Snow Scene from the Joffrey's "Nutcracker"
Photo Credit: Herbert Migdoll
Front - left to right - Juliette Bacula, Noelani Holz, Alexandra Bacula,
Emma Elsmo
Second row - left to right - Lian Dick, Ella Gill
Last row - left to right - Kirsten Cabacungan, Xenia Mansour, Hanaan
Bing-Canar, Lucy Gill Christiana Ho, Anotonio Montalvo
Photo Credit: Bob Nick
Joffrey's "Nutcracker" at the Auditorium
RING IN THE HOLIDAYS WITH THE JOFFREY BALLET’S
THE NUTCRACKER
IN 15 PERFORMANCES ONLY,
AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE, DECEMBER 8-27, 2006
reviewed by Ed Vincent
I had a feeling that I was going to have a good time and see
a great performance well before I drove into Chicago - it
was the Joffery and they are very good. On arrival I noted
the many buses parked outside the theater, each filled with
tons of little kids anxious to see one of the world's best known
and most loved ballets. Families, young girls with fancy shoes,
long formal coats for the chilly Chicago evening, and faces
filled with anticipation. The lights dim and the spirited overture
encased with the golden reflections of the dimmed auditorium
lights made one feel like they were inside of a tasty chocolate
for the holidays.
Having seen a production by George Balanchine not too long ago this presentation seemed a bit more spirited in tempo from time to time, perhaps fitting the choreography.
The costumes were fantastic, the dance was tremendous, even the smallest participant on the stage performed with well executed moves and timing. Many know the Nutcracker's music like a well loved spice, the spirit of the Chicago Sinfonietta helped the feel of Tchaikovsky's masterpiece
come alive with grand choreography and performances
of the many dancers who appeared.
Lucy Gill from Oak Park shown brightly as Polichinelle, and
she did have a spotlight on her for sometime. Lucy Gill is
12 years old and this is her 5th year with the Joffrey, her
sister Ella performed in the party scene and this is her 4th
year with the Joffrey. All the young dancers were perfect
and cute as could be.
The first pair of mechanical wooden dolls, of life sized wonder,
began their ambulatory functions as automatons, but quickly
evolved into stylized dancers with synchronized movements and soul. The dance of the second pair of wound up wooden delights was a splinter from the same tree of artistic beauty given to the first pair, and all were carefully carried off stage right with total stoic stiffness at their respective conclusions.
The scenes with the snowflakes dancing and sounds of
the children's choral work mixed with the symphonic melodies
were worth the price of admission all by themselves. The
performance is iconic and one of the troikas of Christmas..
maybe dual troikas-the Joffrey Ballet Nutcracker, the Goodman's Christmas Carol, the Walnut room breakfast,
the Museum of Science and Industries Christmas trees,
Bailywick's Christmas Schooner, and the New Macy's
Holiday Windows.
This living art form of dance and music is a grand local
treasure and this year's production is one of the best anywhere. Get your tickets soon.
History of the Nutcracker
Oak Park will be well represented this year at the Nutcracker
in Chicago. It is even better represented from the total number of children who will be dancing in the ballet and are from other towns but still take dance lessons in Oak Park. Last year
there were some kids from Forest Park and River Forest that
were in the ballet, but this year it is all Oak Park. There are
some 120 children total who will be in the much loved Nutcracker and tons of proud parents. Some of the local dancers are now in their fifth year with the Joffrey and that
is noteworthy too.
Oak Park's Children Dancers:
Name Age Yrs in Prod. Role
Bacula, Alexandra Age 9 2nd Year Tree Angel
Bacula, Juliette Age 9 1st Year Doll
Bing-Canar, Hanaan Age 12 3rd Year Polichinelle
Cabacungan, Kristen Age 10 2nd Year Party Scene
Dick, Lian Age 11 1st Year Soldier
Elsmo, Emma Age 9 1st Year Doll
Gill, Ella Age 10 4th Year Party Scene
Gill, Lucy Age 12 5th Year Polichinelle
Ho, Chritiana Age 12 1st Year Polichinelle
Mansour, Xenia Age 11 2nd Year Party Scene
Montalvo, Antonio Age 12 5th Year Polichinelle
Holz, Noelani
Snow Scene from the Joffrey's "Nutcracker"
Photo Credit: Herbert Migdoll
Snow Scene from the Joffrey's "Nutcracker"
Photo Credit: Herbert Migdoll
Joffrey's "Nutcracker" at the Auditorium
RING IN THE HOLIDAYS WITH THE JOFFREY BALLET’S
THE NUTCRACKER
IN 15 PERFORMANCES ONLY,
AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE, DECEMBER 8-27, 2006
October 31, 2006 —The Joffrey Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Season continues with the Chicago family holiday tradition, Robert Joffrey's production of The Nutcracker, at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, December 8-27, 2006. The Nutcracker features the full Joffrey Ballet company, plus the Arpino Apprentices, and a puppeteer - all augmented by four local children's choruses and more than 120 young dancers ages nine through fourteen.
The Chicago Sinfonietta, under the baton of Dr. Leslie B. Dunner, will provide live musical accompaniment of the beloved Tchaikovsky score. The Nutcracker program is sponsored by Exelon, proud parent of ComEd, and Northern Trust.
Robert Joffrey’s uniquely American production of The Nutcracker, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s early 19th century German tale, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," premiered in 1987, and has become a Chicago holiday favorite since its first performance here in 1996. Amidst lavish period costumes and spectacular scenery depicting Victorian America in the 1850s, this holiday classic touches the child in each of us as it comes alive with familiar characters including Clara; her mischievous brother, Fritz; the King and Queen of the glorious Land of Snow; the Sugar Plum Fairy; the warring Mice led by the Mouse King; the Nutcracker Prince; and the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer and his nephew. Gerald Arpino, Founder and Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet, choreographed the Land of the Snow scene, which closes Act I, and the Waltz of the Flowers in Act II.
The Joffrey continues its tradition of being joined on stage by over 120 young dancers from all over the Chicago area, Indiana, and Wisconsin. In addition, young vocalists from the Providence-St. Mel School Choir, the Oak Park and River Forest Children’s Chorus, the Chicago Children’s Choir, and the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago (formerly known as The Jubilate Children’s Choir), will perform the choral parts from Tchaikovsky's magical "snow scene." The choirs will also delight audiences with popular seasonal selections in the Auditorium Theatre's main lobby one-half hour prior to curtain and during intermissions at every performance.
Prior to the Chicago engagement, The Joffrey Ballet will take a seasonal tour of The Nutcracker to the famed Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and the Michigan Opera House in Detroit, MI.
The performance schedule for The Joffrey Ballet’s presentation of The Nutcracker, December 8-27, is as follows: Friday, December 8 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 9 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; Sunday, December 10 at 2 p.m.; Friday, December 15 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 16 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m.; Sunday, December 17 at 2 p.m.; Friday, December 22 at 7 p.m.; Saturday, December 23 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m; Sunday, December 24 at 2 p.m.; Tuesday, December 26 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. ; and Wednesday, December 27 at 2 p.m.
Tickets, priced from $25-$100, are now on sale at the Auditorium Theatre box office, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by telephone at (312) 902-1500, or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Groups of 10 or more should call (312) 739-0120, ext. 37. Please note, the Auditorium Theatre does not allow children under five years of age. There will be special $20 college student “rush” tickets available an hour before curtain for any remaining tickets. Students will need to show a current ID.
The Joffrey Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Season will continue with Destiny’s Dances: Groundbreaking Ballets from the 20th Century, featuring a trio of masterpieces that revolutionized the dance world including Leonide Massine’s Les Présages, George Balanchine’s Apollo, and Kurt Jooss’ prescient war themed The Green Table, February 14 – February 25, 2007. The season will culminate with Light Rain, a crowd-pleasing, mixed-repertory program featuring six cutting-edge works from The Joffrey’s extensive repertoire, including Gerald Arpino’s Light Rain and Valentine, and his comic, battle-of-the-sexes “boxing match;” plus Pilobolus’ humorous Victorian-era inspired Untitled, David Parson’s gravity-defying Caught, and two aerial solos, Joanna Haigood’s Dance for Yal and Moses Pendleton and Cynthia Quinn’s White Widow,
April 25 – May 6, 2007.
The Joffrey Ballet extends special thanks to its 2006-2007 Season Sponsors, Huron Consulting Group and the Abbott Fund; Cinderella Program Sponsor, Chase; the Production Sponsor for Cinderella, Chicago Community Trust and the NIB Foundation; The Nutcracker Program Sponsor, Exelon, Proud Parent of ComEd; and Light Rain Program Sponsor Sidney L. Port. Live music for the 2006-2007 Season, provided by The Chicago Sinfonietta, is underwritten in part by The Joyce Foundation, the Julius Frankel Foundation, the Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation, the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Foundation, and Burton and Anne Kaplan. The 2006-2007 Season is also supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council and the CityArts Program of the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs. The Joffrey Ballet is also supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. Special thanks to American Airlines, the Official Airline of The Joffrey Ballet.
For more information on the 50th Anniversary Joffrey Ballet Season please call 312-739-0120 or visit www.joffrey.com.
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