**** Highly Recommended I don’t know why the Joffrey Ballet decided to move to Chicago, but I’m eternally grateful they did. Everything performance is sheer perfection. This year’s spring engagement, Studies in Blue, includes three contemporary pieces which held me spellbound! Once again, the incredibly talented Joffrey dancers execute the most complicated choreography with flawless technique and timing. 4 Spotlights
When I’m jotting down ideas for a review, I often add words I might want to use. In the case of Studies in Blue, the word of the day is transcendental, but there are a lot of ‘ex’ words that qualify as well - exquisite, exhilarating, expressive, extraordinary, exciting, excellent, exuberant, explosive, extravagant.
Choreographer Andrew McNicol said, “The title Yonder Blue relates to people and nature, the human and the physical, internal and external, the real and imagined.” He also said, “You can never really find yourself ‘yonder,’ once you arrive you become here, and so ‘yonder’ recedes forever back into the imaginary horizon.”
Yonder Blue is an extraordinary experience for an audience member. Jack Mehler’s striking blue background indicated the sky, which is both ‘yonder’ and vast. Peter Gregson’s expressive music also suggested that ever-changing yonder vastness. The dancers, wearing minimalist blue costumes, seemed to be trying to sling themselves (or their partners) into the sky.
By the way, I was out of town for the opening, so I attended the matinee on Sunday, February 18th. Since casting changes from performance to performance, the cast I saw and mention in this review is probably different from the one you saw, but don’t worry, they’re all fabulous!
I’m not sure how it is even possible to reach the extraordinary lift and elevation levels within this choreography. Two pairings, Jeraldine Mendoza & Stefan Goncalvez and Anais Bueno & Hyuma Kiyosawa, made it look easy. Additional couples appearing in “Yonder Blue” include Anabelle de la Nuez & Zachary Manske, Coco Alvarez-Mena & Maxwell Dawe, Olivia Duryea & Evan Boersma, Gayeon Jung & Aaron Renteria, Valeria Chaykina & Derek Drilon, Natali That & Davide Oldano.
According to choreographer Stina Quagebeur, “The opioid epidemic is one of the most seismic human tragedies of modern times. Devastating lives of rich and poor alike…” She adds, “This world premiere is a story that statistics can’t tell and that words alone cannot do justice to.” Hungry Ghosts is choreographed to music by Jeremy Birchall.
Christine Rocas was extraordinary – truly expressive and poignant in her portrayal as an addict in the throes of her addiction. Hyuma Kiyosawa, as her lover/family member, tried to keep her away from temptation. I’ve always maintained that the Joffrey trains in acting as well as dance. In this piece, Rocas and Kiyosawa tell the story of her fall into addiction. You could clearly see the push-pull of addiction on both the addicted and the family – behaviors like pushing loved ones away, always seeking the highs which are inevitably followed by lows, family interventions, rehab, temptation and using again. I was moved to tears!
The ensemble (the drug culture): Fernando Duarte, Reed Henry, Brooke Linford, Zachary Manske, Lindy Mesmer, Jackson Miles, Davide Oldano, Victor Hugo Pedroso, Lauren Quinn, Princess Reid, Aaron Renteria, Basla Rhoden, Ryo Sasaki and Ao Wang were sometimes hidden behind transparent screens. When they reappeared, she often reached toward them, pushed him away, or joined them. At times, she walked up other dancers backs to stand over their heads (the highs) or fell to the floor (the lows).
Tirol Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, by Philip Glass, is the musical backdrop for Liam Scarlett’s Hummingbird, an amazing piece, very much in the classical tradition but still contemporary. I think Scarlett’s approach to movement is a lot like the approach Bob Fosse took – the tiniest movement should come from deep within the body. Scarlett said he’s seeking “something that’s breathing, from the lungs and from the heart, from the back”
Using tiny yet expressive movements as well as broad leaps, the ensemble executes Scarlett’s choreography with finesse. Light gray costumes play well against John McFarlane’s backdrop, black spatter paint on white, fluttering above a ramp which the dancers use to slide onto the stage. In contrast, the featured couples are wearing dark gray.
In the first movement, Gayeon Jung & Xavier Núńez dazzled with an exquisite pas de deux. A bit later, you’ll hold your breath watching Jeraldine Mendoza & Stefan Goncalvez. Hummingbird is all about couples, with yet another pas de deux by Valeria Chaykina & Blake Kessler. Two more couples, Anabelle de la Nuez & Maxwell Dawe and Ao Wang & Victor Hugo Pedroso, are also featured.
The remaining couples, Coco Alvarez-Mena & Graham Maverick; Dara Holmes & Aaron Renteria; Brooke Linford & Valentino Moneglia Zamora; and Lauren Quinn & José Pablo Castro Cuevas, are just as important to the success of the piece.
Studies in Blue runs through February 25th at the Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago. Closest parking option is the Poetry Garage, 201 W. Madison. $13 evening and weekend parking available on performance dates.
Running time is 2 hours, 10 minutes, with two intermissions.
Remaining performances are Thursday, February 22nd at 7:30 pm; Friday, February 23rd at 7:30 pm; Saturday, February 24th at 2:00 and 7:30 pm; and Sunday, February 25th at 2:00 pm.
Single tickets start at $36-$179. FYI (312) 386-8905 or www.joffrey.org.