Joffrey Ballet - Nutcracker

Basheva · **Posted:** Mon Nov 26, 2001 10:27 am

From the Chicago Sun Times:Vivid 'Nutcracker' still a holiday joy November 26, 2001BY HEDY WEISS DANCE CRITIC <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>For children, there can be few more foolproof initiations into the world of classical ballet than a lavish production of "The Nutcracker." But what is most surprising about the audience that flocks to the Auditorium Theatre each year to see the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago's elaborate version of this holiday standard is just how many adults, unaccompanied by children, treat themselves to tickets.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><A HREF="http://www.suntimes.com/output/show/cst-ftr-nuts26.html" TARGET=_blank>MORE...</A>

Azlan · **Posted:** Tue Nov 27, 2001 7:01 pm

<fontsize=1>Calvin Kitten Joffrey Ballet</fontsize>From the Joffrey Ballet web site: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>As a holiday gift to its hometown of Chicago, The Chicago Tribune, The Auditorium Theatre and The Joffrey Ballet are proud to present The Nutcracker. As the last production supervised by Mr. Joffrey himself, it is among the company's finest. From the dramatic fight with the Mouse King to the breathtaking stage effects of Clara's visit to the Land of Snow, this classic tale will make your holiday a magical one. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE><a href=http://joffrey.com/ target=_blank>More</a> (Thanks, glebb, for the tip!)[This message has been edited by Azlan (edited November 27, 2001).]

angela · **Posted:** Tue Nov 27, 2001 7:15 pm

Does anyone know/remember the name of the dancer who was the Sugar Plum Fairy for the 1999 PBS version of Joffrey Nutcracker?--she has an Italian surname.

crandc · **Joined:** Tue Aug 28, 2001 11:01 pm **Posts:** 255

Lorena Feijoo danced Sugarplum Fairy in the PBS show. I know I taped it and am pretty sure that was 1999. She's Cuban, actually, and is now with the SF ballet. Her sister Lorna Feijoo is still with Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Is this who you mean? I'm not aware of any other Nutcracker on PBS that year.

angela · **Posted:** Wed Nov 28, 2001 2:57 pm

THANK YOU crandc--cause she was fantastic!

Basheva · **Posted:** Sun Jan 06, 2002 6:57 pm

I just got a chance to view the tape of this PBS broadcast. As usual I enjoyed the Joffrey Company very much.What really blew me away was Calvin Kitten who danced the Prince. WOW!!He trained at California Ballet, San Diego and I remember him as a student. I was never in class with him, but I do remember him at CalBal. What a beautiful dancer! Clean technique, jumps to die for, and turns...well! He certainly has a brilliant future ahead of him.There is one turn combination he did in a la seconde and then attitude - over and over and over again, with nary a falter, I lost count of how many turns (probably beyond my scanty math abilities), and ended perfectly. It was smooth like cream.As for the performance itself, it was taped before a live audience, but foreshortened down to one hour so several things were given short shrift. I found some of the women with rather flailing sharp arms. Not so, Lorena Feijoo - she doesn't possess elbows and was a treat to watch.Since it was filmed before a live audience it was not lit enough for television and portions were quite dark. Some of the camera work was disturbing like in the Spanish dance; the camera kept flashing from quite close to very distant and since it was a solo, a distance shot didn't make sense and interrupted her dance. Which, by the way she did very well, indeed. Sometimes in the Waltz of the Flowers, I wish they would - well - uh - just waltz, at least for a bit. The music calls for some waltzing. Especially since there were men dancing, too, it would have fit right in.There was one part where the corps was doing demi contretemps as almost a temps de fléche, which looked like fun to do.Again, I always find Joffrey a wonderful company.

Basheva · **Posted:** Sun Jan 06, 2002 7:12 pm

Here's what I found about Calvin Kitten - apparently he is really getting noticed...this is from Dance Magazine January 2001 -From Dance Magazine: <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>In the past year, Calvin Kitten has evolved from being a "wunderkind" to an extraordinary, mature artist. He began his dance training at the California Ballet School in San Diego, then spent a year (1989–90) as an exchange student at the Tbilisi Choreographic Institute in Soviet Georgia. After one season with The Joffrey II Dancers, he was invited by Artistic Director Gerald Arpino to join the main company in 1992.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE><A HREF="http://www.dancemagazine.com/jan/feature1_jan.html" TARGET=_blank>MORE...</A>

angela · **Posted:** Wed Jan 09, 2002 10:41 am

Thanks Basheva-I hope he stays w/ Joffrey for a while!

kurinuku · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2003 8:35 am

Quote:

Perennial pleasure 'Nutcracker' a showcase for splendid dancing

By HEDY WEISS
The Chicago Sun-Times

Productions of "The Nutcracker" are all too often written off as the Ballet 101 of the classical dance world, not to mention the bottom line insurance policy essential to keeping almost every troupe, world class or otherwise, afloat.

Yet Friday night's holiday season opener of the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago's evergreen production -- which invariably has a special sparkle thanks to the golden beauty of the Auditorium Theatre itself -- demonstrated beyond any doubt that this work is far more than just a lavish spectacle with delights for audiences of all ages and levels of experience.

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kurinuku · **Posted:** Wed Dec 10, 2003 8:37 am

Quote:

Joffrey's update of `Nutcracker' appeals to all

By SID SMITH
The Chicago Tribune

"The Nutcracker," back in production at the Auditorium Theatre, is unquestionably about the past.

Based on an early 19th Century tale, firelit by the holiday images of a Victorian yesteryear, the classic endures as a trip to earlier, even foregone traditions.

...

Most U.S. "Nutcrackers" date from the '60s or so. This one, forged in 1987, enjoys some benefits from its relative newness. In his last great contribution to the art, Joffrey drew from memory but also tossed out excess and cloying conventions.

He led a collaboration of top artists to update the fairy-tale trimmings (to turn-of-the-century Americana) and substitute Gerald Arpino's loving contemporary choreography for key scenes, notably the "Waltz of the Snowflakes" and the "Waltz of the Flowers."

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kurinuku · **Posted:** Mon Dec 22, 2003 10:46 am

Quote:

Nutcracker role has wheels

The Chicago Tribune
December 21, 2003

EVANSTON -- Emma Vogelmann of Evanston has to dress up like a boy when she joins the other children who dance in the Joffrey Ballet production of "The Nutcracker," but the 10-year-old doesn't mind.

The part she plays was written for a child who uses a wheelchair. That gives Emma--who was born with spinal muscular atrophy and has never been able to walk--a chance to test her wheelchair dance skills in front of an audience.

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kurinuku · **Posted:** Sat Dec 04, 2004 2:56 am

Quote:

Joffrey show is fine for the uninitiated

By DAVID LYMAN
Detroit Free Press
December 04, 2004

Don't get me wrong. This is a good production. It's handsome to look at and features some fine dancing. But to those who have seen lots and lots of "Nutcrackers" - and admittedly, that's not the majority of the audience - this is a surprisingly ordinary show.

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kurinuku · **Posted:** Fri Dec 10, 2004 1:22 am

Quote:

Joffrey's distinctly American Nutcracker shines

By DEANNA TRUMAN-COOK
Iowa City Press-Citizen
December 10, 2004

The world-renowned Joffrey Ballet lived up to its reputation Thursday night.
The dancers in "The Nutcracker" were flawless, the Victorian-era costumes gorgeous and the story of Clara, a young girl swept up in an amazing dream of magic, well told.

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kurinuku · **Posted:** Wed Dec 22, 2004 4:09 am

Quote:

A spectacular 'Nutcracker'

by HEDI WEISS
the Chicago Sun-Times

Maia Wilkins as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Willy Shives as the Nutcracker Prince, whose grand pas de deux brought the ballet's second act to a breathtaking climax. Perfectly matched both physically and temperamentally, these two dancers have developed a partnership that seems made in heaven.

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kurinuku · **Posted:** Fri Jan 07, 2005 7:27 am

Quote:

Joffrey `Nutcracker' remains an uncluttered masterpiece

by LUCIA MAURO
Special to the Chicago Tribune

But the Joffrey Ballet's sumptuous production, which opened Wednesday at the Auditorium Theatre, remains a singular testament to the ballet's gracious storytelling and operatic virtuosity. The Chicago-based company's late co-founder, Robert Joffrey, conceived of this "Nutcracker" as a Victorian Americana salute to children's dreams. Inspired by his own collection of vintage toys, Joffrey conjures a universe where the real and the imaginary coexist.

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Joffrey Ballet - Nutcracker

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