Joffrey Ballet
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The Joffrey Ballet is both a school, founded in 1952, and a dance company, founded in 1956. From 1995 to 2004, the company was known as The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago. It is one of the foremost ballet companies in the world, and the school is known for producing alumni who later have successful acting careers (e.g. Charlize Theron and Patrick Swayze.). The company regularly performs classical ballets such as Romeo & Juliet and The Nutcracker, while harmoniously balancing those classics with pioneering modern dance pieces. Many prolific choreographers have worked with the Joffrey including Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and George Balanchine, and, of course, the founders, Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey.
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[edit] History
In 1956, a time during which most touring companies performed only reduced versions of ballet classics, Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino formed a highly dynamic and unique six-dancer ensemble that toured the country in a station wagon pulling a U-Haul trailer, performing original ballets that were created by Robert Joffrey. While Joffrey stayed in New York City to teach ballet classes and earn money to pay the dancers' salaries, Gerald Arpino led the troupe across America's heartland. The ensemble's first performance in a major city as the Joffrey Ballet occurred in Chicago in 1957. The Joffrey Ballet originally settled down in New York City, where The Joffrey Ballet School still resides, and later maintained a part-time residence at the Los Angeles Music Center (1982-1992). In 1995, the company left New York City and returned to Chicago to establish a permanent residence. The first several years there were financially arduous for the company, causing them to nearly shut their doors more than once, although recent years have seen a significant revitalization as the performances and school have attracted larger and younger audiences. The Joffrey Ballet has recently celebrated its 10th anniversary season in Chicago (2004-2005), and concluded their very well received two-season long (2005-2006, 2006-2007) 50th Anniversary celebration, a milestone few American ballet companies have enjoyed.
[edit] The Joffrey Today
Currently, the company boasts 46 dancers, and performs their regular October-May season at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago, as well as several domestic and international tours throughout the year. Their repertoire consists of both classical and contemporary pieces, as well as annual December performances of The Nutcracker.
The Joffrey Ballet appeared in the major motion picture Save the Last Dance (2001), when the two protagonists of the story saw the company perform Sea Shadow and Les Presages in Chicago. It was also the subject of Robert Altman's 2003 penultimate film, The Company. This movie stars Malcolm McDowell as the ballet company's artistic director, a character based on Gerald Arpino, and is composed of stories gathered from the actual dancers, choreographers, and office staff of the Joffrey Ballet. Most of the roles are played by real-life company members.
In the summer of 2008, The Joffrey Ballet is scheduled to take possession of their new permanent home, The Joffrey Tower [1] at 8 East Randolph Street in downtown Chicago.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
Anawalt, Sasha. (January 19, 1998). The Joffrey Ballet: Robert Joffrey and the Making of an American Dance Company. Chicago: University Of Chicago Press; Paperback Edition. ISBN-13: 978-0226017556
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