Winning Works was created to recognize talented and emerging ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American) choreographers and to provide them with a platform to showcase their original and innovative work. More info, rehearsal videos, bios and headshots can be found at Joffrey.org/winningworks.
Chanel DaSilva’s world premiere of B O R D E R S imagines the boundaries—both literal and figurative—that people place on themselves and others. DaSilva challenges the audience to look at how they separate themselves from others in the world, whether through physical means or psychological ones. A video of Chanel describing the piece can be found HERE.
Tsai Hsi Hung’s world premiere of Brushstroke takes inspiration from the work of designer Alexander McQueen and painter Jackson Pollack. Using “the line” as a central theme, Hung weaves a series of complex textures through movement that create the effect of currents of wind winding around each other.
Durante Verzola’s world premiere of Ballet De Cour evokes the courtly nature of classical ballet’s 17th Century origins. The piece is danced to music by Frédéric Chopin (based on a theme by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) and steeps itself in neoclassical technique, with the women dancing in pointe shoes. Through the many “micro dramas and stories” inspired by the music, Verzola uses Chopin’s lively score to explore the dancer’s innate desire to move and express it.
Pablo Sánchez’s world premiere of ¡VIVA! celebrates the Joffrey Academy’s tenth anniversary year and its ongoing commitment to presenting works by under-represented groups of artists. Sánchez is inspired by his native México in creating a fresh and vibrant work titled ¡VIVA!, using music by composers Manuel Ponce and José Pablo Moncayo.