Happy New Year 2008!

Happy New Year to all you Blog Readers.
This is our excellent New Year Card from The Joffrey that Herb Potzus Designed, enjoy!

Happy Holidays!

Once the dancers leave the stage and the crew takes care of any last minute work, the theater lights go off; Except for one light that is left on the stage to symbolize the fact that the theater is not dark. Happy Holidays blog-readers!

Cellphotos Backstage

The snow wands, backstage. Below is a sticker on the stage managers calling station.

metapost: Backstage Cellphotos

Took some photos yesterday with my cellphone.


(left) The Snow Scene ends. (right) Emily Patterson and Mauro Villanueva prepare to make their curtain call after the show.

Sorry to all the readers, posting has been affected by the holidays. Bear with us, and happy holidays!

Victoria Jaiani and Fabrice Calmels on WGN

for those of you who missed it on TV. Enjoy! (you have to watch a short commercial first...)

The Snowbag!

Snow bag adjustments backstage.

Backstage, The Nutcracker

Crew adjusting snow bags and lights for the show tonight.

The Nutcracker: Opening Night & Family Dinner

The 20th Anniversary of Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker kicked off on Wednesday evening with the 7th annual Opening Night & Family Dinner. Co-chaired by Sandra Deromedi and Shawna Owen, with sponsors including Bank of America, Macy's, and Merrick Ventures, and Mrs. Patti Gerber, the Dinner turned the Chicago Club into a Winter Wonderland, complete with treats (Hershey’s Kisses and snow covered cupcakes), musicians, and entertainment. Everywhere you turned, there was something going on: Elves with Christmas trivia (did you know Mrs. Claus’ first name is “Jessica”? I didn't either, but one of the elves said it, so it must be true...), a Mouse King Magician, Tight Rope Walkers and Toy Soldier jugglers. There was also a very special visit from Santa (who expressed a request for whole milk and chocolate chip cookies this year!) and Mrs. Claus

After dinner, guests proceeded to the Auditorium Theater to watch the opening night performance, which the Chicago Tribune called “a magical concoction of fireside warmth, battling giant mice, snowy winter landscapes and invigorating dance..."

The Nutcracker = Amazing

Dr. Drosselmeyer (Michael Smith) entertains at the party.

Amazing, lovely, wonderful show last night. Many congratulations to all the artists, stagehands, wardrobe crew, staff and audience members who made our opening night performance absolutely spectacular. Huzza! Enjoy some photos by myself and Herbert Migdoll.


Emily Patterson and Thomas Nicholas in Coffee from Arabia (above and below)



(left) Emily Patterson and Thomas Nicholas looking fabulous (right) Anastacia Holden in an amazing position during Tea From China


Sugar Plum Fairy Valerie Robin and Nutcracker Prince Fabrice Calmels


Michael Smith as Dr. Drosselmeyer presents The Nutcracker to Heather Aagard as Clara


Valerie Robin and Fabrice Calmels during their Pas de Deux. It was superb.


(left) Valerie Robin looking lovely. (right) Houston Thomas as one of the Polichinelles jumps what looks like 10 feet!

The Nutcracker, Opening Night

Stagehands prepair the stage for the performance at The Auditorium Theatre tonight.

Nutcracker Rehearsals

More rehearsals from the studio. Actually today the company is on the stage of the Auditorium Theatre rehearsing, getting ready for opening night tomorrow!

video will be back up shortly. sorry for the wait.

Above is some video from a marzipan shepherdesses rehearsal at the studios, from November 30th. The dancers rehearsing are Megan Quiroz (white skirt), Jennifer Goodman (white belt), and Stacia Holden (pink top). Behind them and in front are other dancers marking the movements.

Nutcracker Rehearsal, Snow Pas

Joffrey Dancers Victoria Jaiani and Brian McSween Rehearse a section of the Snow Pas from The Nutcracker at the Studios. Video taped November 30th 2007.

video will be back up shortly. sorry for the wait.

enjoy!

In other news, some past and present members of the Administration staff got together last Friday at the Elephant & Castle across the street from 70 East Lake Street. It was great to see everyone again, all the best to you!

Debutante Diaries - Part II

October 10th, 2007

Obviously, yesterday’s presentation went over very well. Both the Principal and teacher coordinator stayed for the whole class and were very impressed with my class management. For my part, I am happy to be working with a group of such invested and attentive students. After reviewing the syllabus with the students, the boys or escorts decided that they wanted to be a part of the whole course. I will have to make some slight changes to the syllabus and choose another book for them to read (I am considering Barak Obama’s Autobiography). I don’t think my guys would be especially interested in The Blueprint for My Girls by Yasmin Shiraz.

Still new on my job as ECE manager I have been taking he time to read through our educational programming. While it is obvious that dance training develops grace and composure, what is not always apparent to the audience are the internal changes that take place within students studying dance. Students in these learning environments develop life skills like respect, confidence, teamwork and responsibility. Almost all of our educational programs explicitly develop these skills and they are certainly what my young adults need. This week we are focusing on “life skills”. Today we practiced “Active Listening” as a form of respect. Prompted a beautifully illustrated deck of inspirational cards, by author Tavis Smiley, I divided students into groups of three and asked them to share personal experiences that were tied to the themes of motivation, fear, empowerment, focus, practice and originality on the cards. Coming back to center of the auditorium where we meet, the students shared striking stories of their peers which demonstrated their active listening, gave validity inspirational messages on the cards and tied beautifully into our discussion of character.

I then treated the students to a power point presentation on the Great Migration and History of Debutante balls in Chicago. While the students were already familiar with the great migration, I don’t think they had ever considered the cultural contributions of their southern ancestors. We talked at length about elitism, class, and culture. I formed the first of many small task forces and gave them the assignment of improving my power point with photos I am sure they will be able to research using the internet.

October 15th 2007

Today we continued our exploration of character, specifically confidence. I brought the students on stage, formed a circle and led them through locomotor (traveling) and non-locomotor (stationary) movement. I then introduced my tried and true “name game”. Students were asked to come up with a non-locomotor series of gestures to match the number of syllables in their name. I introduced more dance content as I assisted students in refining their gestures with range, direction, level and emphasis. Students were then asked to confidently share their new “name” with the class. The students really enjoyed the next step of non-verbal “call and response” that took not only confidence but concentration. As we stood silently in a circle I first did my gesture and then called another student by dong their gesture. In response they repeated their name and then “called” someone else. I tried to point out that this type of “dialogue” is seen in Jazz, poetry and other African American aesthetic practices, but I think I went over their heads. I still think it’s better to have higher expectations than lower ones.

Students practiced standing confidently in our “dance ready” position as I introduced them to basic salsa steps. All the students are amazingly familiar with ballroom dance styles thanks to new the show “Dancing with the Stars.” Salsa, I hoped, was a relatively easy introduction to Latin dance rather than the more sophisticated Ballroom styles like Rumba and Tango. The African influence in the music made for an interesting cultural point. It took confidence for the students to be paired and dance together, heads up and bodies erect, but they got the hang of it (see photo). For homework, I asked the students to choreograph (create) steps taking up 16 counts of music for next class.

October 17th 2007
The kids are really excited about the Salsa. The moves they created are complex and honestly more challenging than steps I would have made up for them. Rule one of good teaching: Meet your students where they are. Rule two: Create a classroom community. The students had a very strong reaction when I told them I had grown up right around the corner on 71st Street. Suddenly I was one of them, a soul sister and on the inside. I felt the way they looked at me change. I became familiar. Without familiarity it is difficult to inspire trust; without trust it is difficult to build community; without a sense community it is difficult maintain a learning environment.

Today I put the students into small groups of four and five and asked them to combine their steps into a single group phrase. Taking turns teaching and learning the steps, in their struggles, laughter and teasing, they were building community. Next week we will extend the activity and combine the phrases into one dance.

October 22nd, 2007

This week we are working on “Cultural Awareness.” To start, I sent students into their small groups and asked them to get to know each other better by sharing cultural traditions which make their families unique. I reminded them about the “Active Listening” activity we did last week and let them know they would be responsible for sharing the stories of their peers that really stood out to them. That modification helps keep a reign on open discussions in such a large group as only a few students share really interesting stories. I used their examples of home remedies, holiday dishes and traditions as a spring board for a short lecture on culture. I pointed out several southern traditions that were brought to Chicago during the Great Migration like “fried green tomatoes” and Bottle Trees (see photo).

The City of Muse and Mayhem

Our performance schedule in St. Louis has six shows, and as we come near an end, the company performs more often. Even though our time currently is mostly devoted to the production and theater, I was able to break off and head over to the well-known City Museum of St. Louis. It came to us highly recommended by Michael Uthoff, who we thank for presenting us here in St. Louis. He is a former member of Joffrey Ballet, and currently is Executive and Artistic Director of Dance St. Louis.


It's a very interactive museum, and extremely eclectic and unique. Originally a shoe factory that currently is a welcoming place for the imagination of children and adults alike. Since I had only a couple of hours to spend there, I look forward to going back. My time there was early in the morning before the scores of children came on their field trips and with their parents. There are four floors, with little cafes located in three. The imagination and creation of the place is really jaw dropping. It truly makes each person experience things and emotions they may not have in ages or ever. Point being…check it out if you find yourself in St. Louis!

From Class/Rehearsal

Photo taken by Joffrey Dancer Temur Suluashvili, from company class or rehearsal, of Artistic Director Ashley Wheater. Thanks Temur, nice photo!

Jen and the Amazing Technicolor Ultra-Sound

Beginning the spotlight on our loved Joffrey staff, we focus on PT. As a new dancer, one may not know their names or often see them much, but as years are spent dancing, some good friends are our PT staff. At times, after rolling out of bed and into the theater, the first stop with coffee, tea, or water in hand, is to that room with the sign on the door that reads physical therapy. In that room a dancer can find a member from AthletiCo staff ready to work and put our bodies back in place. On our tour currently, and on many others, Jen Janowski joins us. Let me tell you, she and the other staff, including Julie O’Connell and Katie Lemon become our support system!

Jen Janowski, A Chicago native, she attended school at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WS. There she received her Masters of Physical Therapy, and also a Bachelor in Sociology and Minor in Dance. Her hobbies include dancing with a hip-hop group and she also is a long distance runner. She has completed seven marathons, including Chicago four times, Boston twice, and also Philadelphia. She is currently training for the Miami marathon that takes place in January. Interest in traveling and her desire to learn new things keeps Jen moving, although her Pug Chihuahua, Roxy, brings her home. Etc. etc. etc…

Goodmornin' Goodmornin' Goodmornin'

Up we go and out of the enchanted train station to the bus. It was a late and exciting night for the company last night with opening night of the 20th Anniversary of the Joffrey Nutcracker. Not only are we celebrating, but also the Fox Theater for their 25th Anniversary since re-opening and renovations.


Today’s schedule includes class on stage and then a two-hour rehearsal. Due to certain rules we basically have a studio rehearsal on stage meaning, pianist Paul Lewis and all the pretty dancers in light colors. It is pretty quite without the wardrobe crew and also our dear production crew. I will be featuring each of our behind the scenes “teams” in future blogs! Why, who is that stunning dancer with his leg up on the bar? Oh of course, that is Greg Stuart, our leading company manager!




P.S. I found a mural of the Joffrey Ballet when they came in 2001. It was painted by Jeff Kolack and Keith Prisco. It is a picture of half of two dancers faces which were Mia Wilkins and Guoping Wang. I believe that the picture was originally from the ballet Le Pressage, but the company at the time performed Lilac Garden, Creative Force, and Le Pressage.


[update from Sasha in Chicago: Hey i found the original poster that the wall painting was based on! It was made by Herbert Migdoll. Joanna was right about the people in it (Maia and Guoping), and it was from 2001.The rep that is listed is Cranko's Taming of The Shrew, then the next program is Arpino's Viva Vivaldi, Tudor's Lilac Garden (we perform that one again this winter), and Massine's Les Présages.]

The Intersection of Art and History

Our third day in St. Louis is now coming to an end and the dancers are of getting dinner and rest. We began early today having class in the Arts and Letters building, using the Dance St. Louis studios the generously brought the company here to perform. Since our company is bigger then small, we had separate men and women’s classes. Ashley Wheater taught these. It was not only a pleasure to for him to teach but also for the dancers to take class. After we headed back to the beautiful and historical Fox Theater. As a dancer although you may not perform the lead role in every show, but the opportunity to perform on various stages in amazing theaters is very rewarding.



Many of the dancers sat in awe and stared out into the empty seats and took in the details of our surroundings. Not only is the theater a sight to behold, but also the backstage as we are one of the many companies to grace the stage. The walls of the hallways, doors and dressing rooms, are rainbows of colors and murals of the various companies that have also performed. I have seen this done in other theaters but never to this extent. Not only are there signatures of the performers but walls of logos such Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Tori Amos, Chorus Line, National Ballet of Canada, enough to fill a few pages. Some of these not only are paintings, but also have wigs, tap shoes, point shoes, and other key objects that relate to the performance. After asking around, I believe that the performers paint these, and I really look forward to leaving our fairytale behind.