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POTPOURRI
Hubbard Street dancers put on diverse, energetic show
By WENDY JOHNSON
Staff Writer
The MSC Opera and Perform
ing Arts Society's presentation of
Hubbard Street Dance Com
pany opened and ended with a
bang Sunday evening. Best of
all, the middle was no less im
pressive.
Artistic director Lou Conte has
combined popular moves with
serious dance styles, creating
routines with the grace of ballet,
the strength and force of jazz
and the rhythm of tap.
In the first number, Line
Drive, which was performed to
music that demanded high en
ergy, the entire company partic
ipated in a standing routine and
then moved to the floor. Looking
like an honors aerobics class —
sans fat ladies — the dancers
were perfectly synchronized
and coordinated in their navy
unitards and sneakers.
Switching to fiery red leo
tards, tiny Kitty Skillman and
solid Carlton Wilbom performed
a duet in ''Go!” Said Max. At first
slow and somber, they grad
ually became more intense,
Skillman throwing Wilborn's
weight around almost as effort
lessly as he tossed her. The au
dience was especially tickled by
this, and the two dancers re
lished the responses.
As the evening wore on it be
came clear that these two were
the stars of .the show. Wilbom
was crisp, sharp and exact in all
his movements. His predictable
precision was a pleasure to be
hold. Skillman, on the other
hand, was a pbried Pied Piper, if
she was on stage, your eyes
were glued to her, following her
The Hubbard Street Dance Company's Carlton Wilbom and Kitty Skillman
perform a duet in the number "Go!" Said Max.
every move.
In Gershwin Dances, a dance
and music medley performed by
an ensemble of dancers, we
were treated to Rick Hilsabeck
as a gigolo tap dancer, flirting
and dancing bis way through a
five-part vaudeville number,
complete with straw campaign
hat and flappers in satin and
fringe. In the fourth "act," Claire
Bataille, one of the company's
choreographers and original
members, performed a slow
solo. Michele Eylar revved
things up with a peppier and
prissier number and the ensem
ble went into a rousing finish
with more tap.
In Tiempo, Kitty Skillman, Al
berto Arias, Susan Parker and
Ginger Farley each performed a
similar routine to a Stravinsky
clarinet piece in different tem
pos. Movements ranged from
mime-ish to puppet-like, with
some comic outcomes.
A highlight of the evening
came in .Appearances and its
black stage with white tuxedos
and black dresses fading in and
out. As the lights came up, the
tuxes slowly came off and the
black dresses changed to skirts,
pants, hoods and the dancers
ended up scantly clad in slinky
red satin outfits. The dancers
danced alone, and then to
gether in a sexually-charged
routine set to music by Pat Meth-
eny. The music increased in in
tensity and volume to an almost
frenzied pitch, quickly subsiding
and leaving the audience
breathless, their psyches ma
nipulated.
Claire Bataille and Jeffery
Meyers performed Diary to mu
sic written and sung by Judith
Lander. The personal nature of
the two interpretive solos was a
bit hard to follow, but the inti
mate duet was easily recog
nized as a celebration of love.
The 40's was big fun with a
big band sound, performed by
the company and featuring Kitty
Skillman, the elfin dancer who
stole every scene she danced in.
The jazz feeling of the music was
exuded in every dancer's feet
and face. The dancers all had
fun in their bowler hats and
canes but the impish Skillman
was having a ball. □
Producers, Executives to play night before Bonfire burns
Gone, for this year at least, is the tradition
of the big concert the night of bonfire. They
never went over that well anyway, accord
ing to undisclosed Town Hall sources. In its
place, however, music lovers will be treated
to a smaller, audience-participation event
on Tuesday night, Nov. 26. MSC Townhall
will bring The Producers, with special
guests The Executives, to Deware Field
House at 8 p.m. The event is co-sponsored
by Miller Brewing Company.
The Atlanta-based Producers will perform
their hits "She Sheila" and "What's He Got,"
as well as other songs from their recently re
leased album, "Run For Your Life," during
the three-hour concert.
The four-man band can be seen in several
MTV videos and has performed with such
artists as Duran Duran, U2 and Huey Lewis.
And if not exactly complex, their pop/bop
music gets your feet tapping, and is more
suited to dancing than to formal concert-lis
tening. Performances in other towns have
led to chairs being pushed back to make
way for informal dance floors.
The band consists of drummer Bryan
Holmes, guitarist and vocalist Van Temple,
and new member Tim Smith, who plays
bass for the band. The most popular mem
ber of the band, however, is keyboardist
Wayne Famous, who's a show unto himself.
The balding Famous regularly propels him
self from one side of the stage to the other
with his trusty hand-held keyboard, playing
the four or five chords required of him.
This show is a first for Town Hall, says
Chris Besheors, PR chairman for the event.
"This is the first time Town Hall had done
anything like this," she says, "MSC Base
ment used to handle things like this. We
made the decision to do smaller shows like
this and we think it will be fun."
Admission will be $5 for the Tuesday night
event, and tickets are available at Rudder
Box Office. □