"When Lou Conte opened the doors to his Hubbard Street Dance studio in 1974, he couldn’t have known that he was laying the foundation for one of the most successful dance companies of all time."   Gale Kappe, Chicago magazine

The core purpose of HSDC is to bring artists, art and audiences together to enrich, engage, educate, transform and change lives through the experience of dance. 

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC), holds a unique place within the American dance field. As one of the country’s most important contemporary dance companies, HSDC encompasses a vast array of techniques and forms, as well as an understanding of abstract artistry and the emotional nuances of movement. While many contemporary dance peers are single choreographer organizations, HSDC has always been a repertory company, representing numerous choreographers and styles. The company has grown to be recognized as a leader in the creation and development of new choreography, unique collaborations and innovative production concepts. Its importance is based both as a repository of work from some of the 20th and 21st century’s best contemporary choreographers and as a commissioning agent of new works, having commissioned and presented no fewer than 25 new dance works over the past eight seasons.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago grew out of the Lou Conte Dance Studio, which was founded 36 years ago when Lou Conte was approached to teach tap classes by several aspiring young artists. Conte founded the company three years later, and within a decade of its beginning in 1977, it began to attract nationally known choreographers to set dances on Hubbard Street. Conte served the company for 23 years, during which he developed relationships with emerging and world-renowned choreographers including Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Margo Sappington, Daniel Ezralow, Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian, and Twyla Tharp, all of whom helped shape HSDC repertoire into what it is today. Under Conte’s direction, HS2, Hubbard Street’s second company, and HSDC’s Education & Community Programs were developed. Conte served as Artistic Director until his retirement in 2000. At that time Jim Vincent stepped into the role of Artistic Director and further expanded the company’s programming, repertoire, and acclaim, while also building a legacy of new choreographic development. 

When Vincent arrived, he enhanced the company’s relationships with domestic and internationally known choreographers. In addition, Jim introduced other new choreographic development initiatives, which have become staples of HSDC’s programming – the Inside/Out Choreography Workshop, during which HSDC dancers create original choreography with their peers, and the Choreographic Fellowship, which identifies and develops emerging choreographic talent from within the company. Dancers Alejandro Cerrudo, Brian Enos and Terence Marling, along with Associate Artistic Director Lucas Crandall, have all developed works for HSDC. Cerrudo is currently HSDC’s first Resident Choreographer and will have two World Premieres as part of the 2009-10 season.

Under Vincent’s tenure, HSDC began collaborative partnerships with several of Chicago’s most significant cultural and community organizations including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO), presenting new and existing choreography set to orchestral music performed by the symphony; the Art Institute of Chicago, producing dance works within art exhibits and free information sessions to the public to explore the vital connection between dance and art; Illinois Institute of Technology School of Architecture, reimagining the space in which dance is performed; and Rush University Medical Center; offering HSDC’s Dance for Parkinson’s program.

Just as the company has flourished artistically, it has grown exponentially under the administrative leadership of Barbara G. Cohen, Gail Kalver, and of current Executive Director Jason Palmquist. Under the management of Palmquist, the 2008–09 season marked the beginning of a new era for Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. By presenting four distinct programs in separate weeks at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park, HSDC is deepening patron relationships and furthering its investment in the cultural life of Chicago. 

Main Company
Today, the main company is comprised of 17 dancers who display unparalleled versatility and virtuosity. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago serves as an emblem of the city’s international cultural profile. One of the only American dance companies to operate year-round, HSDC continues to produce bold and passionate performances for Chicago, national and international audiences, always changing and evolving while maintaining the highest artistic standards. The company has appeared nationally and internationally at celebrated dance venues and has also been presented by some of the most cutting-edge dance programs at prestigious universities around the country. 

Hubbard Street 2
Hubbard Street 2 was formed twelve years ago to prepare dancers 17–24 years old for the challenging life of a professional dancer in a contemporary company. HS2 provides very talented young dancers with a professional experience through which they may explore and mature in their craft while becoming comfortable with diverse performance venues. Annually, HS2 hosts the National Choreographic Competition which gives opportunity to three chosen choreographers from hundreds of applicants to realize their artistic expression on the dancers of the second company. HS2’s six dancers train extensively and maintain an active performance and touring schedule which includes residency activities for teachers, students and community members. HSDC’s dynamic environment gives dancers the experiences necessary to develop strong technique and an individual voice. To date, eleven HS2 dancers have advanced to the main company and many more have joined other national and international companies. During the 2009/10 Season, HS2 will focus on sharing its art with Chicago audiences, with over half the company’s performances taking place in the city.

Lou Conte Dance Studio
Now under the direction of Claire Bataille, one of the original four HSDC dancers, LCDS attracts aspiring dancers from around the nation and dance enthusiasts in the Chicago area. Named “Best Dance Class for Adults” by Chicago magazine, LCDS offers a wide variety of classes weekly in ballet, jazz, modern, tap, African, hip hop, yoga and Pilates at levels from basic to professional, as well as workshops and master classes. As part of its commitment to providing quality training, LCDS maintains a scholarship program for advanced dancers that provide a definitive step into the professional dance world. Additionally, HSDC now offers a Summer Intensive, which provides concentrated training in ballet and modern technique classes, repertoire rehearsals, dance history lectures and health and wellness presentations to pre-professional dancers from across the nation. With a faculty of experienced performers, choreographers and musicians from the Chicago community and an exceptional facility, LCDS continues to be at the forefront of the nation’s training institutions.

Education & Community Programs
HSDC’s Education & Community Programs were formed twenty years ago in order to offer movement-based arts experiences to students, teachers and families throughout the Chicago area, giving them opportunities to experience and participate in dance activities and to enhance their learning in other curricular areas. These programs, under the direction of Kathryn Humphreys, bring students into the world of dance by actively engaging them in perception, research, reflection and discussion, assisting them in strengthening basic proficiencies to develop analytical and abstract thinking, interpretation and problem-solving skills. HSDC’s partnerships with schools provide teaching artists and educators the opportunity to plan, teach and learn together to create exciting and meaningful integrated curriculum which challenges students and takes learning to new levels. HSDC also offers family workshops and youth dance programs through its community partnerships at locations throughout the city and at the Hubbard Street Dance Center.