Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) recently announced program selections for “Spring Series: Of Joy”—the final installment of its 46th season, titled “Abundance.” The engagement will include four unique works: IMPASSE, Show Pony, A Duo and Echoes of Our Ancestors.
One person who will be taking part in the program is nonbinary dancer Aaron Choate (they/them), a graduate of The Juilliard School who recently talked with Windy City Times about why they’re ecstatic to be part of the program and HSDC—and who also revealed a surprising thing or two about the world of dance.
NOTE: This conversation was edited for clarity and length.
Windy City Times: Please tell the readers what “Of Joy” is about, and your role (or roles) in it.
Aaron Choate: “Of Joy” is a celebration, I’d say, in the circumstance. Our mission is to awaken the spirit through dance and, in this circumstance, all the works drive toward that goal. They all have a sense of community to them, and they have a strong sense of individuality.
We start in a Latin world [“Echoes”] with lots of unique characters in it, and then there’s the solo work Show Pony, which is [choreographer] Kyle Abraham’s tour de force—and I’m actually stepping into that work for the first time. That work has you, like, a human monument; you’re dressed in gold, you’re on stage, and there’s this sense of ego, passion and mania. [A Duo] is a strange relationship between two characters that you learn small tidbits about as the piece goes on; there’s a bit of tension between them that builds into a romantic, passionate love. And the final work [IMPASSE] is about community, but it’s about the tension that’s created when more and more people are added into a space; this is the only piece in which I play a cisgender character.
Throughout the works, even though I may not be presented as queer on stage, my identity is added into that; it doesn’t take away from cis roles. I play a townsperson in that piece, and I also play a clown on hallucinogenics—and both of those are “straight” characters. But I feel that the company is so unique and diverse; we do roles that are heteronormative but who we are just adds to them.
[“Echoes”] is an Afro-Latin transition from being on an island to being colonized, which affects movement and dance. I play a very feminine and spiritual character, and my partner Michelle and I—who are both very queer—have these red skirts that I feel represent the sense of “knowing.”
WCT: By the way, what led you to Chicago? Coming from Juilliard, it seemed you could write your own ticket anywhere.
AC: It’s interesting: Dance is so small. And graduating from there does not guarantee you a company. I know plenty of people from there who graduated from there and still struggle to find work.
I had no idea what I wanted. This was one of those miraculous situations in which a company finds a person. I auditioned for a bunch of different companies; I didn’t know what I wanted. I thought I might be a choreographer because I know I want to be a creative, more than anything. When I got this job, I didn’t know if it was the right fit—and the company was still in transition. But I realized this is the perfect place for me, because [the company] is not scared of going in any direction. I’ve also felt very understood, in terms of identity; I don’t know if that would be the case with every dance company I auditioned for.
I feel like we’re not limiting ourselves to one aesthetic or one energy. Also, there’s a lot of joy presented in this company; in a lot of dance companies, there’s not a lot of joy. I think a special part of American dance is that joy is at the center of it. It’s only fitting that our dance is traditionally very joyful.
WCT: Going back to what you said about possibly not being accepted at other companies, are you saying that dance isn’t really that progressive?
AC: I think dance is progressive in plenty of ways. [In other ways,] I think it’s on its way. In some ways, it struggles to be as progressive as other dance forms because of the center of ballet, such as male/female stereotypes and partnering. But here, it’s been very progressive.
WCT: When did you discover that dance might not be as progressive as some other art forms?
AC: It’s hard to say because, with all the spaces I’ve entered, I’ve been right at the cusp of the highest level of progression in the dance world. Like when I started at Juilliard, [Dean] Alicia Graf Mack had just taken over—and that was a huge shift in the school; gender fluidity became more common. And with Hubbard, there was a flip with development and expansion. But I probably wouldn’t be in a space that wasn’t progressive.
Not that it’s necessarily being taught now, but gender roles have been so strict. When I was growing up in Kentucky, it was so strict; I was only allowed to do ballet roles that were more masculine.
But with anything in the performing arts, when they see you they see your body on stage—and the connotations of what that body is in the world always come into play. There’s no way to get rid of the audience’s connotations so choreographers and artists use that. It’s hard to avoid what something naturally says to a larger audience. Also, dance can be challenging for an audience that isn’t comfortable with dance. I think providing things that are comfortable for audience members so they can interpret things their own way is important for some people—like boy meets girl, or touch equals love. It can be a great gateway to setting up something for an audience that doesn’t understand dance too much.
WCT: And the purpose of art can also be to push the envelope and get people to get concepts that are outside of their comfort zones.
AC: Yeah—it is. The challenge of dance is that it can follow traditional narratives but, often, it doesn’t because of the narrative that bodies can hold at that time. So it can be hard because it can be so “out there” for some viewers. I think one of the most progressive things with this company is that we’ll do older works and put queer folks in it. I feel the most progressive thing about this company is that we don’t say no to anything—except for bad values or bad energy in the space.
WCT: If you could perform with any dancer or work with any choreographer—living or dead—who’s one who you would pick?
AC: That’s a hard one. I spent a lot of time—two years—at Juilliard learning the Graham technique. I think meeting Martha Graham would be fabulous, even if that sounds like a stereotypical answer. But there’s so much depth and richness [with the technique], and I’ve always loved emotion, character and visceral, dramatic energy. I think we would’ve been a good pairing—although I would’ve wanted to do the female roles.
WCT: How do you define dance?
AC: It’s hard to get a tighter definition than movement. I’m the type of person who sees someone fall down and I say, “That’s dance.” I’m very open to whatever. I would say “movement with intention,” but that might take away from the idea that something could be unintentional and still be dance. I would just say “action” and “movement.”
HSDC’s “Spring Series: Of Joy” will take place May 17-19 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St. For tickets and more information, visit www.hubbardstreetdance.com/of-joy or call the Hubbard Street Box Office at 312-850-9744, ext. 5.