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Dan Duell's Ballet Blog |
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 Chicago's voice of Balanchine
read Dan's biography
6/9/2011 - Banner Year Ends in Rave Reviews
and
In Praise of Parents
"Ballet Chicago Delivers a Burst of Balanchine" ---
What an outstanding year this has been for Ballet Chicago!
Our Balanchine Celebration May 13 - 15 at the Athenaeum Theatre brought outstanding critical acclaim from the Chicago Tribune's Sid Smith, TimeOut Magazine's Zac Whittenburg, and other Chicago critics. Herewith a few quotes from Sid Smith's unqualified rave:
"A program consisting entirely of works by George Balanchine is the dance equivalent of a Pablo Picasso retrospective, and that about sums up the thrills of Ballet Chicago's weekend outing at the Athenaeum Theatre."
All Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
photos by Vincent Chaigne
 "...associate artistic director Patricia Blair's sublime staging of Serenade, the enactment of which was both technically clean and poetically graced, impressed most of all..."
"The tricky, ingeniously modern Rubies felt not just authentic but joyous...the performance captured the audacity of the moves here and yet glowed every minute in the delight of live ballet - youth embracing, rather than being intimidated by, a demanding classic."
"Ballet Chicago Artistic Director and former Balanchine dancer Daniel Duell served his mentor well here... lighting fire under tomorrow's stars."
"Lighting fire under tomorrow's stars..." These words capture the very essence of our goals in serving our mission of advancing American classicism. They underscore the value of our artistic programming for the students and professional guest artists who participate, as well as for the audiences who see Mr. Balanchine's magnificent ballets performed with the authentic movement aesthetic that defines his American classicism.
A few other highlights since our fall term began September 7, 2010:
September 30, 2010 - Over 100 people gathered in our studios to honor Phil and Marsha Dowd for their extraordinary contributions to Ballet Chicago. A seven-year retrospective video featuring performance clips of Dowd scholars was shown, along with walls lined with student testimonials and a special live performance tribute choreographed by former Dowd scholar Ted Seymour. That day our main studio became "The Dowd Studio". (Special thanks to chairperson Rebecca Halpern for this event, which raised $15,000.00 matched by Phil and Marsha for a total of $30,000.00).
From left to right; Act I, Party Scene; Act I, Snow Scene; Act II, Russian Dance; Act II, Grand Pas De Deux
From left to right; choreography by Patricia Blair, Dan Duell and George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust
Photos by Sasha Fornari
November/December, 2010 - Our students performed for over 1,000 Chicago Public School children at the Chicago Cultural Center in association with the International Music Foundation, danced live on Daley Plaza at the opening of "Christkindl Market," performed again at the Chicago Cultural Center for the city's "DanceAlong Nutcracker," danced for hundreds of families at the Field Museum's Annual Holiday Tea Party, performed to special student sold-out matinees of our Nutcracker at the Athenaeum Theatre, and then delivered four performances of our full Nutcracker to record audiences.
February/March, 2011 - Our students joined over a dozen other Chicago troupes for "Duets for My Valentine" on Saturday, February 12, then on February 27, March 6, and March 9, delivered world premiere performances of "Instruments of Revelation" in collaboration with Chicago's Orion Ensemble and composer Victoria Bond, dancing in concert venues in Evanston, Lake Geneva, and at Roosevelt University's Ganz Hall.
April, 2011 - Nine of our younger dancers performed choreography by our own Ted Seymour at Macy's Oakbook store to unveil a new Lladro ballerina sculpture by Javier Molina.
May, 2011 - The Ballet Chicago Studio Company and professional guest artists, several of them SBC alums, triumphed in performances of "A Balanchine Celebration," dancing three of Balanchine's most demanding and beloved classics, Serenade, Rubies, and Who Cares?
In Praise of Parents
A great deal of what we do would not happen without the invaluable help of our School of Ballet Chicago Parents' Organization (SBCPO), established in 1997 in conjunction with the formation of our Studio Company. The SBCPO helps us with costuming, fund-raising events, merchandising, and more. Every year for our Nutcracker season and later, for our Spring Repertory performances, the all-volunteer "Guild of the Golden Needle" gathers to create, maintain, and execute at professional level the costumes that make us look so beautiful onstage every season. The SBCPO also conceives and hosts events such as the Nutcracker Sweets party, and more recently our "Backstage at Ballet Chicago" event connected with Spring Repertory. Independently, SBC school parents also help us in areas where they have professional expertise, such as website management, graphic design, and information systems counseling. Ballet Chicago parents deserve an ongoing round of applause!
In a special parent's meeting on May 21, some wonderful testimonials emerged from parents whose children have trained with us for years, as well as from parents who are newer to Ballet Chicago. A new parent was moved to relate his story of how he discovered Ballet Chicago and subsequently enrolled his young daughter: "One morning last summer, I was walking to work from the Metra train station located on Randolph and Michigan. As I was walking, a group of young ladies caught my attention. I could instantly tell that these young ladies were ballerinas due to the buns in their hair and their apparel. As I walked behind them, I was impressed at how graceful they were. Since my wife and I were looking for a new dance school for my daughter, I instantly wanted to know where these young ladies were going. I followed them for another block until they entered a building I had passed multiple times before but never paid any attention too. I looked at the Ballet Chicago sign and made a mental note. When it was time to enroll my daughter into a dance school for the fall semester, I told my wife we needed to look at Ballet Chicago. At visiting Ballet Chicago, she quickly came to the conclusion that Ballet Chicago was the best place for our daughter."
Another parent felt we should let the world know how accessible we make quality performance experience as well as classroom training ---I quote this parent of a very young dancer: "Ballet Chicago makes classical ballet accessible to dancers of all ages, socio-economic status, cultural identities, and walks of life. They do this through the promotion of a performance-based curriculum not afforded by other schools..."
And a parent (among the many) whose daughter "grew up" here and now has a professional performing
career, offers this:
"From an early age at ballet Chicago, Julie was able to reach her potential through excellent
training, hard work, focus and wonderful performance opportunities. Julie developed a strong
work ethic as a result of the encouraging and nurturing Ballet Chicago staff. Even though
dancers are challenged to be their personal best, Dan and Patricia always emphasized the
importance of being a team player. Julie is now realizing her dream daily as a professional
dancer with Ballet Memphis."
We sing praises for the commitment of time and resources parents give to their children to pursue their dreams. That is a gift beyond measure.
Watch for exciting new developments soon to be announced for our upcoming year!
With deep thanks,
Daniel Duell
Artistic Director
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4/19/2011 - Jewel of a Program
May 10 Open Rehearsal
Diversity, April Dance Bulgaria Project, July Dance/USA conference
The weekend of May 13 - 15 will find three of George Balanchine's most beautiful and celebrated masterworks, Serenade, Rubies, and Who Cares?, gracing the stage of Chicago's Athenaeum Theatre.
This triple bill shows three distinct aspects of Mr. Balanchine's creative genius. Serenade, Mr. B.'s first work choreographed in America, displays the expansive yet detailed movement and performance aesthetic that defined the direction of his American classicism; Rubies shows the master at play some thirty-three years later with an ultra-modern vocabulary that pushes the neo-classic envelope, and the jazzy, effervescent Who Cares? delivers the ultimate testament to Mr. B.'s statement, "The urge to move to music is an impulse born of joy".
Performed by members of the Ballet Chicago Studio Company and guest artists from Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., each ballet opens with a "take-your-breath-away" tableau. The performances of these masterworks will provide our community of performers wondrous artistic growth as well as superb entertainment for Chicago audiences.
Also, On May 10, 2011 come join Associate Artistic Director Patricia Blair and dancer/choreographer Ted Seymour at the Athenaeum Theatre for a behind-the-scenes look at Ballet Chicago's final preparations for "A Balanchine Celebration", showcasing excerpts from Serenade and Rubies.
In the world of classical ballet, stage rehearsals are a closely guarded process. Join the conversation. Witness the process. Learn the inside secrets. Come and see the transformation from perfecting skills in rehearsal to abandon and expansion in performance. Tickets are $75 per person, which includes one premium ticket for A Balanchine Celebration ($30 value). Visit our website at www.balletchicago/backstage.asp to purchase tickets for this event. All funds raised will support Ballet Chicago's Philip and Marsha Dowd Scholarship Program and will be matched dollar for dollar! Festive refreshments will be served.
Having profiled Serenade and Who Cares? in previous blogs, I'll focus now on Rubies, the centerpiece of our program. Also known as Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra (the title of the music), Rubies is the middle section of Balanchine's three-part full length ballet Jewels. Drawing on the nature of the gem itself, Balanchine's choreography delivers sharply etched, multi-faceted patterns and movements that dazzle the viewer with their complexity, playfulness, and athleticism. The central duet is characterized by a dynamic plasticity interspersed with bright solos for the lead couple, and the ballet's third movement enhances the drive and power of Stravinsky's score with an exhilarating finish that finds the dancers landing in their final pose one swift beat after the last note of music. Sandra Jennings, a brilliant former NYCB dancer and now a repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust staging his works all over the world, will once again stage the ballet for us.
The great diversity in these three works is performed by a great diversity of artists on the stage. Our Studio Company brings dancers of multiple ethnicities and cultures together to work toward a common goal of artistic excellence and character development. The diversity in the make-up of our student body as well as in our guest performers results in a beautiful harmony amongst people of vastly differing backgrounds.
This reflects Ballet Chicago's long-standing commitment to fostering diversity within Chicago's growing dance community. For the past thirteen years we have shared a rich, multi-layered relationship with Deeply Rooted Dance Theater in our studios, and five years ago we added Luna Negra into the mix. There has been much interactive exchange with teaching, and we have been blessed to have guest artists from both DRP and Luna Negra for numerous performance seasons. In addition to the diversity engendered, the practice of sharing of space, artists, and resources is vital to the ongoing sustainability of not-for-profits in the performing arts.
Just this past April 3 - 10, DRP's Associate Artistic Director Gary Abbott and I traveled to Sofia, Bulgaria, participating in Petur Iliev's " Dance Bulgaria" project, which brings American teaching artists of varying genres to Sofia in pursuit of ongoing artistic and cultural exchange. Gary contributed his modern, African-based technique and new choreography, and I contributed American classicism and new choreography. The new choreography received a performance at week's end. This project affords a wonderful opportunity for these two artistic colleagues to represent Chicago abroad, and to offer scholarships to selected students for summer course study here in the United States.
Meanwhile, rehearsals continue apace back in Chicago, presided over by Associate Artistic Director Patricia Blair and assisted by Ted Seymour. This "behind the scenes" ongoing work is crucial to the preparation of our May performances.
Turning again to the subject of diversity, I again urge any and all dance aficionados and supporters to join the Dance/USA Conference here in Chicago this coming July 13-16. Visit the website at www.danceusa.org for more information about this unique opportunity to share experiences with dancers, choreographers, dance administrators, dance organization Board members, managers, presenters, and others in the dance industry from around the country. There are discussion events, performance events, and receptions, all bringing together the vast panoply of dance lovers and supporters here in the United States.
Tickets to our May 13 - 15 performances are on sale! You can purchase seats by contacting Ticketmaster at 800-982-2787 /www.ticketmaster.com, or by visiting the Athenaeum Theatre Box office. Discounts are available for groups of 12 or more; to arrange group tickets, contact Bryant Liggett at 312-251-8838.
Come join us May 13 - 15! Celebrate the beauty and the excitement of ballet and the genius of Mr. Balanchine in this very special program!
Please visit our website at www.balletchicago.org for information on our May performances, ways you can donate, and information on our classes and programs.
With deep thanks,
Dan Duell
Artistic Director
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Contributing Photography - Susan Aurinko, Mark Niekrasz, Vincent Chaigne, Daniel Duell and Margo Ruter
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