Organizational Statements
 
Mission Statements



Hubbard Street Dance Chicago:

The mission of the main company of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago is to be America's leading contemporary dance company, presenting eclectic, innovative and razor-sharp repertoire; promoting appreciation for contemporary dance; and contributing to the evolution of the art form.

Since its founding in 1977, HSDC has fulfilled this mission by:
Performing for a worldwide audience of as many as 100,000 people annually
Performing nearly 80 different works, including 53 world premieres, by such renowned choreographers as Founder Lou Conte, Marguerite Donlon, Nacho Duato, Daniel Ezralow, Jirí Kylián, Trey McIntyre, Ohad Naharin, Kevin O'Day, David Parsons, Margo Sappington, Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Twyla Tharp and Jim Vincent
Performing in 44 states, including such important dance venues as The Joyce Theater in New York City; the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.; Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, Massachusetts; DanceAspen; Wolf Trap Festival in Vienna, Virginia; American Dance Festival in North Carolina; Spoleto USA Festival in Charleston, South Carolina; UCLA Royce Hall Series; Dance Celebration in Philadelphia; the Celebrity Series in Boston; and at all the major venues in its hometown, Chicago
Touring to 17 countries, performing in such distinguished venues as Spoleto, Italy; Holland Dance Festival, Netherlands; and Sadler's Wells, England

Being honored with several prestigious awards, including the Governor's Award from the State of Illinois in 1986; Ruth Page/Chicago Dance Awards from the Chicago Dance and Music Alliance, awarded to Founder and founding Artistic Director Lou Conte, Executive Director Gail Kalver and several dancers and technicians throughout the years; and the 2003 ABBY Award for Arts Management Excellence, presented by the Arts & Business Council of Chicago to Gail Kalver; additionally, Lou Conte received the Sidney R. Yates Arts Advocacy Award in 1995, Chicagoan of the Year award from Chicago magazine in 1999 and, in 2002, he was one of six individuals named Laureates of The Lincoln Academy of Illinois, the highest honor the state bestows upon Illinois residents

Hubbard Street 2:
Hubbard Street 2's mission is to train young professional dancers and nurture emerging choreographers, while also developing audiences for HSDC and enhancing the visibility of the organization.

Since its founding in 1997, HS2 (originally the Hubbard Street Trainee Ensemble) has fulfilled this mission by:

Providing professional development, training and performance opportunities to 33 young dancers through a 43-week annual contract and scholarships for professional-level classes at Lou Conte Dance Studio

Promoting 11 dancers to HSDC's main company, while others have pursued professional opportunities with highly respected companies around the world

Performing 41 works, including 37 world premieres, and enhancing the professional development of 29 promising choreographers through their involvement with the company, including the creation of 17 works through HS2's National Choreographic Competition

Exposing young people to professional dance through the company's Education & Community Programs, presenting in-school and public Dance Informances

 

Education & Community Programs:
The mission of HSDC's Education & Community Programs is to introduce, educate and communicate to a broad range of people the essence and importance of dance, developing and providing teacher education and curriculum development, experiential activities for students and exposure to professional dance.

Since 1997, HSDC has succeeded in this mission by:

Empowering more than 600 educators with professional development programs and training, designed to help them integrate the arts and academics in their classrooms

Exposing approximately 52,000 students to dance through residencies and performances

Providing more than 10,000 high school students with opportunities to experience professional dance master classes and performances

 

Lou Conte Dance Studio:
The Lou Conte Dance Studio's mission is to train professional dancers and provide dance and dance-related classes to the general public, from teens to adults, from the dance enthusiast to the professional dancer.

Since its founding 30 years ago, LCDS has fulfilled this mission by:

Attracting nearly 35,000 student visits per year with 80 classes per week in a wide range of dance styles at two locations

Offering instruction by the industry's top professionals, both through weekly classes and special guests teaching master classes and workshops

Making its state-of-the-art studios available for classes and rentals by other professional companies and artists

Expanding opportunities through student scholarships and educator discounts

Being named "Best Dance Class for Adults" by Chicago magazine