ML - Michigan Avenue

2013 - Issue 6 - October

Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!

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ON THE TOWN RIGHT: Hogan McLaughlin, Glenn Edgerton, and Robyn Mineko Williams value innovation in their dance company—and in their cuisine. BELOW: They dined on Embeya's seafood stew with mussels, clams, and sea bass in a coconut-lemongrass broth. continued from page 88 [Domaine Fouassier Sauvignon Blanc 2010 Sancerre France is served] Hogan McLaughlin: Cheers! Hogan, tell us about your design background. HM: It was nonexistent. I left Hubbard Street in 2009 for New York, and I met Daphne Guinness on Twitter. She commissioned my stuff, and then agents hooked me up with pop stars. It's been a really crazy ride. And Robyn, congratulations on being awarded the Princess Grace Foundation Choreography Fellowship! Robyn Mineko Williams: [Laughs] I was shocked. Hubbard Street was the company that my mom took me to see; I fell in love with it at the age of 9 and decided I wanted to be a Hubbard Street dancer. At 14, I was on scholarship at Lou Conte Dance Studio and went through the program, danced for River North Dance Company, and then I finally got in at an open audition, —GLENN EDGERTON beginning my 12 years at Hubbard Street. I hope there are a lot of 9-year-olds who have the same thought that I did. How do you and Hogan collaborate? GE: It's all about experimenting. [Gesturing toward tuna] Looking at this wonderful food, it's kind of thinking there's no recipe involved: "These are the ingredients you have to use, and this is how things are typically put together." On the contrary, they've put things together that are not typically together. HM: That's what's interesting about Robyn's stuff: It really is unlike a lot of things you've seen movement-wise. I'll go home after watching rehearsal and try to do some of the moves she was teaching the dancers and be like, "OK, I have to figure out how to do that now." It's very interesting to see onstage. RMW: I'm glad you think so. [Laughs] Glenn, what do you envision for the next 36 seasons at Hubbard Street? GE: Let's say there's someone in some remote village in Austria: "Oh, I want to see that company in the United States that is doing unique things with dance." I want to be that internationally known company. [ Japanese sea bass, garlic chicken, and seafood stew are served] GE: This looks great. It might take another 36 years, but I want dance to become more mainstream. How many times have you seen Casablanca or Rear Window? Those movies you want to see again? I want dance to be like that. HM: Children are exposed to musical theater, and that's [often] their take on dance, but there's so much more finesse with a contemporary company. My mother is obsessed with So You Think You Can Dance, and I'll feign interest, but being spoiled by Hubbard Street, it's hard to watch. GE: You don't go to the museum and put Picasso up to a Jackson Pollock and say, "Which is the better artist?" Why are we doing that with dance? How do you say a sense of self-expression is better than the one next to you? Hogan and Robyn, this is your first visit to Embeya. What do you think? HM: I was struck by the giant wood screens with amazingly intricate carvings. I use a similar geometric approach in my fashion, so it felt like something I would have designed. I love the feeling of a warehouse that has been given "I like that Embeya's flavors are not typical— that they've been creatively mixed." 90 PERFECT PAIRING A classic French white complements Embeya's experimental cuisine. "Domaine Fouassier's self-proclaimed key phrase is 'respect for the terroir,'" says Embeya partner Attila Gyulai. "Sancerre, while primarily growing the Sauvignon Blanc varietal, draws much of its characteristics from the chalk-based soil and cool climate of the Loire Valley. With a honeysuckle nose (think the omnipresent flowers of early spring), this Sancerre has a remarkably rich palate with subtle tropical fruit flavors and a tangy mineral finish. Truly, a gorgeous well-balanced white wine." such interesting artistic touches. RMW: The feel of the space really matches the elegance and clarity of the food. I appreciate the architectural structure within all aspects of dining; food-wise, the steamed sea bass was my favorite. HM: The tuna tartare was lovely. RMW: [Laughs] This is the seafood side of the table! GE: I think of Embeya as I do Hubbard Street: We both strive for the same things. Their approach is based on thought-provoking innovation with an extreme eye toward detail. I like that the flavors are not typical—that they've been creatively mixed. And the wine is excellent. If I had time, I'd request a bottle. RMW: [Laughs] Next time! Season 36 of Hubbard Street Dance begins October 10–13 at Harris Theater, 205 E. Randolph Dr., 312-850-9744; hubbardstreetdance.com/36 MA MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 088-090_MA_Taste_OTT_October13.indd 90 9/17/13 6:17 PM

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