Hubbard Street spins pure gold

Snowflakes and foul weather aside, Wednesday was a blazing,golden night for the Hubbard Street Dance Company, which unveiled itsversion of Twyla Tharp's "The Golden Section" for Chicago audiences.

Tharp herself has called her vibrant "The Golden Section"perfect for the athletic and buoyant Hubbard Streeters. Obviouslythe choreographer knows her stuff, for on Wednesday Hubbard Streetmade "The Golden Section" its own. While retaining Tharp's tricky,dangerous choreography, the Hubbard Street company gave the dance itspersonalized stamp at the Civic Opera House, 20 N. Wacker.

"The Golden Section" was first performed on Broadway in 1981(and then on PBS) as part of "The Catherine Wheel," a collaborationbetween Tharp and pop composer David Byrne.

Although Tharp has since dismissed the artistic worth of "TheCatherine Wheel," "The Golden Section" (named for its golden costumesby Santo Loquasto) stands as a dazzling work of terpischorean art.

Propelled by turns seemingly fueled by cosmic energy, thedancers swirl, change directions, throw themselves into the air andland new, convoluted turns. Dancers throw each other into the wings.Lifts turn into treacherous drops. The theatrics are accomplishedwith split-second timing.

Aptly coached by Tharp's ballet mistress Shelley Washington, theHubbard Street Dance Company was up to every challenge Wednesday (ifone can dismiss one missed lift). The sizzle, the excitement and theexuberant joy of dance that "The Golden Section" embodies all were ondisplay on the Opera House stage.

The rest of the Hubbard Street program was packed withentertaining selections. Another Tharp piece, "Baker's Dozen," wasdanced with the loose, silky style that's become a Tharp trademark.

This was a vast improvement over a overly rigid version thatHubbard Street presented at the Ravinia Festival last August. Itseems the longer this piece is in the repertoire, the better it willbecome.

"SUPER STRAIGHT is coming down," by Daniel Ezralow, is anaggressive, sexy pressure cooker of a dance, full of somersaults,barrel rolls and other pyrotechnics.

"Cobras in the Moonlight," by Margo Sappington, is a hot Latinforay into the world of tangos. The dance, which is supposed totrace the loss of the feminine principle in the human experience,features tangos that become progressively more male-oriented, untilFrank Chaves and Claire Bataille (dressed as a man) tango in anemotionally detached, completely egalitarian style.

Hubbard Street's electric and satisfying program will berepeated at 8 p.m. tomorrow and Saturday (312-902-1500).