The Joffrey Ballet took up residence in Chicago in 1996. After nearly four decades in New York and the death of Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, his partner in life and in dance, decided that Chicago was the place for new roots to be planted. I was stoked that a marquee company would be joining our stellar institutions such as the Chicago Symphony and the Lyric Opera. Last weekend the artistry of Gerald Arpino was staged in honor of his centennial birthday. It was a divine master class in dance, music, and the incredible possibilities of the human body.
There were two casts for the production that included ballet companies from all over the United States. I saw cast B that comprised the Eugene Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Ballet West, San Francisco Ballet, and of course the Joffrey. These companies make up the best of the best having traveled the world over, winning acclaim and awards for bringing unique perspectives in dance to life. The common thread on Saturday and Sunday was the brilliance and vision of Gerald Arpino.
Arpino's choreography was for the ballet but he took it way beyond five positions and plies. There is a distinct physicality and form to his work that stands out from other ballets I have seen. The most traditional was the San Francisco Ballet performing L'Air d'Esprit, which Arpino choreographed as a tribute to Russian ballet dancer Olga Spessivtseva. Misa Kuranaga and Wei Wang were delightful as they lithely performed perfect jete, plies, and tourner (turns). They performed together and individually with each dance getting joyful applause from the audience.
The Joffrey Ballet danced a beautiful rendition of Round of Angels, to the music from Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony. The sensuous movement and melding of bodies was a theme in most of the perfo rmances. This was particularly haunting as the dancers formed a circle around a couple. The round refers to angels with bent wings and it was danced against a cyc wall of stars. It was deeply moving as their bodies conveyed emotions of grief and healing. The dance was originally created and dedicated to James R. Howell, who was an artistic associate with Arpino at the Joffrey. The featured dancers for Round of Angels were Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez.
Arpino created a particularly lighthearted dance called Valentine that incorporates the music of Jacob Druckman with a bassist and beatboxer as a referee over two dancers in a boxing match/romantic pursuit. Charles Paul is the bassist and beatboxer who not only keeps the beat with his voice but uses a mallet on the body of the bass. Paul is a one-man soundtrack to Larissa Gerszhe and Fabrice Calmels as the pugilists. The dancers mirror the staccato sounds as they circle each other and gracefully leap about the stage. Valentine was beautiful and hilarious.
The program opener was Arpino's Reflections, which was originally created in 1976 and recreated in 1985. The music is by Tchaikovsky and the choreography has the structure of traditional ballet but with more dramatic and athletic movement. Reflections was presented by the Eugene Ballet with acrobatic perfection. It should go without saying that dancers are in great shape, but every one of them is like a beautiful sculpture with every muscle in action. The Eugene Ballet made the movements seem effortless which is a tribute to their fine training.
The finale from Ballet West was a blockbuster called Light Rain. It begins similar to Round of Angels but is more of a celebration. The troupe of ten starts as an amorphous figure with their hands fluttering from the center and then into amazing bursts of movement and bodies blended in form to the music of Douglas Adamz and Russ Gauthier. The finale got some very appreciative shouts from the audience. The athleticism and joy were apparent and quite effective in ending the show on a high note.
The final bows from all of the troupes brought cheers and applause and the dancers were beaming in appreciation. These are artists in top form dancing to Gerald Arpino's now legendary choreography. Every dance was a recreation of the original performance. The costumes were all courtesy of the Joffrey Ballet except for the finale by Ballet West. The lighting, special effects, and of course the dancing were a loving tribute to the brilliance of Gerald Arpino. It should be noted that there were several Joffrey alumni in the audience who had performed these dances. After the curtain calls, one dancer lit a candle and set it on the stage to accept the applause for Arpino. It was abundant and heartfelt.
This performance was on Saturday, September 24, at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 W. Ida B. Wells Dr. For more information about Gerald Arpino, please visit arpinofoundation.org. His choreography is recreated on video but you should make every effort to see it in person. Also, visit joffrey.org to see when Arpino's work is being performed.
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