Latest news with #JoffreyBallet
Chicago Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Review: ‘Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' is Joffrey Ballet's wacky and wonderful season closer
The Joffrey Ballet's season rarely extends this far into summer, but it's safe to say 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' was worth the wait. This beast of a ballet by the Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon had its North American premiere at the Lyric Opera House on Thursday. If, like for me, Lewis Carroll's 1865 fairy tale about a girl who stumbles into Wonderland is a core memory, all those beloved characters are there, with a splendidly cogent (and at times delightfully grotesque) libretto. It's more Tim Burton than Disney, but you'll recognize moments no matter your preferred version (including my personal favorite, the 1985 TV movie musical starring Jayne Meadows and Carol Channing). Following a drowse-inducing garden party at her Victorian Oxford estate, Alice (magnificently danced Thursday by Amanda Assucena) awakens to find an anxiously tardy White Rabbit (Stefan Gonçalvez). She of course must follow him, kicking off a series of Don Quixote-style adventures with wild, wacky and terrifying characters. Letting her curiosity guide her, she encounters a tea party hosted by a tap-dancing Mad Hatter (Edson Barbosa) and a slithering Cheshire Cat (whose dismantlement is made possible by a corps of dancer-puppeteers). Indeed, 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' will resonate strongly with those who adore 'Alice' — so much so that Joffrey extended the production to three weekends before it opened. In any case, exploiting its usefulness as a ballet was far overdue. There is much within Wheeldon's zany world for everyone to admire. Very small children may not appreciate some scarier moments, most notably a scene at the Duchess' house, in which viewers quite literally see how the sausage gets made. The brutish Duchess (Dylan Gutierrez) and her ax-wielding cook (Lucia Connolly) contribute some of the night's most, um, salient imagery. The pair of them (along with henchmen Valentino Moneglia Zamora, Hyuma Kiyosawa and Xavier Núñez) are terrifically terrifying. 'Alice's' third and final act is devoted almost wholly to the search for who stole the Queen of Hearts' tart. It begins with a game of croquet, played with bendy flamingoes on pointe as the mallets, striking adorable summersaulting hedgehogs. This not-so-regal realm, ruled by prima ballerina Victoria Jaiani as supreme leader, embarks on a tribunal when it's uncovered that the Knave of Hearts — a two-eyed Jack danced by the princely Alberto Velazquez — is most likely the offender and about to lose his head. Hilarity ensues. As hard as it will be to peel your eyes from Jaiani, every once in a while, be sure to glimpse her ridiculous King (marking David Gombert's glorious return to the Joffrey stage 15 years after retirement). There are tender moments, too, particularly in a satisfyingly sweet duet for Assucena and Velazquez as Alice tries to accept the blame in tart-gate. She eventually prevails, if only by waking up back in Oxford. If there's a lesson to be learned from 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' it might be that taking the blame for your boyfriend's impropriety could turn out poorly. That, and vindictive, power-hungry leaders whose kingdoms are built on a literal house of cards are not likely to succeed. Cleverly, 'Alice' borrows hallmarks from the ballets of Carroll's time, winking at canonical works like 'The Nutcracker,' 'Sleeping Beauty' and 'Cinderella.' There's a waltz of flowers; a for our protagonist and her scrappy love interest; a hilariously satirized 'Rose Adagio' for the Queen of Hearts and four suitors (in this case, hearts and clubs); and a shirtless, hookah-smoking sultan-turned-Caterpillar (Jonathan Dole) performing a seductive take on 'the worm' with a quartet of scantily clad temple women. I'm pretty sure we didn't need that last one when 'Alice' premiered in London in 2011, and I'm certain we don't need it in 2025 — though I'll take the cameo of academy kids as sparkly pointe-shoed caterpillar legs all day, every day, plus Sunday. To be clear, such tongue-and-cheek references now to 19th century ballet are generally welcome and especially fun for those who see the parallels — perhaps even more so to those familiar with Wheeldon's catalog, too, which includes Joffrey's nearly decade-old 'Nutcracker.' In some instances, that ballet and this one parrot one another; Wheeldon went so far as to use some of the exact same ideas in his 'Nutcracker's' transformation and snow scenes, further tugging the plot parallels to these two coming-of-age stories set in magical fairy lands that may or may not have all been a dream. But 'Alice's' superpowers, all due respect to 'The Nutcracker,' are its magnificently evocative original score (by Joby Talbot) and Wheeldon's pinpointed attention to detail in every character, masterfully embraced by the Joffrey's excellent dancers, whose full-throttled performances and comedic prowess grab you and hold on for the entirety of this (very, very long) spectacle. Another thing: Wheeldon's imagination could only run this wild in a superbly-crafted Wonderland, made possible through the ingenuity of scenic and costume designer Bob Crowley, lighting designer Natasha Katz, projectionists Jon Driscoll and Gemma Carrington and puppeteer Toby Olié — seamlessly executed by a Joffrey team that, frankly, has never attempted something this big. 'Alice' was originally created for London's Royal Ballet, a company of 100 dancers and nearly 10 times Joffrey's budget. Until Thursday, it had not been performed this side of the Atlantic. Pulling it off was going to be a challenge. But they did. And Wonderland turned out to be a risk that will pay off in Joffrey Ballet presents 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' (4 stars) When: Through June 22 Where: Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive Running time: 2 hours, 50 minutes with 2 intermissions Tickets: $45-$233 at 312-386-8905 and
New York Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Herbert Migdoll, Joffrey Ballet Photographer for Half a Century, Dies at 90
Herbert Migdoll, the official photographer and designer of the Joffrey Ballet for about half a century, who was admired for capturing the flight of its dancers with his lens, died on April 19 in the Bronx. He was 90. His death, in a hospital, was announced by the Joffrey Ballet on its Facebook page and confirmed by his assistant, Joseph Rivera. Mr. Migdoll's images of the Chicago-based Joffrey Ballet's dancers helped cement its artistic reputation from the time he joined the company, in 1968, until he retired, in 2016. He eventually became the Joffrey's graphics director as well, helping to design posters and sets for such notable productions as 'Billboards,' a 1993 ballet set to the music of Prince. Simultaneously, he served as the art director of Dance Magazine, where he was responsible for dozens of covers from the 1970s through the '90s. In a tribute on its Instagram page, the magazine described him as a visionary. The Joffrey, in its own tribute, called Mr. Migdoll 'an extraordinary artist whose vision and photography captured the evolving story of the Joffrey Ballet for more than five decades.' That photography appeared in The New York Times and Life magazine, among other publications. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Chicago Tribune
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Dance for summer 2025: Our top 10 includes ‘Superbloom' at Botanic Gardens, tap and a super Joffrey premiere
This is a rare summer dance guide, in that most selections are surprisingly indoors! To be clear, there are a lot of chances to see dance if you want to, including all Chicago Dance Month has to offer — not to mention the ever-popular SummerDance lessons in Grant Park ( and the stalwart Dance in the Parks series ( at Chicago Park District locations all over the city. But more companies chose to extend their seasons into the warm months this year, including the Joffrey Ballet in a much-anticipated new ballet. That's just one of many air-conditioned options. A crash course: June is Chicago Dance Month, with multiple chances to see pop-up performances in all sorts of styles and learn a few moves. On Wednesday evenings, pre-fireworks dance lessons on Navy Pier include instruction in Bollywood, swing, footwork and hip hop. The Pier also has mini-performances on Saturdays from 4-5 p.m. And there are two chances to see a progressive dinner-styled outdoor dance show with companies tucked in nooks and crannies of Palmisano Park in Bridgeport. Different line-ups appear on June 17 and 24, so you may as well see both. For the love of tap: New York scooped up tap dancer Sterling Harris — unsurprising to those who have ever seen him dance — but he returns home often to continue working with M.A.D.D. Rhythms and Chicago Tap Theatre. The latter's final show of the year, 'For All We Know,' devised by Harris with original music by trombonist Emma Blau, is based on bell hooks' 'All About Love,' with tap dance as the vehicle for love and understanding. Joffrey ventures beyond the looking glass: If you thought Pea Town was wild, just wait. In what could very likely be their most ambitious production yet, the Joffrey Ballet is the first American company to tackle 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland,' by Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon (who also made Joffrey's 'Nutcracker'). All of Lewis Carroll's beloved characters are there: the Queen of Hearts, the Cheshire Cat and a tap-dancing Mad Hatter among them. Cerqua Rivera's greatest hits: The only non-negotiable for this ever-evolving contemporary troupe is their commitment to presenting dance with live, original music. For their latest concert series, artistic director Wilfredo Rivera revisits parts of his best work, 'American Catracho,' tapping into his personal story as an immigrant from Honduras. A newer piece is a variation on that theme, celebrating the Latin diaspora. Returning works by former Hubbard Street dancer Shannon Alvis and Ballet Hispanico's Michelle Manzanales complete the evening. Last call for Links Hall: As their final performance series, Links Hall fittingly presents one last showcase highlighting artists from the Co-MISSION program. Launched in 2017 as a reimagination of the long-running LinkUP program, the low-stakes residency grants artists space and time to let their imaginations run wild. For its final installment, those imaginations include several works exploring memory, ancestry and personal identities. On June 28, they'll host a send-off inviting Links lovers to celebrate its sunset. Something new — for the last four decades: Since 1983, Chicago's off-contract and freelance dancers have come together to create new dances (that's what it's called: New Dances), more recently as a joint project of Thodos Dance Chicago and DanceWorks Chicago. It's reliably good, and often a platform for emerging choreographers to get their feet wet with a top-shelf crop of performers. 'Superbloom' at the garden: Premiered as a one-night-only performance at the Harris Theater in 2023, The Seldoms brings back their high-definition, full-color ode to rare wildflower events — this time in a poetic locale. For the pre-show, a group of 30 dancers will give pop-up performances on the Botanic Garden's Esplanade — that part is free with garden admission. Dancing with the stars: Chicago Human Rhythm Project's landmark tap dance festival, Rhythm World, now 35 years young, gathers heavy hitters from across the globe for workshops and, lucky us, a few public performances. Opening night at the Jazz Showcase is a personal favorite, and this year, that includes a full 30-minute set from artistic director Jumaane Taylor in a rangy improvisation of swing and hard bop. Additional shows at the DuSable Museum and Studebaker Theater feature solos from legends Jimmy Payne Jr., Mr. Taps, Reggio the Hoofer and Dianne Walker, as well as second-generation favorites of the festival: Jason Janas, Christina Carminucci and Cartier Williams among them. Another treat: a new choreographed work from frequent flyer Sarah Savelli celebrating what would have been Canadian jazz master Oscar Peterson's 100th birthday. Not just a fundraiser: Sure, the primary objective of the annual Dance for Life gala is to raise funds for Chicago dancers with critical health needs. It's also an opportunity to catch a terrific all-Chicago line-up including the Joffrey Ballet, Giordano Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theatre, Chicago Tap All-Stars, Trinity Irish Dance Company and more. Among the more is Aerial Dance Chicago, in their first-ever appearance at Dance for Life, plus a heart-pounding, feel-good finale created by Hubbard Street's rehearsal director, Jonathan Alsberry. Biographies in motion: Four Chicago area women draw from their personal histories for BIOS Project, with danced stories of strength and resilience, composed by the women themselves: Silvita Diaz Brown, Jasmine Getz, Rachel Hutsell and Jenni Richards. It's a departure from suburban company Ballet 5:8's typical repertoire, which leans heavily on Biblical tales often told through full-length, narrative ballets by artistic director Julianna Rubio Slager — a sign of what's to come with more commissioned works on the docket for next season. .
Chicago Tribune
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Column: Next weekend, a confluence of dance events you definitely should see
Three upcoming, monumental dance events, all with deep ties to Chicago, are on a collision course with your calendar. But it is possible to see the Joffrey Ballet, Twyla Tharp and Parsons Dance next weekend — and you should. Parsons Dance David Parsons launched his dance company in 1985. Three years later, he opened the season at Columbia College Chicago. 'For some reason, they gave us a white limousine,' Parsons said in a recent phone interview. 'I remember that gig. And I've done a lot of gigs.' Born in Rockford and raised in Kansas City, Parsons credits Chicago with putting wind in the sails of a company that went on to international acclaim. 'Chicago is a major city in the United States,' he said. 'You start getting that stuff on your resume, it's the Good Housekeeping seal of approval. You're on your way.' Since the city's early endorsement, Parsons Dance has toured 30 countries and five continents, but it has been 30 years since Parsons Dance has been back. That changes on April 12, when they perform for one night only at the Auditorium. Howell Binkley, Parsons Dance co-founder and lighting designer, is prominently featured, lighting all but two of the pieces on the program. Binkley died in 2020; among his many accolades are two Tony Awards for 'Jersey Boys' and 'Hamilton.' 'He lit every work I did,' Parsons said of Binkley, beginning with 'Caught' in 1982. 'Lighting is my muse. Light is the thing that gets me going.' Parsons was dancing with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the time. 'Caught' uses a flashbulb effect to catch its single dancer in mid-air, and has become a signature work of the company. 'If I didn't do 'Caught,' I wouldn't be talking to you today,' he said. 'It's just one of those things.' The piece is second to last on Saturday's program, which opens and closes with ensemble works from the aughts: 'Wolfgang,' an homage to ballet set to the soundtrack from 'Amadeus,' and 'Shining Star,' set to music by Earth, Wind & Fire. A newer tour de force, 'Balance of Power' (2020), and an older one, 'Nascimento' (1990), complete the bill's repertory by Parsons, with the 2024 work 'Juke,' by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater resident choreographer Jamar Roberts, completing the program. 7:30 p.m. April 12 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Ida B. Wells Drive; tickets $30-$120 at 312-341-2300 and Twyla Tharp Dance Twyla Tharp Dance hasn't been here in a while, either, not since her 2017 lecture demonstration on some of her earliest works called 'Minimalism and Me' visited the Museum of Contemporary Art. Now, Tharp brings something brand new to the Harris Theater as part of her company's 60 th anniversary season. 'Slacktide,' which premiered last year, is set to music by Philip Glass, realized and played on stage live by Third Coast Percussion and Constance Volk, all from Chicago. 'The Glass is a piece of music I've admired for a while in a different format,' Tharp said. 'When I was introduced to Third Coast and saw that they could make something old new again—that was very attractive.' It's the first time Tharp has used the composer's music since 'In the Upper Room,' which premiered in 1986 at Ravinia Festival before it had a title. Tribune critic Richard Christiansen called it a 'breathtaking, big buster of a dance.' Indeed, 'In the Upper Room' has long been considered one of Tharp's greatest dances. 'Slacktide' begins where it left off. The front half of the program is taken up by Tharp's 1998 work 'Diabelli,' set to Beethoven's theme and variations of the same name. 'Theme and variation is a natural form, in that it makes a statement and then it examines the breadth, depth and issues around the theme,' she said, 'which provides a natural dramatic unity. It's both contrast and similarity, and that's a very attractive thing.' Tharp wrote a theme 'as simple and useful' as composer Anton Diabelli wrote for Beethoven, took it apart, examined it, and put it back together every which way. Unlike Mozart's one-upping of Antonio Salieri in the film 'Amadeus' (which Tharp choreographed), Beethoven wasn't cynical in his approach, she said. 'There is a lot of humor,' she said. 'He does do parodies. But he's always respectful of the material.' She's talking about Beethoven, but the sentiment is easily extrapolated to Tharp's decades of dancemaking. 'The juxtaposition of what's old and what's new is always a pretty thorny problem,' she said. 'It becomes kind of meaningless: Old, new, used or not used, A.I., fresh, original — all things that I've always had a kind of sense of the mortality of this concept.' April 10-12 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph St.; tickets $74-$225 at 312-334-7777 and CSO x Joffrey Ballet Lest you think that's enough dance for one weekend, don't sleep on the Joffrey Ballet's two world premieres performed alongside the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Harry Bicket. It is the third such collaboration — an unconventional challenge involving an assigned piece of music and an atypical dance space on the CSO's home turf. At first, Joffrey rehearsal director Nicolas Blanc was taken aback by his selection: Darius Milhaud's 'Le Boeuf sur le Toit' (literally translated from French to mean 'the cow on the roof'). 'Despite the fact that it's written by a French composer, I didn't know the piece,' said Blanc, a Frenchman himself. 'To be frank, when I listened to the piece, I thought, this is really fun, but I'm not sure it's corresponding to my personality. I've been more doing serious works like ' Under the Trees Voices,' more nostalgic, more lyrical. It became a lot of fun, actually, to do my research.' The result is 'Les Boeufoons' (pronounced like 'buffoons, a theatrical tribute to the piece's origin story. Milhaud intended 'Le Boeuf' to be incidental music in a Charlie Chaplin film. Chaplin didn't want it. Neither did Serge Diaghilev, the impresario overseeing the wildly popular Ballet Russes in 1920s Paris. Choreographer Jean Cocteau, who had pitched 'Le Boeuf sur le Toit,' premiered his ballet without Diaghilev's help. Blanc employs references to Cocteau, the famous Ballet Russes ballet 'Parade' and the haute couture of the era. It's fun and hedges on ridiculous, without crossing the line into farce. That is miles away from Amy Hall Garner's work 'Second Nature' with visualizes music by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, an American composer whose connection to dance is concretized in the score to Alvin Ailey's 'For Bird with Love.' For Blanc, it's been a welcome project that has pushed him outside his comfort zone — particularly with dancers he sees every day. 'I'm really excited this project is happening,' he said. 'It's not been easy to conceive. I'm hoping all my hours of research and thinking and brainstorming are fruitful for what's going to be presented to the audience. But I do think that in the particular context we live in at the moment, a lighthearted piece is very welcome.' April 10-13 at Symphony Center, 220 S. Michigan Ave.; tickets $55-$399 at 312-294-3000 and Also of note: In her newest piece, Praize Productions artistic director Enneréssa LaNette Davis suggests a slow-down in this work-obsessed chaotic world. Called 'Complexions,' the multi-disciplinary piece features dance made by Davis, former Deeply Rooted Dance Theater co-founder Kevin Iega Jeff and two former powerhouse Chicago dancers, Dominique (Atwood) Hamilton and Monique Haley, who have found their choreographic sea legs since leaving the stage. Musicians Junius Paul and Isaiah Collier join for the multimedia performance.
Chicago Tribune
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
After leaving ‘dream job,' Burr Ridge pianist restores century-old church in Lemont
Ausrele Stoniene admitted that she had her dream job as the pianist at Chicago's Joffrey Ballet. So how did the Burr Ridge resident wind up as the pastor of a 100-year-old church in Lisle? She can only attribute that to divine intervention. 'In 2013, I talked to God in my car,' Stoniene said. 'He asked me, 'Can you help me to build my kingdom?' I started to question my lifestyle; my purpose in my life.' Even though she didn't want to leave the job she loved at the Joffrey, Stoniene quit, deciding that her purpose was to serve God. She just had to find a way to do that. Stoniene and her husband had moved from their native country Lithuania to the United States with their two children in 2000. She was inspired to come here because her grandfather had lived in America at one time and spoke highly of the country. 'He planted that seed,' Stoniene said. She has lived in Burr Ridge for more than 20 years. Stoniene had been a pianist in Lithuania, where she earned a master's degree in piano performance. 'I never even dreamed that I'd be able to play and work as a pianist here,' she said. She began working at a ballet school when a teacher from Columbia College recruited her to work at that school accompanying dancers as they rehearsed and performed. Then, when the Joffrey Ballet opened a studio in Chicago, Stoniene competed for a position as their pianist, and got the job. She rehearsed and performed with the company. 'I was so excited,' Stoniene declared. 'I was absolutely amazed how I was blessed. It was the best time of my life.' Then she had that conversation with God. 'I left my dream job to become a servant for God,' Stoniene said. Initially, Stoniene began praying with people. 'There are so many people who really need help,' she said. 'I dreamed that one day we will purchase a church.' Then she discovered that 100-year-old building in Lemont that had been a church. In 2020, she convinced the owners to reduce the price if she promised that it would be used as a church. The building was in very bad condition. It didn't have water, electricity, or bathrooms. With the help of family members and friends, Stoniene spent four years restoring the church. While she worked on restoring the building, Stoniene prepared herself for the role of pastor by earning bachelor and master degrees in ministry from King Jesus University in Miami, Florida. Stoniene opened Glory House International on March 3, 2024. 'I am so glad that I can restore this old building and give to the American people something back,' Stoniene said. The grandmother of seven added that she wants to leave something for her grandchildren so they will understand the value of giving. Stoniene holds services at Glory House international, 1361 State St., on Sundays at 9:30 a.m. in English and at 12:30 p.m. in Lithuanian. There are prayer meetings on Mondays at 7:30 p.m. There are also sessions for families and couples.
