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ARTS&ENTERTAINMENTTheJoffreyBalletat the Kravis CenterBy Janet Lynn RosemanIn 1994, when I was living in San Francisco, I had thepleasure of covering the Joffrey Ballet, and was riveted.Founded in 1956 by Robert Joffrey and guided bychoreographer Gerald Arpino until 2007, the company iscurrently under the artistic direction of Ashley C. Wheater,who I remember as an extraordinary dancer during histenure at the San Francisco Ballet. The Joffrey has along and distinguished history, their dancers neverdisappoint, are considered to be artists of the highest caliberAt that time, 16 years ago, Billboards premiered with music by Prince, andits theme of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll was not a favorite for the dancepress, although, I must admit, I loved it and the balletomanes whoattended that performance agreed with me and literally screamed withadoration at the end of the program. There wasn’t any vocalese during theJoffrey’s South Florida performance at the end of March, but there shouldhave been. The entire program was revelatory, but one piece in particular,the beautifully crafted Age of Innocence, choreographed by Edwaard Liang,is one of the most moving and beautiful choreographic pieces I have everwitnessed. I believe I was the only person to stand up at the end of thisperformance, and I not sure if it was the timidity of the audience or not,who did not join me, however, when you see true dance invention andsuperb artistry, it has to be validated.Choreographer Edwaard Liang travels all over the world setting newpieces on dance companies and has a lot of time to read on the plane andin his hotel rooms.and the choreographic choices made by the company directorshave always been on the cutting edge.56MAY 2010In an interview posted on the Joffrey Ballet’s Web site, he explained that afterreading Jane Austen’s famous Pride and Prejudice he was so inspired, hebought every one of her books and read them all in two months, which is no
mean feat. He became obsessed with not only that time period, but inparticular, spent a lot of time “imagining what it must have been like forfemales who had no say in choosing their mates and had to submit toarranged marriages whether they wished to participate or not.” The onlytime that women were allowed to contact the person they were going tomarry was when they were in a dance, and even then, they were onlyallowed to touch their respective husbands with their gloves.This pure “innocence” for those women is at the heart of “Age ofInnocence.” Liang wanted to explore “what it would feel like for thesewomen whose inner rage had to be subdued at all costs although theywere required to keep a serene front. I imagined what it would be like forthem, and what it would feel like if they were in love with someone elseand they could do nothing about it; without any support from family,they were on their own.”The piece is in five sections and it would be foolish to try to describe all ofthe interchanges between the female dancers and their men.The costumedesigns by Maria Pinto depicted the times that Austen inhabited and theprovocative and compelling music by Philip Glass and Michael Newmancreated an often stark, yet riveting score for the dancers. The red velvetdrapes, and dancers in white brought the late 18th century and the early19th century ballrooms to life. Although, it was certainly a time ofrepression for women in terms of their autonomy, it was also a time ofvirtue and honor between the sexes when even a small touch on the bodywas considered flirting with danger.The Joffrey has a long anddistinguished history, theirdancers never disappoint...”Liang wanted to capture the stories and the voices of the dances fromthe past and he quickly transports the audience to that time. Theglorious dancers of the Joffrey can do no wrong. Liang said that hewanted to choreograph “the best piece for them because the dancerswere so remarkable and came to the rehearsal studio so present andwith hearts open.” Indeed. Austen’s books are filled with unrequitedlove and societal repression (for women), and yet there was not anyobvious rancor in the dance, and the unhappiness that these womenheld is posited deep inside, but if you pay attention you can see it heldand telegraphed through the body. The piece is intricately crafted tocapture through movement the emotional lives of both female andmale dancers of that time, and that depiction of their inner life is notsomething that very many choreographers are capable of doing.Watching dance that contains that type of soul is quite different thanwatching dance where the dancers simply expose how high they canjump or how many times they can spin.The other offerings on the program included; the Gerald Arpino’s“Reflections,” a neoclassical piece set to Tchaikovsky, “Mobile,” a homageto Alexander Calder’s sculpture’s and “…smile with my heart,”choreographed by Lar Lubovitch with an on-stage piano performed byPaul James Lewis. The audience quickly recognized the timeless musicby Richard Rogers including; “Do I Hear a Waltz?,” “Where or When?,”and “My Funny Valentine.” Space won’t allow for the selection of dancerswho were shining that evening, in fact, I would have to list ALL of thecompany members who danced that night. But, I will include the namesof Elizabeth Hansen, Erin Mcafee and Michael Smith whose bodiesbecame one in “Mobile” as they melded into a movable sculpture defyingwhat we would commonly agree could not be done by the human body.It was an electrifying and sumptuous performance. (Edwaard Liang’sinterview about “The Age of Innocence” can be seen on the JoffreyBallet Web site.) YGMthePARKLANDER“...an electrifying andsumptuous performance.”57
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C E L E B R A T I N G O U R 2 0 T H
Page 8: MAY 2010CONTENTSVolume 20, No. 2
Page 11: COMMUNITY NEWSTop Five Reasons To F
Page 14: LOCAL INTERESTOfer Bavly, The Consu
Page 20 and 21: COMMUNITY NEWSThe FriendshipCirclec
Page 22 and 23: HEALTH & BEAUTYBy Jamie LoberOne of
Page 24 and 25: WEDDING SKIN continued from page 20
Page 26 and 27: Tá{Äxç UÄt~x Y|á{xÜ &V{tw eâ
Page 28 and 29: continued from page 24UÜtÇwxx ^|x
Page 30: 28 MAY 2010
Page 37 and 38: HOME DESIGNThis living room is larg
Page 40: 38 MAY 2010
Page 43 and 44: Anyway, it’s weird how everything
Page 45 and 46: negotiate with your bank to have a
Page 47 and 48: the PARKLANDER45
Page 51 and 52: thePARKLANDER49
Page 54 and 55: FROM THE HEARTMOTHER’S DAY By Joy
Page 56: By Jack BloomfieldAll People’s Da
Page 61 and 62: after the RCA jobwas completed.Wert
Page 63 and 64: Previous page: A view of the Treasu
Page 65 and 66: Maine is a landscape of mountains,
Page 67 and 68: urged Viets to useher background in
Page 70 and 71: ARTS&ENTERTAINMENTKick Back and Enj
Page 72 and 73: You Will Learn:• How to design be
Page 74 and 75: WINE REVIEWNapa CellarsBy Ben & She
Page 76 and 77: RESTAURANT REVIEWBy Charles Marcane
Page 78 and 79: RECIPESMay 5 is Cinco de Mayo, whic
Page 80 and 81: COMMUNITY NEWScontinued from page 1
Page 82: SCHOOL NEWSCoral ParkElementaryUpda
Page 85 and 86: ImagineCharter School UpdateBy Hele
Page 90: ADVERTORIAL
Page 95 and 96: Obstetricians/gynecologists ask you
Page 98 and 99: FROM THE EXPERTSCan the CornBy Davi
Page 100: HEALTH & WELLNESSAsk the Expert: Wh
Page 107 and 108:
Selling Our SoulsBy Rev. George Far
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THE JOY OFCar Trips withCATSPET TAL
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FINANCIAL INFOBy Helene FosterLoan
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LOCAL MARKETPLACEthePARKLANDER111
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