Celebrating its 20th anniversary season, Overture Center is thrilled to welcome back some of the most popular artists and groups from the past two decades. Among them is a true audience favorite—Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. This renowned contemporary dance company has graced the Overture stage six times, with their last performance in 2015.
Hubbard Street Dance, which kicked off its 2024/25 season with rehearsals in August, includes talented dance artist Simone Stevens. This is Stevens’ fourth season with Hubbard Street, where she not only performs but also serves as lead for the teen dance intensives— a role she cherishes—in which she schedules classes and serves as point person for the students during their three-week summer program.
“I love sharing our collection of dance works with other dancers, where we can relearn and reimagine the choreography, interpretations, choices and styles,” said Stevens.
Stevens grew up in Stone Mountain, Georgia, near Atlanta, the daughter of a dancer. While her mom took classes at a small regional studio and led the dance program at her church, Stevens came along and often danced around the room, imitating her mom. One day, an instructor asked if she’d like to dance with students her own age. Of course, her reply was “yes”!
Stevens began lessons at age 3 at En Pointe School of Dance and continued through high school. She graduated from Kennesaw State University in 2017 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in dance and minor in anthropology.
The following year, she moved to Chicago, where she trained on scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studio and worked with various dance companies.
“I’ve always been open to opportunities and curious about new dance projects,” said Stevens, who worked on a video project with Hubbard Street choreographer Alice Klock and danced part-time with Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre.
Stevens was thrilled to accept a role with Hubbard Street Dance in 2021.
“I enjoy contemporary dance because it features a lot of styles, not just one genre of dance,” explained Stevens. “I get to use all the skills and tools I’ve learned over the years. There’s a lot I can relate to and engage with in the music.”
Hubbard Street Dance has 14 full-time company artists and, this year, two seasonal artists and two swings. Their season is comprised of a series of shows in fall, winter and spring. Harris Theatre on Chicago’s Loop is their home performance space, but the company will appear at the Steppenwolf Theatre for the first time this winter. They also tour around the country with stops in Santa Barbara in September, Madison in October, three Utah cities in February and New York City in March.
For their return to Overture Hall on Saturday, Oct. 5, Hubbard Street is bringing back a few exciting works as well as new pieces. Look for a restaged piece by choreographer Aszure Barton, a piece by the Bob Fosse Foundation and a piece by former BJM Montreal dancer James Gregg, among others.
Stevens is excited to perform in Madison as part of Overture’s 20th-anniversary celebrations. She hopes the audience will not only enjoy the performance but also feel inspired to take a class, try something new or simply get up and dance.
“Come out and get to know us,” she encouraged.
Most of all, Stevens hopes people will witness the care and love the company members have for each other and how they lift each other up. Dancers are fully committed to what’s happening in the room and reimagining the possibilities, keeping the energy fresh. She is so happy to get to share space with such talented individuals.
“Dancing is taxing physically and mentally, but the people I dance with are incredibly inspiring, truly top tier human beings,” she said. “Dancing is more than the techniques and proficiency of the craft. You’ll see the humanity and how we look out for each other.”
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s return to Overture Hall promises to be a highlight of this milestone season, as Overture Center celebrates 20 years of bringing world-class performances to Madison.
