02/28/11

Story by Peggy Graham

Joffrey Ballet

The Joffrey Ballet is America's 'first'

High resolution photo

High resolution photo

High resolution photo

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The Joffrey Ballet has been hailed as "America's Ballet Company of Firsts." The list of “firsts” includes first dance company to perform at the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy’s invitation, first to appear on television, first American company to visit Russia, first classical dance company to go multimedia, first to commission a rock 'n roll ballet and first-and-only dance company to appear on the cover of Time Magazine. 

And a first for the Performing Arts Series at Johnson County Community College — The Joffrey Ballet will perform at 8 p.m. Saturday, April 2, in Yardley Hall, the Carlsen Center. The one and a-half hour program will featureReflections, choreography by Gerald Arpino, music by Tchaikovsky: … smile with my heart, choreography, Lar Lubovitch, music, Richard Rodgers; Sea Shadow, choreography, Arpino, music, Ravel; and Age of Innocence, choreography, Edwaard Liang, music, Philip Glass and Thomas Newman.  … smile will be accompanied by live solo piano. Artistic director Ashley Wheater will give a pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m.

The company was founded in 1956 by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey who discovered and introduced innumerable modern dance choreographers to ballet audiences. He invited great living ballet choreographers to revive some of their “lost” masterworks and in the process, assembled one of the most diverse repertoires in the world. His own ballets indicate his varied interests, from the classical Pas Des Déesses to the multimedia Astarte (seen on the cover of Time Magazine in 1968), the romantic Remembrances to the evocative Postcards (the last piece Joffrey made for the company).

After Joffrey died in 1988, Gerald Arpino, company co-founder, assumed the role of artistic director while continuing his title of resident choreographer. Arpino produced America’s first full-evening rock ballet, Billboards, set to the music of Prince.

The Joffrey Ballet continues under internationally renowned Ashley C. Wheater, named as artistic director in 2007, an appointment approved by Arpino before his death. Wheater, who was born in Scotland and raised in England, had a long and successful career as a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and San Francisco Ballet. Wheater’s dancing career ended after he suffered a major neck injury. As the new artistic director of the 40-member Joffrey Ballet, Wheater is dedicated to the values of Joffrey and Arpino, reviving iconic classics as well as staging premieres.

Today, the Joffrey, which has been hugely successful in its former residencies in New York and Los Angeles, lives permanently in a new facility, Joffrey Tower, in Chicago’s theater district. The company’s commitment to accessibility is met through the most extensive touring schedule of any dance company in history, an innovative and highly effective education program and collaborations with myriad other visual and performing arts organizations.

Classically trained to the highest standards, the Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America with its company, audiences and repertoire that includes major story ballets, reconstructions of masterpieces and contemporary works. The Joffrey was the first U.S. ballet company to do away with ranks, instead listing dancers in alphabetical order on programs. The Joffrey Ballet has become one of the world's most revered and recognizable arts organizations and one of the top ballet companies in the world.

Tickets are $55 and $65, available by calling the PAS box office, 913-469-4445, or online at www.jccc.edu/TheSeries.

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