The age-old idiom “it’s a small world” takes on profound meaning in the dance world. What might seem a like niche profession has a global reach, finding its way into even the smallest corners of a dance studio. A young, sensitive boy growing up in France, a British girl fascinated with storytelling, a Ukrainian-born ballet phenom, an Australian who grows up to blend genres — all take very different journeys, yet somehow end up in the same place.
Paths cross, an acquaintance mentions a name, a performance transforms, an opportunity arises, and suddenly, almost inexplicably, their work is slated for the same program. Such is the case for the The Joffrey Ballet’s upcoming mixed repertoire program Golden Hour, which features four ballets, each created for the Joffrey, by four different choreographers. Let’s call it six degrees of Ashley Wheater.
Golden Hour‘s choreographers — Nicolas Blanc (France), Cathy Marston (United Kingdom), Yuri Possokhov (Ukraine/Russia), and Danielle “Dani” Rowe (Australia) — have all crossed paths with Wheater, the Joffrey’s artistic director, over their careers. Whether through the Australian Ballet, The Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, or elsewhere, each artist has a connection to him. Without going down the rabbit hole (that’s up next in June with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), Wheater has brought these talents together here and now.
“It’s a very diverse, eclectic program,” said Wheater, whose talent for curating programming is always spot-on. “For an artist to work with different choreographers and go through the process of creating work is always interesting,” Wheater said. “The golden hour is the last hour of the day and the first hour of sunrise. It’s that beautiful, thoughtful, reflective time… I think the program has that feeling to it. It’s a wonderful, charming, uplifting program that really showcases the company.”
Princess and the Pea: A New Take on a Classic Tale
The newest work on the program is by Australian-born Rowe. She adds to the international roster with the world premiere of Princess and the Pea, a re-envisioning of the 1835 short story by Hans Christian Andersen and a co-commission with Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT), where she is currently serving as artistic director. Pea is a one-act, story ballet with 19 dancers and an original score by Chicago composer Jim Stephenson, performed live (as is the entire program) by the Lyric Opera Orchestra led by Joffrey Music Director Scott Speck.
Due to her schedule with OBT in Portland, Rowe had limited time with the Joffrey dancers. A little over three weeks in the dance studio, along with a two-day creative team retreat on a Sonoma maple tree farm, have brought this updated fairy tale to the point of its premiere.
“It’s theatrical, rooted in the ballet technique, but bleeds into Broadway, tap, and contemporary,” Rowe said during an interview at Joffrey Tower.
Originally conceived as a full-length ballet for another company, Rowe and team — composer Stephenson, scenic and costume designer Emma Kingsbury, librettist Garen Scribner, and lighting designer Jim French — were tasked with distilling it into this shorter version for the Joffrey, a challenged that upended Rowe’s traditional creative process — in a good way.
“At first, I had a hard time communicating what I had in my head, but eventually we unlocked this world,” she said. “Once we started to see the world, things started to fall into place. We started with the script and there was a clear story board, then we needed the music. With this ballet, the choreography was the last thing to come into the equation. We really leaned into that children’s book world and make believe.”
The result (which wasn’t quite finished when we visited last week) is a whimsical retelling that incorporates inspiration from Wes Anderson, Vivian Westwood, pro wrestling, freedom and diversity. In this version, which started as entertainment for Rowe’s two daughters, Penelopea “Pea” lives in Pea Town which is run like a dictatorship by Princess. Everyone eats peas, works in the fields harvesting peas, and wears the obligatory green.
Every year, there is a “mattress match” where one is chosen to compete against Princess in a rigged contest for the “Key to the city,” a can opener. Think The Hunger Games meets Veggie Tales via The Handmaid’s Tale — but fun. In fact, the dancers were having so much fun in rehearsal that they collectively missed their cue.
It also has a heartwarming message. “There’s that whole conversation about how we portray princesses as needing a prince to rescue them. I was trying to entertain my girls and thought about what wanted to teach them,” Rowe said. “I was really interested in creating a story about how the female lead is empowered, making her own choices, and taking everyone on an adventure.”
Without giving too much away, Pea does take the audience on an adventure (with her emotional support carrot) and ends up saving Pea Town, whose residents ultimately live happily — and freely — ever after, in Salad Town.
Individual Visions, Collective Brilliance
Also on the program is Blanc’s Under the Trees’ Voices, which was made during the pandemic and first premiered online in a stunning video shot by Big Foot Media in the black box theater at Joffrey Tower. The masked dancers documented a significant point in Joffrey’s history, embodying the adage that “the show must go on,” financially for the company and spiritually for the dancers.
The piece got its stage debut in 2022 during the first live performances after COVID and the first at Joffrey’s then-new home at the Lyric Opera. It has since become an audience favorite and toured to Baden-Baden, Germany.
Marston, whose devastatingly beautiful Atonement opened this season last October, continues the Joffrey’s collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Heimat, choreographed to Richard Wagner’s symphonic poem Seigfried Idyll, written for the birth of his son.
“It’s beautiful, but can be a choreographically tricky piece of music,” said Wheater. “Cathy really did her research and even visited Wagner’s house in Switzerland. It’s about that idyllic time when a family is together, and you feel like the children are ready to venture forward. Heimat is family.”
In 2024, Possokhov created Andante in honor of Joffrey artist Victoria Jaiani’s 20th season with the Joffrey. The two have a long history of working together with Possokhov creating many roles for the ethereal ballerina. Andante is a trio set to music by Dmitri Shostakovich featuring Jaiani and two male dancers, one portraying a poet. According to Wheater, it is up to the audience to interpret the relationship between the three of them.
“The program is accessible to everyone,” Wheater said. “If you follow the Joffrey and this incredibly talented group of artists, this is just another side of them. Come to the theater and be swept away by the beauty of the company.”
The Joffrey Ballet presents Golden Hour in 10 performances from February 20 to March 2 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Upper Wacker Drive. Tickets are $36 – $198 and are available by calling 312.386.8905 or online at Joffrey.org.
How To Help
In addition to purchasing tickets to see the Joffrey Ballet’s world-class performances, you can also support the Joffrey by donating. Your support helps provide arts education throughout the community for people who may not have easy access to training, offer training for dancers of all ages and abilities, and present performances that “elevate the cultural landscape of the city of Chicago.”
Vicki Crain is a Chicago-based freelance arts and culture writer and children’s book author. Her second book in The Furry Princess series was released late in 2024. For more information, visit quapublishing.com. She proudly supports NoStigmas, a global peer-led movement raising awareness and providing support for mental illness and suicide prevention.
More from Better:
- Joffrey Ballet’s Victoria Jaiani Reflects on 20 Transformative Years on Stage and the Journey that Brought Her There
- ‘Cosmic Rhythms’: Ballet Meets Astronomy in a New Immersive Experience by Joffrey Ballet and Adler Planetarium
- Ballet 5:8 Reimagines ‘La Llorona’ to Raise Awareness for Postpartum Depression and Maternal Mental Health Challenges
