The Joffrey Ballet Dazzles

The Joffrey Ballet wowed the crowd at Cal Performances in March, opening with Commedia, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, and closing with The Times Are Racing, by Justin Peck. It was a gift of a repertoire. Only one dance was slightly disappointing: Bliss by Stephanie Martinez. The costumes were out of sync; the men topless in plain tan pants, the women in short blue or pink tutus with bling: The Royals meet the working class.  

Beyond the Shore, choreographed by Nicolas Blanc with music by Mason Bates, was exquisite. It was a haunting, expressive piece that opened with audio of a NASA space flight and morphed into a hip, modern sound track.

But the crowd’s overwhelming pick was Peck’s piece: a colorful, buoyant mix of dance genres. The Chicago-based troupe danced in sneakers, and danced with abandon. Watch a clip here:

Ballet: Behind the Scenes

Injuries are a part of life for endurance trainers at any age. For mature athletes, it can be a ritual of daily exercise, stretches, massage, and more, just to stay in the game. One way to salvage sore muscles is to roll out on a foam roller.

Now the NYT shows us in beautiful photos by New York City corps de ballet dancer Devin Alberda that even principal ballerinas find relief with foam. In these captivating series of shots, dancer Janie Taylor rolls out her quads; dancer Ashley Laracey rubs her neck; and Jenelle Manzi gets a massage.

It’s a world we rarely see. We don’t see the years of training and grueling work-outs these dancers must endure; we don’t see the physical sacrifices. Most of us only see the stunning performances of these athletes as they dance across stage—and into our hearts. For balletomanes, dance is the universal expression of emotion and awe.

Watch NYC ballet dancers Maria Kowroski and Ask la Cour dance “After the Rain,” choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon. The company calls it a “testament to the resilience of the human spirit.”