Ravinia 2021 - Issue 4

Chanel DaSilva’s Swing Low receives its live stage premiere E\ TKH -RIIUH\ BDOOHW DW RDYLQLD RQ SHSWHPEHU 17 72DD R2SENBERG COVID-19 closure that wiped out live performances and financially damaged many arts groups. Ravinia has been one of the first area organi- zations to reopen, and it wanted to extend a helping hand to some of its Chicago-area counterparts. “We just wanted to also be a good neighbor,” the Ravinia leader says, “and help the rest of the cultural community come back to life. Our hope was this could be their first big public experience. Their audience could reconnect , and, hopefully, that sets them onto a suc- cessful fall season.” And that is certainly Haydon how hopes it works out for the Joffrey, which begins its 2021–22 subscription schedule October 13–24 in its new performance home, the Lyric Opera House. It took little convincing to get the ballet company to return to Ravin- ia. In addition to the general appeal of the festival, Wheater says, the timing couldn’t be better. Normally, there is a big gap from May to October when the company is largely out of view— one that the Ravinia date nicely helps plug. “We have an audience that wants to see us more than the three or four times a year in the theater,” he says. Joffrey is planning to bring its full company of 44 dancers to Ravinia, including four new members. It will perform three works it has performed live previously and one that it present- ed via digital streaming in May as part of its Joffrey Studio Series, Chanel DaSilva’s Swing Low . Such familiarity is important, Wheater says, as the dancers work their way back into full performing form. Though they did virtual projects during the shutdown, he emphasized that nothing has the same intensity as a live performance. “So, coming to Ravinia with a program that the company knows,” Wheater says, “is a really good way to come back to live performances where it’s not so foreign to them that they’re going to push too hard and get injured. My worry about any athlete who has time off is injury.” In addition to familiarity for the dancers, Wheater sought four varied works that he thought would fit well into the fun, informal feel of Ravinia’s outdoor setting and show audiences who don’t know the company that it is much more than just tutus and fairy tales. Among the three works it has staged earlier are Nicholas Blanc’s Beyond the Shore and Itzik Galili’s The Sofa . The program will end with The Times Are Racing by Justin Peck, the New York City Ballet’s innovative res- ident choreographer. The 2017 work features 20 dancers in sneakers and street clothes performing a high-volt- age mix of ballet, modern dance, and soft shoe. Haydon’s one condition for the Joffrey’s return to Ravinia was that it presented at least one piece to live music, and Wheater readily agreed. DaSilva’s Swing Low was originally set to a score for digitally enhanced cello that was written and played by Zoë Keating. The instrumentation has been expanded to eight string instru- ments for this program, a version that will be performed by members of the Chicago Philharmonic. DaSilva was one of four choreogra- phers to take part in the 2021 edition of Joffrey’s Winning Works choreo- graphic competition, which showcases the talents of emerging ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Na- tive American) choreographers. This work, created for five male dancers, investigates the supernatural realm of angels and the earthly existence of hu- manity. “She’s an amazingly talented woman,” Wheater says, “and I think she’s a really fresh voice in the dance world.” Nothing has been confirmed, but don’t be surprised to see the Joffrey returning soon to Ravinia. Both Haydon and Wheater have made their enthusiasm for the partnership clear, and interest has been high for the September 17 performance. “I would say: Every year? Great,” Wheater says, musing on a possible reengagement. “Every other year? Absolutely, that works really well for us.” Kyle MacMillan served as classical music critic for the Denver Post from 2000 through 2011. He currently freelances in Chicago, writing for such publications and websites as the Chicago Sun- Times , Early Music America , Opera News , and Classical Voice of North America . “Chanel DaSilva is an amazingly talented woman, a really fresh voice in the dance world.” RAVINIA MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 16