**** Highly Recommended The Joffrey Ballet’s Grainger Academy’s Winning Works, presented annually at the Museum of Contemporary Art, is a performance I await with great anticipation. It’s a chance to see brand new pieces by new choreographers, all ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American) artists, performed by up-and-coming dancers who get a chance to shine. Each piece is preceded by a short video in which the choreographer explains his/her vision, while working with the dancers. This year’s program was absolutely fabulous. 4 BIG Spotlights
Please note: the cast members I mention might be different from those at another performance. The dancers for all five pieces are drawn from the Joffrey Studio Company, the Ballet Trainee Program, The Contemporary Ballet Trainee Program and the Conservatory Program.
The first piece, entitled Lusi, choreographed by Alejandro Perez to music by Cody W. Perkins, was ‘beachy’, flirty and fun to watch. Perez said it was named after a childhood friend and reflected her childish energy, enthusiasm – and her love of playing in the rain. The dance was both graceful and athletic, with some amazing jumps and lifts!
The dancers included Payton Boddy, Charlotte Deike, Sophie Dupressoir, Johana Gracia Moreles, Skyler Jarman, Otoha Kawafa, Hannah Kreft, Jake Lapham, Cassidy Leishman, Rowan Lindamood, Sophie Longid, Xiao Ortega Valverde, Paul Rivard, Andrew Sackett, Sofia Tucker and Preston Walker.
Jive Five, choreographed by Shota Myoshe to wonderful jazz music by Hal Goldstein, CatFaceAudio, Ofrin, Roie Shpigler, and Jacob Koller, was simply stunning to watch. This is a piece I might have seen at Giordano or Hubbard Street. Many of the movements seemed inspired by Bob Fosse’s inimitable style. Black tuxedos with a bright green stripe, bright green tanks and matching fedoras reinforced the mood. When the jackets came off,
The dancers included Aiko Arakaki, Paloma Bas, Sabrina Blair, Koko Chang, Aria Geye, Zaria Johnson, Mary Elizabeth Kurek, Alessandra Olivares Soddu, Meghan Ong, Max Prince-Rosenberg, Mayuka Saito, Luisa Suarez, Nyambayar Sukhbaatar and Alizé Valencony.
Bereshit, choreographed by Karley Childress to music by Oliver Davis, was both poignant and beautiful. According to Childress, the dancers represent the fall of humanity and the search for redemption.
Roway Lindamood and Payton Boddy were featured in a gorgeous pas de deux. The ensemble included Gael Arturo Andrade Rodriguez, Andreas Bautista, Dayla Bowman, Hannah Jane Case, William Hanford, Elsa Herr, Skyler Jarman, Otoha Kawata, Cassidy Leishman, Jory Luther, Xiao Ortega Valverde, Abigail Sanchez, Alden Smith and Preston Walker.
SoulCry, choreographed by Roderick George to music by Michael Gordon, was kind of depressing. According to the choreographer, the music – which I found screechy and unpleasant - curates an ominous sense of what’s to come. The dancers had strange costumes too.
The dancers: Jacob Anderson, Dayla Bowman, Johana Gracia Morales, Elsa Herr, Seehyun Kim, Jake Lapham, Sophia Longid, Xiao Ortega Valverde, Paul Rivard and Andrew Sackett.
The final piece of the night was Sea Change, choreographed by Keelan Whitmore to music by Ben Juodvalkis. Whitmore says the piece was inspired by Frank Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, drawing on its striking imagery and emotional vulnerability. All of the dancers wore different costumes – all in black and white. A single dancer plodded along in front of the black-clad ensemble, while something or someone swathed in white netting, plodded even more heavily behind them. Eventually, the dancers started pulling the netting apart and a man, wearing white trunks, emerged. There's an absolutely incredible pas de deux between the man in black and the man in white which blew me away.
This piece had characters, too: Mr. Samsa (Derek Wippel), Gregor (Paul Rivard), Sister (Sophia Longid), Father (Jake Lapham) and Mother (Dayla Bowman).
The ensemble included Jacob Anderson, Amelie Rose Clyde, Justin Hamilton, Caleb Holt, Skyler Jarman, Otoha Kawata, Georgia Neal, Tatiyana Subotnik, Breyah Takitimu, Sofia Tucker and Preston Walker.
The Joffrey Academy’s Winning Works continues through March 23rd in the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Edlis Neeson Theater, 220 E. Chicago Avenue, Chicago. Parking is available in the MCA garage for $20 with validation from the Box Office.
Running time is one hour, 30 minutes, including intermission. Remaining performances are Thursday, March 20th at 7:30 pm, Friday, March 21st at 7:30 pm, Saturday, March 22nd at 2:00 & 7:30 pm, and Sunday, March 23rd at 2:00 pm. Tickets are $35. FYI joffrey.org/winningworks.