Festivity fills the air when the quintessential American ballet company arrives. About to launch into its 50th year, the Joffrey glitters as a perennial favorite — treasured for its rich repertoire and engaging, sunny spirit. This milestone Minnesota visit, the first since 1996, opens with a mixed bill evening uncorking the high energy of Twyla Tharp's rollicking Deuce Coupe to music by the Beach Boys, which first crossed classical ballet with the pop idiom in 1973. The evening’s fare also Jirí Kylián’s poeticReturn to a Strange Land, the 1980 Joffrey premiere that introduced American audiences to the European master choreographer, Tensile Involvement, a pioneering multimedia work created by Alwin Nikolais in 1953, and Gerald Arpino's vivacious Celebration created in 1980 to music by Dmitri Shostakovich.
About the Company
Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino's uniquely American vision of dance first took form in 1956 with an ensemble of six dancers. Years later, Robert Joffrey would reminisce, "I wanted a company out of my own roots, out of America." And that is exactly what Joffrey and Arpino created – a uniquely American company of dancers for whom they choreographed original and relevant ballets, commissioned works from the finest young choreographers (many of whom were given their first national exposure by The Joffrey), and meticulously reconstructed some of the early masterworks of 20th century repertoire. In September 1995 The Joffrey Ballet moved to Chicago with Gerald Arpino as artistic director. Today’s company of 45 dancers claims an illustrious history: the first American company to tour the former Soviet Union, first to perform at the White House, and a pioneer in televised dance that inaugurated public television’s “Dance in America” series.
Critic's Comments
“Not only is the technical prowess of the dancers now at a remarkable level, but their acting skills are honed to perfection.”
- Chicago Sun-Times
“Dazzles with color.”
– Chicago Tribune
Evening's Program
Deuce Coupe (1973)
- Twyla Tharp's landmark piece to music by the Beach Boys that first crossed classical ballet with the pop idiom
Return to a Strange Land- (1975)
– choreography by Jirí Kylián; music by Leos Janacek
Tensile Involvement (1953)
– a pioneering multimedia work with choreography and music by Alwin Nikolais
Celebration (1980)
- choreography by Gerald Arpino; music by Dmitri Shostakovich
Performances at Northrop
1958, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 2005