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Anna Karenina, Happiness, and Dance Career Satisfaction

February 18, 2019 by 4dancers

Anna Karenina. Victoria Jaiani, Alberto Velazquez, and Joffrey ensemble. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

by Luis Eduardo Gonzalez

Anna Karenina premiered this past Wednesday at the Auditorium Theatre. The story was originally written by Leo Tolstoy in 1878, and been adapted into various media including opera, film, television, ballet, figure skating and radio drama. Yuri Possokhov took on the task of doing it for himself and as far as I’m concerned excelled. There is always more excitement as well as stress with a world premiere rather than something that has already been choreographed. There are so many aspects to work out in terms of production and seeing what does and doesn’t work on the stage, but what I have found most interesting is the way that Yuri has been able to simplify one of the most nuanced and complicated novels to fit a ballet setting without losing the essence of the story or the message that I think was originally intended by Tolstoy. The clarity that comes with having to simplify a story as nuanced as Tolstoy’s for the sake of something that works on screen or on a stage is that it makes it easier to draw the parallels and, in a way, draw a more profound correlation between the message of the story and life. The beauty of a masterpiece like Anna Karenina is that someone like Tolstoy spent most of his life writing this to articulate his thoughts and social commentary on the world around him. Having read the book, and seen a few of the movies I think specifically for us as dancers there may be more to learn from this story than initially meets the eye.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: Anna Karenina, Anna Karenina Ballet, dance magazine, joffrey ballet, Luis Edwardo Gonzalez, Mark Manson, Mental Health in Dancers, the joffrey, Tolstoy, yuri possokhov

Battling Injury As A Dancer…

February 14, 2017 by 4dancers

Joffrey dancers
Cara Marie Gary with partners Fernando Duarte and Edson Barbosa. Photo credit: Cheryl Mann.

by Cara Marie Gary

My career as a professional dancer has been an incredible journey–and it has taught me many life lessons about discipline, commitment, sacrifice, and patience. Dance has always been my outlet for creativity and expression. I’ve gathered a variety of special moments throughout the years. For example, I still remember the exhilarating feeling I had after nailing my first challenging sequence of fouettes on stage. I’ve been blessed to travel and perform in incredible theaters all over the world, one of my favorite moments was performing at the Kennedy Center as Clara in Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker. I’ve also had stressful hair situations; in Christopher Wheeldon’s rendition of Swan Lake it was choreographed for me to entered the stage with my hair completely down and in a few seconds style it into a french twist that had to last throughout Four Little Swans and the entire ballet! I’ve had crazy things happen at gala performances like music stopping in the middle of a pas de deux and having to exit the stage and start completely over. As a dancer, you learn to be “ready for anything” and to be able to improvise if something doesn’t go exactly the way you rehearsed it.

However, what I wasn’t prepared for was an injury. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 4dancers Tagged With: cara marie gary, dance injury, dancer injury, joffrey, physical therapist, physical therapy, physical therapy exercises, professional dancer, rehabilitation, the joffrey, the joffrey ballet

Joffrey Ballet’s “Human Landscapes” Program Connects

October 18, 2012 by 4dancers

by Catherine L. Tully

The Joffrey Ballet’s 2012-2013 season opened Wednesday evening with a mixed repertory program aptly titled “Human Landscapes”. Forgotten Land, Pretty BALLET and The Green Table were offered to the audience at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre, along with a live orchestra to accompany the three works.

Christine Rocas & Rory Hohenstein in Forgotten Land, photo by Herbert Migdoll

With its simple set and dancers clothed primarily in earth tones and varying shades of red, Jirí Kylián’s Forgotten Land opened the program for the evening. Set to music by Benjamin Britten, the contribution that the musicians and conductor Scott Speck made to the atmosphere was immediately apparent. As dancers whirled across the stage in what seemed an endless series of lifts, the music punctuated both the timing–as well as the tone of the piece. Performed confidently by the 12 dancers with the exception of a few minor timing issues, it was a surprise to learn that the piece hasn’t been done by the company since 1985.

joffrey ballet
Pretty BALLET, photo by Herbert Migdoll

Next was Pretty BALLET by James Kudelka, which opened with Victoria Jaiani held in a striking, if unusual pose–high above the head of partner Miguel Angel Blanco. With white fog blanketing the stage, the simple, dream-like scene was interrupted visually by a pair of bright red pointe shoes.

The contrast of effortless beauty and diligent work is explored throughout this piece–both concepts dear to the very heart of ballet as an art form. Denis Lavoie’s fragile-looking white skirts lend a magical quality to the stage, while the plain gray tights and shirts worn by the men seem to depict the repetition, labor and practice involved in perfecting ballet movements.

Highlights from the four movements in Pretty BALLET included a magnificent pas de deux, which featured Jaiani and Blanco, and a complex and extremely well-executed sequence for five men, performed by Derrick Agnoletti, Raul Casasola, John Mark Giragosian, Graham Maverick and Ricardo Santos. The music by Bohuslav Martinu˚ was brought to life by The Chicago Philharmonic, adding significantly to the overall impact of the piece.

The Joffrey Ballet performing The Green Table, photo by Herbert Migdoll

Always last on the program (by the specific request of choreographer Kurt Jooss) is The Green Table, a ballet that is interwoven with the very history of the Joffrey itself. Originally choreographed in 1932, the Joffrey was the first American company to perform this German Expressionist work–years later in 1967. A commentary on the fruitlessness of war, it is a powerful piece illuminated by costuming, gesture, music and nuance.

The ballet opens and ends with a group of diplomats who are gathered around a large green table. Clad in wonderfully crafted masks created by Hermann Markard, this is a political gathering that could be taking place anywhere–at any time. At the outset of the ballet, negotiation gives way to argument and the scene helps to set the stage for what is to come; battles, war, and eventually, death.

Fabrice Calmels & Anastacia Holden in The Green Table, photo by Herbert Migdoll

Death is a strong character in this ballet, and it seems as if dancer Fabrice Calmels was born to play this role. With his large frame costumed in frightening skeletal imagery the mere sight of him is imposing, whether he is marking time before he collects the next body or is claiming someone from the battle ground of war. Other standout performances include April Daly as The Old Mother and Temur Suluashvili who seemed to have boundless energy as The Profiteer.

The costuming by Hein Heckroth certainly adds to the haunting atmosphere of this ballet–especially since the scenery is, for the most part, absent. Frederick A. Cohen’s music gives the choreography another dimension, especially because of the dual piano work of Paul James Lewis and Mungunchimeg Buriad, which was incredibly powerful.

The entire company danced well here, and there were many strong characterizations and striking moments. As a ballet, The Green Table is only as good as the care taken to preserve its symbolism and structure, and that was done with a wonderful attention to detail by the Joffrey Ballet at all levels.

It connects.

“Human Landscapes” is at the Auditorium Theatre through October 28th.

 

 

Filed Under: 4dancers, Reviews Tagged With: april daly, auditorium theatre, Ballet, chicago philharmonic, denis lavoie, fabrice calmels, forgotten land, human landscapes, james kudelka, Jiří Kylián, kurt jooss, miguel angel blanco, pretty ballet, scott speck, the green table, the joffrey, victoria jaiani

Photographing The Joffrey Ballet

August 31, 2012 by 4dancers

by Christopher Duggan

Derrick Agnoletti of The Joffrey Ballet in Son of Chamber Symphony; photo Christopher Duggan, courtesy Jacob’s Pillow Dance.

Last week marked the end of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival’s 80th Anniversary, and I found myself scrambling from one dress rehearsal to the other trying to squeeze in documentation of both main stage performances. I was so excited/nostalgic about the fact that this is the last week of the summer, and I wanted to capture it all.

Victoria Jaiani and Miguel Angel Blanco of The Joffrey Ballet in Son of Chamber Symphony; photo Christopher Duggan, courtesy Jacob’s Pillow Dance.”

I loved The Joffrey Ballet‘s program. They danced Bells by former Bolshoi Ballet dancer and San Francisco Ballet choreographer Yuri Possokhov, Age of Innocence by Edwaard Liang, and Son of Chamber Symphony, a world premiere by Stanton Welch. It’s always exciting to photograph a world premiere. My photos will be the first ones showcasing the new dance, and it makes me nervous and psyched.

Victoria Jaiani and Miguel Angel Blanco of The Joffrey Ballet in Son of Chamber Symphony; photo Christopher Duggan, courtesy Jacob’s Pillow Dance.

This idea is amplified at Jacob’s Pillow where world-renowned companies perform on a world stage. It’s a big deal to premiere work at the Pillow. All eyes are here. I knew the company wanted approval of the images before they were given to the press, so I wanted to be sure I delivered both quality and quantity. I made a larger number of photographs than I typically do at dress rehearsal, and prepared and edited the photos for use within hours. It’s a lot of pressure to photograph for press use, but it’s something I’ve grown used to in the fast-paced world of performance documentation.

I had a great time with The Joffrey. The dancers were so talented, and the tutus in Stanton Welch’s new work were exquisite and especially fun to photograph.

Yumelia Garcia and Matthew Adamczyk of The Joffrey Ballet in Son of Chamber Symphony; photo 2012 Christopher Duggan, courtesy Jacob’s Pillow Dance.

Please visit my blog if you’d like to see more from this year’s festival. I post photos from Jacob’s Pillow each Friday, and I’m doing a few special projects in the coming weeks that I’d love to share.

Christopher Duggan, Photo by Julia Newman

Contributor Christopher Duggan is the founder and principal photographer of Christopher Duggan Photography, a New York City-based wedding and dance photography studio. Duggan has been the Festival Photographer for Jacob’s Pillow Dance since 2006. In this capacity, and as a respected New York-based dance photographer, he has worked with renowned choreographers and performers of international acclaim as well as upstarts in the city’s diverse performance scene.

He has created studio shots of Gallim Dance, Skybetter +  Associates and Zvidance, among others, and in 2011 alone, he has photographed WestFest at Cunningham Studios, Dance From the Heart for Dancers Responding to Aids, The Gotham Dance Festival at The Joyce Theater, and assisted Nel Shelby Productions in filming Vail International Dance Festival.

Duggan often teams up with his talented wife and Pillow videographer Nel Shelby (http://nelshelby.com). A New York City-based husband and wife dance documentation team, they are equipped to document performances, create and edit marketing videos and choreography reels, and much more.

Christopher Duggan Photography also covers Manhattan’s finest wedding venues, the Metropolitan and Tri-State areas, and frequently travels to destination weddings.  The company’s mission is straightforward and heartfelt – create timeless, memorable images of brides, grooms, their families and friends, and capture special moments of shared love, laughter and joy.

His photographs appear in The New York Times, Destination I Do, Photo District News, Boston Globe, Financial Times, Dance Magazine, Munaluchi Bridal, and Bride & Bloom, among other esteemed publications and popular wedding blogs. One of his images of Bruce Springsteen was added to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s celebrated photography collection in 2010. His company has been selected for inclusion in “The Listings” in New York Weddings magazine.

Filed Under: 4dancers, Editorial, Finis Tagged With: bolshoi ballet, christopher duggan, dance photography, Edwaard Liang, jacob's pillow, san francisco ballet, stanton welch, the joffrey, the joffrey ballet, tutus, yuri possokhov

One Dancer’s Journey…Current Day & Memories

January 16, 2012 by 4dancers

Todd Fox is back in the second installment of our feature on “One Dancer’s Journey”…answering questions 2 & 3…if you missed his first post, check it out here…

2. What are you currently doing in the field?

I perform mostly short term or guest artist engagements abroad these days as well as teach master classes at various schools and universities. For the past 13 years I have run my own management agency, Elitedance Artists Management, which continues to collaborate with dance projects and organizations all over the world.

I also oversee the distribution of a retail product I created for ballet dancers called “Balletband” and in the coming months will be introducing a brand new product to the market which I anticipate being popular among student and professional ballet dancers everywhere.

3. Can you share a special or memorable moment from your career?

My career has spanned a little over two decades, it would be difficult to narrow down just one memorable or special moment so here are a few. [Read more…]

Filed Under: One Dancer's Journey Tagged With: balletband, elitedanceartists management, joffrey, joffrey ii, Johannesburg’s Ballet Theatre Afrikan, maia wilkins, martin shonberg, oh calcutta, pennsylvania ballet, the joffrey

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