Ravinia 2024 Issue 6

GERALD ARPINO (1923–2008) Birthday Variations Music by Giuseppe Verdi: Adapted from the ballet music of Jérusalem and I vespri siciliani Gerald Arpino was the Artistic Director and Resident Choreographer of The Joffrey Ballet, the company he co-founded with Robert Jof- frey in 1956. Born on Staten Island, NY, he met Joffrey while stationed in Seattle with the Coast Guard. He studied with Mary Ann Wells at the School of American Ballet, danced with Gra- ham dancers May O’Donnell and Gertrude Schurr, and was a principal dancer with the original Joffrey company. As resident choreographer, Arpino created over one-third of the commissioned repertory for The Joffrey Ballet, including Sea Shadow , Viva Vivaldi , Olympics , The Clowns , Trinity , Ketten- tanz , Suite Saint-Saens , and Light Rain . He also had wide experience in Broadway musicals, on television, in opera, and staged musicals for the country’s leading festivals. Arpino’s ballets have been performed at the White House on several occasions, as well as around the world, to crit- ical acclaim as well as controversial appraisal. So varied was his output that one critic com- mented, “He’s not a single artist. He must be an alliance.” His citation as a recipient of the 1974 Dance Magazine Award read: To Gerald Arpino – more than any other choreographer, he has recognized the spirit of the times. His work speaks clearly of the anguish and the joy of being young in America today. Upon Robert Joffrey’s passing, Arpino directed The Joffrey Ballet from 1988 until 2008, continu- ing Joffrey’s vision for the company by restag- ing important dance historical works, such as Léonide Massine’s symphonic ballet Les Presages (1933) and Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella (1948), as well as taking risks with new commissions Gerald Arpino such as the rock ballet Billboards (1993) to mu- sic by Prince. In 1995, Arpino moved the Joffrey Ballet to Chicago, where he established the Jof- frey as a world-class company in the heart of the American Midwest, and where it continues to thrive today. Birthday Variations , choreographed by Joffrey co-founder Gerald Arpino with music by Gi- useppe Verdi, was commissioned in 1986 by Becky D’Angelo as a birthday present to her husband Dino, who owned Chicago’s Civic Op- era House (now the Lyric Opera House) and loved Verdi’s music. This lively and melodic ballet is considered one of Arpino’s most pop- ular creations. This performance of Birthday Variations is pre- sented with permission of The Gerald Arpino Foundation in compliance with the standards established by the foundation. HOUSTON THOMAS For Mr. Ramsey Lewis Music from Ramsey Lewis’s solo and trio repertory: “Sun Goddess” (Lewis), “Watercolors” (Lewis), and “My Babe” (Willie Dixon) Born and raised in Chicago, Houston Thomas began his dance training with The Joffrey Bal- let’s Outreach Program under Pierre Locket’s direction. He later attended The Joffrey Ballet’s Academy of Dance while also studying at the Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts) un- der the direction of Lisa Johnson-Willingham. In 2011, Thomas enrolled full-time at the School of American Ballet. After completing his train- ing at SAB in 2013, Houston joined the Dresden Semperoper Ballett, rising to the ranking of sec- ond soloist. After 10 years with the company, Thomas decided to focus on choreography en- tirely, and in 2018, Thomas created his first work, Moonlit Variants , for the Semperoper Ballett’s Young Choreographers evening. Houston Thomas In his first work for the New York Choreo- graphic Institute in 2020, Thomas collaborated with New York City Ballet dancers in the film An Afternoon of Angelic Voices . Thomas created his second work with NYCI, The Return Stud- ies , for its 2021 Fall Session, featuring NYCB dancers and SAB students. Thomas has since created works for Cincinnati Ballet, The Juilliard School, the School of Amer- ican Ballet, ABT Studio Co., Hamptons Dance Project, Marcelo Gomes, and Ballet San Anto- nio. In July 2022, Thomas premiered Follow the White Rabbit at the Young Emergent Choreog- raphers Contest in Biarritz, France, winning a commission to create his work Skywatcher for the Opera National de Bordeaux. GERALD ARPINO Round of Angels Music by Gustav Mahler: Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 Round of Angels is one of the loveliest and most atmospheric ballets created by Arpino. He was inspired by an etching, Ronde d’Anges , by Cave- liere d’Arpino, the hauntingly beautiful Adagi- etto by Mahler, and the loss of a dear friend. To quote Arpino: “I have always loved the Mahler piece, the Adagietto from the Fifth Symphony. It was always a special piece to me, and Round of Angels came out ofthe loss of a very close friend, James Howell, who was my assistant for at least 20 years. So the ballet was very special in that it embodied the bereavement and depth of what I felt for a loved one.” The two central figures are surrounded by five men representing broken-winged angels, who swirl and circle the female and her partner. They lift her and sweep her up and down as if she were a feather in the wind. Arpino was never afraid to tackle sensitive subjects, and in this case he con- veyed the depth of his feeling with astonishing sensitivity. This is a serene work unlike many of his other ballets, which are wonders of vitality and virtuosity. The lead male role in Round of Angels was danced by The Mary B. Galvin Artis- tic Director, Ashley Wheater MBE, in the 1980s when he was a member of The Joffrey Ballet. ANDREW McNICOL Yonder Blue Music by Peter Gregson: “Sequence Four,” “Warmth,” “Plainchant,” and “Drone” from Quartets: Two British choreographer Andrew McNicol began choreographing at The Royal Ballet School, where he won the Kenneth MacMillan Choreo- graphic Competition and completed formal studies through Ballet Central’s Professional Choreographic Program (MA). He has created work for well-known companies and organiza- tions such as The Royal Ballet in London, The RAVINIA.ORG  • RAVINIAMAGAZINE 79 HERBERTMIGDOLL(ARPINO)