Joffrey's Affinity Night 10/20/09

Dylan Gutierrez, Yumelia Garcia, Amber Neumann, Tanner Schwartz, Jenny Winton, Kara Zimmerman, & Jaime Hickey. The hostess got cut out.

Tonight, I attended this informative Joffrey event as a benefit for being a series subscriber. Were were treated to the brief "Othello" clip starring Fabrice Calmels, April Daly, Matthew Adamczyk & Aaron Rogers. Then each new member was introduced by our host and sponsor from the Cafe Latino Magazine as followed: Dylan Gutierrez, Yumelia Garcia, Amber Neumann, Tanner Schwartz, Jenny Winton, Kara Zimmerman, and Jaime Hickey. You can sorta tell the dancers under the age of 25 yrs old just by their names alone b/c they're so catchy. The hostess read from scripted questions and then opened the floor up to an audience Q&A where anything from 'what each dancer's dream role would be', 'how they maintain their commitment to the profession', deal with injury', 'came to or heard about the Joffrey Ballet', to their dance backgrounds was discussed.


L-R Jaime, Kara, Amber & Jenny

I was fascinated to hear that Jaime studied Irish step for some years since I love that style, too. Who doesn't remember when the Riverdance phenomenon swept the Nation? Somehow, I hope we get to see that incorporated or blended into one of her performances or on the larger ensemble. Wouldn't that be interesting? Jenny has done a bit of choreographing for ABT II (?) back in NYC and may wish to explore that in her future. When asked about her dream role, she said she enjoys ballets with animals in them, which received a huge laugh from everyone in the room, but what she meant was ballets like Swan Lake or The Firebird. Dylan's mom owns a dance studio in LA so he naturally fell into dance then more specifically ballet under the encouragement of his non-dancer father. He auditioned for the Joffrey one day and was offered a contract right after; to dance as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake is his dream role. Tanner got into ballet after a sports injury [gymnastics] where both his ankles were injured so he used ballet technique to build strength then fell in love with it since it didn't involve being upside down [you had to be there to appreciate that comment]. He, also, has apparently danced as an animal in many roles. We learned that Amber trained in a small studio in South Bend, Indiana then came to audition for the Joffrey one day where she was soon discovered and offered a contract. Amber's dream role would be a work by choreographer, Jiří Kylián; whereas, Kara's would be to have a new work created on her. Yumelia spoke no English when she first immigrated here from Brazil but soon learned that her ballet French would not be enough to get by with so she picked up English in no time at all while living and training with the Milwaukee Ballet; she was the most expressive out of the group and spoke for all as she described her love and passion for dance and life as a dancer. All the dancers expressed their appreciation for how truly demanding their chosen profession is, and how fortunate they were to be hired by a major company. They take nothing for granted and appreciate the tutelage of the more experienced dancers. For now, these young dancers are just happy to be in the Joffrey and be working on their current and upcoming performances like Othello and The Nutcracker. Next 3 lovely new dance portraits were revealed of Dylan, Yumelia, and Miguel Blanco before it was off for cocktails and refreshments in another room.

Another room for hors d'oeuvres

As usual, I attended this event alone b/c my friends are never available for this kinda stuff unless I give them a months notice, it's summertime in Millennium Park or involves Latin/Salsa dance. Where are all the balletomanes in the city? Needless to say, I felt right at home discussing my thoughts and feeling about the Joffrey Ballet and its artists with some of the new artists, older company member, Derrick Agnoletti, and fans over a plate of hors d'oeuvres. How freakin' cool is that! I cannot tell you how lucky I felt to be a part of this evening; however, my thoughts and prayers go out to Mr Miguel Angel Blanco, who could not attend tonight b/c of an injury. May he have a speedy recovery!


This one of the three studios on level 4 of the Joffrey Tower,
The Gerald Arpino Studio.

Joffrey's Othello [2nd cast] 10/17/09 @730p

Alright, so I decided to check out the 2nd cast of Othello, which consisted of newbie, Mr Miguel Angel Blanco as Othello, Mr Mauro Villanueva as Iago, Mr Derrick Agnoletti as Cassio, Ms Victoria Jaiani as Desdemona, Ms Suzanne Lopez as Emilia and Ms Anastacia Holden as Bianca plus ensemble. I'll just cut right to the chase. I preferred cast one because of its higher emotional impact on me. Outside of that, I have to accept what I saw. I still am loyal and will continue to support the Joffrey ballet in future endeavors. The stuff below is just all the nitpicking that I did.

Let me relate an incident that happened just a few hours before this Oct 17th performance. I saw one of the final performances of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" at the famous Court Theater of U of Chicago. The writer's name is August Wilson. The themes dealt with issues and experience of being Black in America during the 1920's. There's a senseless murder at the very end of the play that few of us in the audience saw coming. As a result, I broke into spontaneous tears at the end of the show just after the actors had left the stage. The house was packed and the audience was an even mixture of Whites and Blacks. Many people had spontaneous visceral reactions to the virtuosity of the performers. If you were capable of feeling empathy for the characters then you felt something, but here's a negative review by a blogger. Against my will, I couldn't help the flood of tears b/c of the pain that these characters displayed. I could relate it to my own experiences. You don't need to be Black to relate to the human experience since pain, humiliation and rage is colorless.

When I watch a ballet that has a plot or is based on a famous work of art, especially among someone so prolific as Shakespeare, who based his "Othello" play on another author's work (Giraldo Cintio) because it inspired him, I expect to be moved. I think I just had higher hopes than what these dancers could accomplish on this night. I even felt that the ballet had been miscast. As I saw Thomas Nicholas dancing in the ensemble, I thought his ability to project massive amounts of intensity and passion towards his ballerina would have been perfect for Othello. I thought Mr Agnoletti would have been an ideal Iago mostly b/c of an incident that I experienced with him a few years ago off stage. He is a fabulous technical dancer, and as I've said about him in the past, he always dances like tonight's performance might be his last. He lives for the stage, and it shows in his presentation. The Energizer bunny has got nothing on Derrick, whom I thought brought out a personality in Cassio that I'd never seen before. Well, someone needed to bring something to this ballet b/c I didn't feel it from either Mr Blanco or Mr Villanueva. I'm afraid Mauro could not transcend the image of being a cutie-patooty Prince Charming for me. Sure, he handled the modern dance choreography exceptionally well, but if he has an evil bone in his body, I certainly didn't see or feel it. I had a similar problem with Ms Suzanne Lopez as Iago's complicated wife, Emilia. I still remember her as the awesome Fairy Godmother in "Cinderella," but she just couldn't convince me that she understood Emilia's situation. Also, there was something not quite right in her chemistry and dancing w/Mauro; the choreography didn't sit as well on Ms Lopez.

Then there was Mr Blanco. I think he did the best that he could to be the stately Othello, but he didn't possess any stage presence for me. The brown oil-based face paint didn't help matters and seemed entirely unnecessary. Again, he handled the choreography okay, but I didn't care that he was Othello. I began to wonder if he'd been cast simply because he has a more muscular build than other dancers with the exception of Fabrice Calmels. Now I love Victoria Jaiani, but I only felt her wonderful presence as the ballet was winding down during her duet with Ms Lopez and her final solo variation- there was beauty in motion there. Where was this Ms Jaiani most of the evening? She and Mr Blanco have not had sufficient enough time (3 months maybe?) to form the intimate chemistry and partnership that I felt was missing. For the first time ever, I saw blunders in some of her duets. Mr Blanco put her down several times where it looked like her ankle might have twisted so she had to coupe out. She stumbled once or twice on her own, too, which unfortunately can happen to any dancer.

For me, Ms Holden performed as the sexy seductress brilliantly. She transcended her image as the innocent little "Clara" so big KUDOS to her! I also enjoyed seeing, Ms Edwards, Mr Giragosian, Mr Kitten and two newbies, Ms Neumann & Ms Zimmerman as the Venetian dancers; they were delightful. The rest of the ensemble did another kick-ass job with the choreography. However, without the drama, chemistry, passion, and evilness from the central characters, it feels like watching just another modern dance not "Othello." This ballet and its wonderful music deserves much more, but I respect that this is only my opinion and everyone will experience the ballet differently.

Premiere of Joffrey's Othello 10/14/09

The Joffrey’s Premiere of Othello on Oct 14th was Fantastic! The ballet was conceived and choreographed by Chicago’s own, Mr Lar Lubovitch, whom I think is a genius! The musical score was written by Academy Award winning composer, Elliot Goldenthal. I own the production on DVD as it aired on PBS’s series Great Performances, featuring the incredible Desmond Richardson as Othello, the lovely Yuan Yuan Tan as Desdemona, the fabulous Parrish Maynard as Iago, the amazing Katita Waldo as Emilia, cutie-patooty Gonzalo Garcia as Cassio, and the seductive Lorena Feijoo as Bianca. The Joffrey had its work cut out for them premiering this full-length ballet, but they pulled off another excellent production. As a huge fan of the Joffrey and balletomane, I plan to see it at least once more b/c it's that good. My two friends and several other guests told me they plan on seeing it again, too, which is not the typical reaction I’m used to hearing at these shows. Fabrice Calmels’ appearance as the “beefcake”, I mean, Othello, had everything to do with those female reactions. Can anybody say “Cougars” unite! I already discovered he was a “hottie” and much, much more back in 2006; he’s a fantabulous performer and star as well!

For the Oct 14^th premiere, Othello was played brilliantly by Mr Calmels as was Desdemona by Ms April Daly. This was a wonderful pairing. They made their duets appear effortless and so romantic, which I didn't feel watching the DVD. For me, Mr Calmels managed to make his Othello seem like a lovable brute that couldn’t overcome his Alpha male upbringing even for the lovely Desdemona. Whenever he walked on stage, it looked like nothing I had ever seen him do before; the stage might have shook with each heavy-leaden step he took. He was so animalistic like a panther on the prowl. On the other hand, Mr Calmels managed to appear quite vulnerable and soft at times, too, but only when his fair Desdemona was present. I couldn’t help but to like his character. When Mr Richardson played the role, I didn’t like his Othello at all b/c I couldn’t see why the sweet Desdemona would like such a barbarian. There were times when Fabrice cradled April to his muscular chest with such tenderness, delicacy and love that he might as well have been holding a precious newborn. He would look at Ms Daly with such longing and tenderness that I could understand what damage and cruelty Iago’s betrayal truly wreaked within him. It was Mr Calmels’ softer side that made it possible for me to like his Othello; he was a man in love yet clearly unaccustomed to feeling vulnerability towards a woman. Both Ms Daly & Mr Calmels handled this modern choreography beautifully. FYI- I don’t care how “hot” a man is—beating up a woman is never sexy nor acceptable, but I understand the emotion of RAGE having once felt it towards my own real-life ex-spouse. If a viewer can empathize with the sense of loss of power and underlying rage within Othello, which is really the intense fear of abandonment, then one can understand what Fabrice’s Othello ultimately does.

Othello is about a crime of passion between Iago and Othello that is later acted out between Othello and Desdemona.

One of the things I would have liked to see more of from Matthew Adamczyk’s Iago was passion in his deceptiveness and ultimately cowardice. I felt Mr Adamczyk played it way too safe. He was not strong enough FOR ME in his artistic presentation to compensate for Othello’s reactions. IMHO, Mr Parrish Maynard, outdid himself as Iago, which was my favorite character in the DVD version. This character is more central to understanding "Othello" the ballet than Othello himself. To me, it felt like Mr Adamczyk was more concerned with technique than developing the character. It may be b/c this is the first-time I’ve seen him in what would normally be a “principal” danseur role in companies such as ABT or SFB, which to me means a dancer should have a higher level of confidence, showmanship or acting ability, in other words, virtuosity. Yeah, I know, the critic in me is being nit-picky; however, I make no apologies for having an opinion. I was in the upper box, and I couldn't feel his evilness. Mr Adamczyk danced the role well even down to all the little adjustments made to slicking back his hair and pulling on his shirt-sleeves, but I still expect more from him artistically.

Ms Valerie Robin as Iago’s wife and Desdemona’s handmaiden, Emilia, was portrayed brilliantly. Here we have a ballerina that has danced leading (principal) roles in several productions and her experience and talent shined through as Emilia. Everything she did was believable & felt by me; Ms Robin left no doubt as to her part in bringing down Othello & Desdemona.

Cassio is one of those roles that has not been developed nor given much to do in terms of the plot by the choreographer, Mr Lubovitch, either last night or on DVD. Cassio is nothing more than a scapegoat for Iago as he naively participates in the downfall of Othello. The role is mainly there to fulfill the story line and offer the audience a chance to see some good male dance technique. I was pleased as punch to see Aaron Rogers cast in the role b/c we get to see him doing some nice choreography throughout the ballet. I’ve liked this danseur since seeing him play “Clara’s brother” & the “snow prince” in the Nutcracker 2006; he’s a terrific actor so I’d like to see him cast as Iago just to see what he does with the character.

Ms Allison Walsh did a great job dancing the “Tarantella” as Bianca although I thought her character should have been way more seductive since the dance is known to make people go insane; the music has a climatic buildup leading to that outcome, too. I felt no sensual emotion from her what so ever, but I saw her excellent technique. In this case, I liked Ms Feijoo’s interpretation much better; again, this may be due to her being a more seasoned [principal] danseur. Aside from Ms Walsh, the rest of the ensemble did a fantastic job dancing the Tarantella in the 2^nd Act. I thought their musicality and timing were spot on. This was probably my favorite group dance of the entire ballet, and I liked it better live than on DVD. I also enjoyed John Mark Giragosian as one of the Venetian Dancers; his crisp, sharp technique really stood out and caught my eye.

The musical score by the Chicago Sinfonietta was magnificent, too, and it was so cool to see Scott Speck, the conductor. I actually own one of his books, “Ballet for Dummies,” written jointly with SFB principal danseur, Evelyn Cisneros. Whether one sees “Othello” for the choreography, the danseurs or the music, just be sure to “witness the passion” before it closes Oct 25^th.

Joshua Bell w/ the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

I'm a dummy when it comes to classical music, but this Joshua Bell was amazing! I tend to assume one violin phenom is the same as the next, but it all comes down to how moved I am by the piece being performed. Since almost everyone around me was tapping their foot, moving around restlessly in their chair or audibly gasping, including myself, I'm inclined to believe that Mr Bell is an incredible soloist! According to the Chicago Tribune, Mr Bell plays on an $18 million Stradivarius violin called, the 1741 "Vieuxtemps" Guarneri del Jesu. Again, these are just words that mean nothing until you actually hear the instrument being played live. As far as the Max Bruch Violin solo, I only recognized the 3rd movement b/c I'd seen Ashley Tuttle, Ethan Stiefel, other ABT dancers perform choreography for this movement by Clark Tippet that I have on DVD.

The night's program consisted of 4 pieces: 1) Faure's "Pelleas et Melisande" Suite; 2) Bruch's "Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor", Op. 26, featuring Mr Bell; 3) after the intermission, Mr Bell opened with Saint-Saens' "Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso"; 4) which was followed by Saint-Saëns' "Symphony No. 3 (Organ)", which featured, Texas-based organist Henry McDowell. The Saint-Saëns' Organ piece was magnificent and made me feel at times like I had died and gone to the celestial gates! It was that moving! Again, the audience grew restless, like they couldn't contain the energy that the piece was producing inside each of us. Now that is how great symphony is done!

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra was lead by Yan Pascal Tortelier, guest conductor and last minute replacement for the ill, Roberto Abbado.

Joffrey's Othello Preview 10/8/09

Incredible Dancer at 2:32

I watched this fellow, Ricardo Santos of Cuba, I presume, repeatedly both with and without the music and found him to be spectacular and so very beautiful! He has completely embodied and interpreted this piece or cor. and music IMO.

Music: not sure. Choreographer John Neumeier

Elfman Ballet's Onegin May 2009

Mr Elfman and his company have received many favorable reviews in the last 2 years. Although, I did find Mr Elfman's choreography [cor.] different and inspiring, I didn't much care for how it was danced during a weekend performance. Each year, I faithfully watch reality dance shows like DWTS, So You Think You Can Dance and the more recent "Superstars of Dance" and "Dance Wars", and I am always perplexed by the fact that most of the classically-trained ballet dancers get voted off rather early. One notable exception being Danny Tidwell on SYTYCD. Maybe it's because the better dancers are currently in or trying to get into a top notch ballet company; who knows? From what I've seen it's because many of them are unable to loosen up enough to make contemporary or modern dance cor. sit well on their body. In other words, most of them look to rigid or awkward doing this type of cor. No matter what style is being performed, it needs to look natural on a dancers' body. In a nutshell, this is the problem I had with The Elfman Ballet. I guess a good analogy would be to think of how most people walk. Most of the time, we only notice a person when their gait or stride appears off or weird like when someone walks with a limp or shuffles their feet instead of smoothly, seamlessly lifting them up. It just doesn't look normal, and we don't have to be a doctor or physical therapist to notice.

With the exception of two dancers, Nina Zmievets & Oleg Markov, who were both in principal roles, I was uninspired by the performance. Ms Zmievets could have been the twin sister in looks and movement of my favorite female ballerina, Victoria Jaiani of the Joffrey Ballet; both dancers move me with their passionate ability to emote.