Ravinia 2021 - Issue 4

RUTH PAGE FESTIVAL OF DANCE ȇTR WKH KLVWRU\ RI GDQFH, VKH OHIW VHYHUDO FKDSWHUV RI LQQRYDWLRQ ȍ AQG WR WKH ZRUOG RI GDQFH, VKH OHIW D OHJHQG Ȉ —Ann Barzel, dance critic Ruth Page (1899–1991) was a legendary balle- rina and innovative choreographer. She was the first American guest ballet soloist with the Metropolitan Opera, and she brought world- class dance to Chicago’s stages as Ballet Di- rector of the Chicago Opera Ballet, Lyric Op- era of Chicago, and the Ravinia Opera. Her accomplishments continue to be celebrated in Chicago through The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, which advances her vision of inspi- ration, transformation, and greatness in the world of dance. For many, Ruth Page and Chicago dance are synonymous. From the American heartland in Chicago, she choreographed, performed, toured, and produced in all parts of the world. Her legacy was not just in being an American choreographer, however. She was an early creative force, home-grown in the Midwest and eschewing any thoughts that the creative light of dance came only from Europe or the East Coast. As her life in art unfolded, she established a record of being an American dance pioneer by creating at the forefront of social, political, and artistic issues. An enduring part of Ruth Page’s legacy is the long-standing artistic relationship between the Ravinia Festival and The Ruth Page Cen- ter for the Arts, which helps ensure that dance is represented as part of Ravinia’s annual pro- gramming. The Ruth Page Festival of Dance presents local, national, and international dance companies on the festival grounds or at one of Chicago’s large venues. This year, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts cele- brates its 50th anniversary with special per- formances that are fresh examinations of its founder and her extraordinary artistic vision. For a complete list of programs, please visit www.ruthpage.org. PAVILION 8:00 PM FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 THE JOFFREY BALLET ASHLEY WHEATER, Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director GREG CAMERON, President and CEO ROBERT JOFFREY and GERALD ARPINO, Founders Artists of the Company Derrick Agnoletti • Yoshihisa Arai • Amanda Assucena • Edson Barbosa • Brian Bennett Miguel Angel Blanco • Evan Boersma • Anais Bueno • Valeria Chaykina • Nicole Ciapponi Lucia Connolly • José Pablo Castro Cuevas • April Daly • Jonathan Dole • Derek Drilon Fernando Duarte • Olivia Duryea • Anna Gerberich • Stefan Goncalvez • Dylan Gutierrez Dara Holmes • Victoria Jaiani • Hansol Jeong • Gayeon Jung • Yumi Kanazawa Blake Kessler • Yuchan Kim • Hyuma Kiyosawa • Brooke Linford • Greig Matthews Graham Maverick • Jeraldine Mendoza • Xavier Núñez • Princess Reid • Aaron Renteria Christine Rocas • Julia Rust • Chloé Sherman • Miranda Silveira • Temur Suluashvili Miu Tanaka • Olivia Tang-Mifsud • Alberto Velazquez • Valentino Moneglia Zamora Scott Speck, music director Bradley Renner, general manager ȌBeth Griffin company manager Nicolas Blanc, Adam Blyde, Suzanne Lopez, rehearsal directors Michael Moricz, company pianist •Cody Chen, production manager Katherine Selig, principal stage manager •Amanda Heuermann, stage manager Beyond the Shor e Choreography: Nicholas Blanc • Music: Mason Bates Costume Design: Katrin Schnabl • Set & Lighting Design: Mark Stanley Premiere: February 7, 2018, AuditoriumTheatre, Chicago, IL Additional rehearsal support for Beyond the Shore was provided by a Commission Initiative Grant from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet. Swing Low Choreography: Chanel DaSilva • Music: Zoë Keating – Exurgency , Escape Artist , We Insist Costume Design: Chanel DaSilva, Ellie Cotey • Lighting Design: Jack Mehler Strings: Members of the Chicago Philharmonic Digital premiere: May 28, 2021, Joffrey Studio Series Stage premiere: September 17, 2021, Ravinia Festival, Highland Park, IL The Sofa Choreography & Lighting Design: Itzik Galili • Music: Tom Waits Scenic Design: Janco Van Barneveld • Costume Design: Natasja Lansen • Staging: Elisabeth Gibiat Premiere: March 22, 1995, Ballet Gulbenkian, Grande Auditório Calouste Gulbenkian, Lisbon, Portugal Joffrey premiere: February 12, 2020, AuditoriumTheatre, Chicago, IL Nobody written by Tom Waits © Jalma Music (ASCAP). Used by permission. All rights reserved. Performed by Tom Waits, from the album Nighthawks at the Diner , courtesy of ANTI-. The Times Are Racing Choreography: Justin Peck • Music: Dan Deacon Costume Design: Humberto Leon • Lighting Design: Brandon Stirling Baker Sound Design: Abe Jacob • Staging: Craig Hall Premiere: January 26, 2017, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater, New York, NY Joffrey premiere: February 12, 2020, AuditoriumTheatre, Chicago, IL Original Beatles Compositions (SESAC) administered by 2011 Ribbon Music (SESAC) administered by Domino US Publishing Company (SESAC). Selections from Dan Deacon’s America : USA I – Is a Monster • USA II – The Great American Desert USA III – Rail • USA IV – Manifest Ravinia expresses its appreciation for the generous support of Sponsor Chris and Elise Klein . This performance is part of The Ruth Page Festival of Dance , an annual series of dance performances presented by Ravinia in collaboration with The Ruth Page Foundation and honoring one of Chicago’s most celebrated dancers of all time. Beyond the Shore Choreography by Nicolas Blanc Music by Mason Bates Beyond the Shore follows the score of Mason Bates’s The B-Sides and a soundscape serving as a prologue, originally composed by Bates for this piece. Through the ballet, as well as through the music, the piece makes us land in a new world different from the previ- ous one—each movement inhabits a new environment. I thought it would be a great concept and challenge to build a piece in which I would treat each movement as six consecutive short stories, each time aiming to capture the es- sence and the mood of the music and the atmosphere it carries. For example, as Bates explains: the second movement, Aerosol Mel- ody (Hanalei) , blooms on the north shore of Kauai, while the third movement, Gemini in the Solar Wind , is a reimagination of the first American spacewalk using actual communi- cation samples from the 1965 Gemini IV voy- age provided by NASA.” The approach of Beyond the Shore is a met- aphor for exploration inherent to human nature. It means not staying set at the dock, but taking off to new horizons and discover- ing new landscapes both literal and abstract. I explored my vocabulary as a choreographer by looking at new ways to think and interact with each other expanding how we commu- nicate in the complex world we live in. The work doesn’t aim for a strict narrative, yet the atmosphere and mood of each piece is show- ing just beneath the surface like a watermark. As Balanchine said, “Storyless is not abstract. Two dancers on the stage are enough material for a story; for me, they are already a story in themselves.” –Nicolas Blanc Swing Low Choreography by Chanel DaSilva Music by Zoë Keating Inspired by the powerful American spiritual “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” DaSilva creates a visceral narrative work for five men that in- vestigates the supernatural majesty of angels and the many complexities of what it means to be human. Set to the music of avant-garde cellist Zoë Keating. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • SEPTEMBER 7 – SEPTEMBER 24, 2021 56