The Joffrey Ballet’s 2021-2022 season marks a triumphant return to the stage. The fall program entitled Home: a Celebration, Oct. 13–24, 2021, includes original works with three inspired, new-to-the-stage works. They include: Bolero by Joffrey Company Artist Yoshihisa Arai, Under the Trees’ Voices by Joffrey Rehearsal Director Nicolas Blanc, and Swing Low by Winning Works choreographer Chanel DaSilva; along with the revival of Joffrey co-founder Gerald Arpino’s Birthday Variations.
Birthday Variations was commissioned in 1986 by Becky D’Angelo as a birthday present to her husband, Dino, who owned Chicago’s Civic Opera House and loved Verdi’s music. This lively and melodic ballet is considered one of Arpino’s most popular creations.
Chanel DaSilva finds beauty in the complex and multifaceted experience of what it means to be human with her work, Swing Low, an original creation for five men, set to the avant-garde rhythms of cellist and composer Zoë Keating. Swing Low reflects DaSilva’s deep connection to the transformative power of the arts and the indelible joy of movement.
Under the Trees’ Voices channels the power of community in the age of social distancing. During this world premiere for the stage, four distinct sections set to Symphony No. 2 by Italian composer Bosso imagines a future of hope and unity.
Yoshihisa Arai takes audiences on a journey through time and space with Boléro. During this world premiere for the stage, 15 dancers take inspiration from the seminal score of the same name by composer Maurice Ravel and are adorned in costumes designed by Joffrey Company Artist Temur Suluashvili.
