the conformity of the other dancers/professional robots. This reminder to live life to its fullest and be true to one’s self reinforced the bold reputation of the Hubbard Street company.

After a second intermission, it was time for the SLSO to take center stage as the full orchestra played the featured composition: Ravel’s “Bolero.” Under the energetic direction of conductor David Robertson, the music hypnotized the crowd as it swelled to its passionate conclusion. And while the Hubbard Street performers did not take the stage in this number, the audience could not help but dance in its seats.

At the evening’s end, the rich pairing of the SLSO and Hubbard Street dancers had satisfied all my cultural senses while whetting my appetite for more such artistic alliances.

by Nancy Larson