Dance at Detroit Opera continues its 2025–26 season with an appearance by Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, one of the nation’s leading contemporary dance companies, Jan. 24 and 25 at the Detroit Opera House.
The program highlights American dance across generations, featuring works by Tony Award-winning Broadway choreographer Bob Fosse alongside contemporary choreography by Amy Hall Garner, Matthew Rushing and Johan Inger. The performances are part of Detroit Opera’s season-long salute to American dance pioneers, including Fosse, George Balanchine and Paul Taylor.
Among the most anticipated works is Sweet Gwen Suite, a reimagining of three dances originally created for television in the late 1960s. Set to music by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, Johnny Mandel and Lalo Schifrin, the work marks the first time Gwen Verdon is officially credited alongside Fosse as choreographer. The credit comes through the Verdon Fosse Legacy, established by their daughter, Nicole Fosse, to preserve and protect the artists’ work.
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago was selected as the first company entrusted with the staging of Sweet Gwen Suite. The piece is staged by Linda Haberman, a former assistant to Fosse and longtime director of the Radio City Rockettes.
The program also includes Percussion IV, a male solo first seen in Fosse’s 1978 Broadway production Dancin’. The Detroit performances will feature company dancer Elliot Hammans performing to a percussive score by Gordon Lowry Harrell.
Contemporary works on the program reflect a wide range of musical and emotional textures. Amy Hall Garner’s As the Wind Blows blends modern dance and ballet and is performed to music by Laura Nashman, Aaron Copland, Francesco Tristano and Detroit-born techno pioneer Carl Craig.
Matthew Rushing’s Beauty Chasers, created in 2025, explores themes of beauty and transcendence through an evolving stage environment. The work features music by Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, Matthew Halsall and others.
Johan Inger’s Impasse examines the pressures of modern life and the loss of individual identity. As the number of dancers increases and the physical space onstage contracts, the work reflects a world where progress feels increasingly constrained.
Founded in 1977 by Lou Conte, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago has roots in theatrical jazz, a distinctly American dance form. The company is led by Artistic Director Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, who became the first woman and first person of color to hold the position in 2021. Fisher-Harrell began her professional career with Hubbard Street before becoming a principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Performances are scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 25, at 2:30 p.m. The run time is approximately two hours, including two intermissions. Tickets start at $30 and are available through the Detroit Opera box office and detroitopera.org. Discounts include rush tickets for City of Detroit residents.
Pre-performance talks will take place one hour before each performance. A dance improvisation masterclass led by Hubbard Street company artist Jacqueline Burnett will be offered Jan. 24 at 11 a.m. at the Margo V. Cohen Center for Dance. The class is $15 or free for ticketholders and is open to intermediate and advanced dancers ages 12 and up.
