Palladio
"Beauty will result from the form and correspondence of the whole, with respect to the several parts with regard to each other, and of these again to the whole; that the structure may appear an entire and complete body."
Andrea Palladio, The Four Books of Architecture (1570)

Palladio, Vincent's third creation for HSDC, is a full-company work set to a modern-meets-Baroque score by Karl Jenkins, who was inspired by the 16th century Italian architect Andrea Palladio's celebration of harmony and order. Vincent's choreography draws its motivation from a physical environment, one that is aesthetically ornamented yet precarious. The piece moves from fragments of ideas towards structure and the power of the ensemble, exploring our capacity to demonstrate moments of tenderness, compassion and intimacy despite the constant tension, conflict and violence surrounding us.

Lush, stirring, animated, and yet dark…it is a work of fatalistic intensity and overriding gloom, but beautiful and impassioned… the finale is breathtaking, the large cast slyly maneuvered into a memorable choral cluster.
Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune, April 2007

Jim Vincent (HSDC Artistic Director; Choreographer) joined HSDC in August 2000 following an extensive career as a dancer, teacher, ballet master and choreographer. His dance training began at the age of five and continued through his childhood with Mercer, Burlington and Princeton Ballets in New Jersey. He studied on scholarship at the Washington School of Ballet in Washington, D.C., Harkness House of Ballet in New York City and North Carolina School of the Arts at the University of North Carolina. Vincent's distinguished career as a professional dancer includes a 12-year tenure with Jirí Kylián's Nederlands Dans Theater, a guest appearance with Lar Lubovitch and two years with Nacho Duato's Compañía Nacional de Danza in Spain. As a dancer, he worked with many choreographers, including Kylián, Duato, Lubovitch, William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Hans van Manen, Christopher Bruce and Ohad Naharin.

Vincent has served as Ballet Master for Nederlands Dans Theater II, Compaña Nacional de Danza and Opéra National de Lyon, where he rehearsed repertory by renowned choreographers Kylián, Duato, Forsythe, Ek, George Balanchine, Angelin Prejlocaj and
Bill T. Jones, among others. He has restaged choreographies for Duato, including Jardi
Tancat, Synaphai and Na Floresta, and for Kylián, including Return to the Strange Land and Stamping Ground. Vincent has choreographed a number of works for Nederlands Dans Theater I and II, Quebec's Bande à Part and Switzerland's Stadt Theater in Bern.
At Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, he has recently choreographed counter/part, his first work for the company as Artistic Director. His teaching experience includes Holland's Royal Conservatory of the Hague, Australia's Victorian College of Art, Compañía Nacional de Danza and Opéra National de Lyon. He served as Assistant Artistic Director of Compañía Nacional de Danza from 1990-94.

In October 1997, Vincent joined the creative team of Disneyland Paris as a concept designer and show director. He specialized in creating original concepts for corporate entertainment, press and gala events. Born in New Jersey, Vincent is both a U.S. and French citizen, speaks four languages and is married to France Nguyen, a former dancer with Nederlands Dans Theater, Compañía Nacional de Danza and Lyon Opéra Ballet and is currently the assistant to the principal at Lycée Français de Chicago. They have three daughters, Léna, Claire and June.

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Palladio Photo © & courtesy of Todd Rosenberg

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Palladio Photo © & courtesy of Todd Rosenberg

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Palladio Photo © & courtesy of Todd Rosenberg