Behind the Curtain: Fall Series Inspiration
September 11, 2018
Behind the Curtain: Fall Series Inspiration
We are taking a look at the inspiration behind the movement for the Fall Series, the world premiere of There Was Nothing / For All Its Fury choreographed by Movement Art Is (Lil Buck and Jon Boogz) and Emma Portner performed to new music composed by Devonté Hynes (Blood Orange) and performed live by Third Coast Percussion.
Behind the whole evening
Hubbard Street Artistic Director, Glenn Edgerton, has always been interested in bringing artists together for exciting collaborations. Hubbard Street has collaborated with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, the Art Institute of Chicago, and The Second City, among others.
“The Fall Series will be a great combination of artists,” said Edgerton. “I’ve been following Lil Buck and Jon Boogz for a while now, Emma Portner is just now on the brink of her explosion into the dance world, and collaborating with Third Coast Percussion has been a dream of mine for years.”
The evening is structured in three parts: There Was Nothing by Movement Art Is (MAI), an interlude performed by Third Coast Percussion, and For All Its Fury by Emma Portner. Here’s a look behind both sections by Portner, and MAI.
Behind There Was Nothing
There Was Nothing is a retelling of the creation story set to text written and spoken by Robin Sanders. Through movement and text, the piece tells the story of how the creation of the universe by Mother Earth, the evolution of human beings and how they relate to one another, and the sometimes tumultuous relationship between humans and the planet they inhabit.
Watch this video of Lil Buck and Jon Boogz previous work with Robin Sanders.
Behind For All Its Fury
Similarly to There Was Nothing, For All Its Fury also uses spoken word to convey its message. Set to Sylvia Plath’s poem “Mushrooms,” and inspired in part by Paul Stamet’s book “Mycelium Running,” Portner dives into themes of sustainability in For All Its Fury. “Mycelium Running” discusses the ways that mushrooms and mycelium fungus can help restore our ecosystems (Watch Paul Stamets TED Talk here).
Hubbard Street premieres There Was Nothing / For All Its Fury on September 27, 29 + 30 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance. To learn more about the Fall Series artists and purchase your tickets, visit our Fall Series webpage.