The results are in! Rogue Ballerina placed fourth overall in the Top Dance Blog 2011 contest. Congratulations to Ballet to the People, who kicked some serious ass (including mine in the Seeing Dance category)!
A rousing THANK YOU to Nichelle Strzepek at Dance Avantage for hosting the contest. You can see all category results here.
No one needs to tell me how fantastic the Chicago dance community is, however, some of our top peeps are getting recognized for their fabulousness!
Congrats to Glenn Edgerton, Artistic Director at Hubbard Street, for being named a Chicago Tribune “Chicagoan of the Year” by the astute Sid Smith.
Props go to Ana Lopez (Hubbard Street), Carrie Hanson (The Seldoms) and Gustave Ramirez Sansano (Luna Negra) for making Dance Magazine‘s “25 To Watch” for 2012. In the same issue, check out a great piece on dance unions – Sweating the Small Stuff – by Time Out Chicago dance editor Zac Whittenburg.
Paris-Gutierrez in LABA's new studios. Photo by Iker Gutierrez.
Andrea Paris-Gutierrez in one busy lady. She’s the owner/Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Ballet Academy (LABA). She’s the Director of the Los Angeles Youth Ballet Theatre and the Theatrics Dance Company, which have 70 young dancers between them. This past August, she moved her studios into a brand new space designed by architect Robert Elbogen. Student enrollment is up, she’s now launching adult classes and fitness project. Growing up at her mother’s dance studio in New Zealand, she helped out with classes and soon joined the New Zealand School of Dance and toured with the New Zealand Ballet. At almost 5’10” and still a teenager, she found it difficult to find work in ballet. Once she moved to the States, her knowledge of jazz, modern and teaching helped her gain work in television, film and musicals, even touring internationally. Some of her bio includes: Sugar Babies, Anything Goes, Pennies From Heaven, The Wonder Years, Rags To Riches, General Hospital, and the Oscars. Oh, she also happens to be Joffrey Ballet dancer Dylan Gutierrez’s Mom.
RB met Paris-Gutierrez last fall in the Harris Theater lobby at Hubbard Street‘s Twyla Tharp premiere. We quickly became Tweeps! We finally had a more-than-140-character conversation over the phone one Wednesday evening last November.
How was your day?
(Laughing) Long.
Tell me about the new space.
It’s a really beautiful, inspired space that’s never been used. We had a 20-year lease on our old building, but the city wanted to tear it down, so we were forced to relocate. The city bought the building. We wouldn’t have had the money for a new facility, so it was sort of a fortunate/unfortunate accident. (Dance/Celebrity Photographer) Rose Eichenbaum is doing a shoot of the new space for “Ventura Magazine”.
Why is your Twitter name @drummamamma?
Dylan loves to play the drums. In high school we got him a drum set, which upset all the neighbors…they called the police. We now have two drum sets for sale – acoustic and electronic!
We met when you were in Chicago to see your son dance in Joffrey’s new production of Don Quixote. What did you think?
I like the production. The flying was cool looking. Dylan used to say it would be a dream come true to dance “Espada” and now he got to do Basilio too. I’m pretty critical, but he did a fantastic job! He got to dance with Victoria (Jaiani), which was amazing. She was calm, sweet and supportive to him.
What makes you a good teacher?
No one has ever asked me that before. I’m really passionate about it. I’m interested in it. You have to be interested to keep up and see what’s going on. You have to have a constant interest and hunger. I’m never bored with it. When I first started teaching, I would still dance in class. I thought if I was doing ok, then everyone else was good too. One of my former teachers told me to stop dancing, to turn around and see what’s going on. Observe. You can’t just give the corrections. You have to explain to the younger students what you want and have the patience to watch…let them feel it physically. Do it and repeat it until they understand what you want. Enforcement. It seems like a harsh word, but it’s not. Help them be a healthy, happy person and bring out the best in them. And, I’m competitive. I don’t give up easily. I like to be the best and my students do too.
What was it like dancing at the Oscar’s?
Insanely crazy! It’s not like performing in a theater where the audience is in the dark. There are really bright lights. You can see them and you know every face in the audience. Bette Midler was supposed to be there, but rumor was she didn’t show because she wasn’t nominated for “Beaches” (Paris-Gutierrez also danced in the movie). At the end of the opening number there was a big show and Bette was supposed to walk out, which didn’t happen. They kept changing it and making cuts. Finally, at rehearsal on the day of the show, they added a kick line and told the dancers to sing “Hooray for Hollywood”. We didn’t know the words, so they put up a teleprompter. It’s time for the kick line and the camera is coming across our faces in a close-up and the teleprompter goes out. There are no words on the screen! It got bad reviews, but it was a fabulous experience. I met amazing stars. I met Lucille Ball.
Tell me about shooting the video with Jane’s Addiction (“Been Caught Stealing” won the 1991 VMA Best Alternative Video award).
We met in a hotel room to discuss the concept and I got the job (choreographer). I also did casting on it. We did a night shoot at a liquor store in Santa Monica. It was a fun shoot. The band was really focused. It really upped my cool factor with my students.
Mark Goldweber in Gerald Arpino's "The Cowns". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
We’ve lost too many lights in this world this year, a number of them to various forms of cancer. Some that were dear to me are former First Lady Maggie Daley (fearless and forthright), writer Christopher Hitchen (boisterous and brilliant), my friend Justin Barth (laughing and loyal) and former Joffrey Ballet dancer/Ballet Master and Ballet Master for Ballet West Mark Goldweber. On Friday, December 9th, Mark also lost his courageous battle with cancer. He was 53.
Perhaps the brightest light of them all, Mark delighted audiences and inspired students with his cheerful attitude and love for the art. I met Mark while working in the Joffrey administrative office almost 12 years ago. Every time I saw him, even if it had been years in between, he greeted me with a smile that lit up the room and a big hug. He was like that with everyone he met. Kind, loving and giving.
The arts world was rocked by the news of his death. His spirit will be missed. Here are tributes from Ballet West, Oregon Arts Watch, Miami Herald, New York Times and the Joffrey Movie site. He is featured in the film.
DING – Round 2! The voting round in Dance Advantage’s Top Dance Blog 2011 contest has begun.
Thank you so much for all of your support and comments in Round 1. The competition is close, so please help RB get to the top by voting here.
The rules: you can vote for only one blog for the honor of Top Dance Blog, but you can also place one vote per category. RB‘s category is Speaking Dance.
Click on this link to vote for RB!
Smith as Drosselmeyer in Joffrey's "Nutcracker". Photo by Herbert Migdoll.
“I’m very thankful,” Michael Smith told me over cocktails this summer. “The Joffrey chapter of my life has been going on for a while. I’m lucky because I never really planned on it being this way.” A Chicago native, he lived for a short time in Gary, Indiana with his teacher/social worker mother before moving back to the city. That is where he got his first taste of dance at school. “My grandma would say that I watched The Nutcracker in her living room and just dance around. She’d say, ‘ok, you need to stop it before you knock something over!'” Smith, now in his 11th season with the Joffrey Ballet, is finishing this year’s run of Nutcracker performances (only two matinees left!). This season he’s dancing multiple parts: a parent in the Party Scene, a soldier, the Mouse King, in snow scene, two parts in Waltz of the Flowers and Russian nougat and Dr. Drosselmeyer, his favorite part. “There’s nothing like it. It’s an acting role, but it really gives you a chance to tell the story with Clara and have a great time with the audience,” says Smith. “You are the storyteller and you get to make all the magic happen. It’s hard because if it’s not done well, the story is lost.”
Here’s my Q&A with a man that literally grew up within the Joffrey and who I’m happy to call friend.
So, what’s your story?
(Laughing) I’m a child of the 80’s. Imagination was really pushed with me and my sister. When I was going to be a freshman in high school, my Mom thought I should audition for this private school…Chicago Academy for the Arts. I wanted to just go to school and be a teenager, but she convinced me. I went to the audition and I got in…then I freaked out. I had no idea what that really meant. Most kids know that they want to dance and have been dancing since they were three. For me, it was more like a hobby. At school. I was taking three hours of ballet, jazz, modern classes and learning about the art form. It wasn’t until my junior year that I thought maybe I should do this…maybe I should start taking this seriously.
How did you go from hobby to Joffrey?
The secretary of the school told me the Joffrey was looking for boys to fill in the background in The Nutcracker and I was like, “no, I don’t do ballet”…but she convinced me. The school sent four of us over and we had to take class. Mr. Arpino came and watched. The asked me and a friend (David Gombert) to come back and take another class, then asked if we were interested in doing Nutcracker. So for a few months, we would go to school in the morning, then head over to Joffrey to take company class at 10:00 am. We were there all day rehearsing. We did Nutcracker season and started getting to know a few people in the company that we weren’t scared of. I was terrified of everyone, but Calvin (Kitten). He’s the cutest little nugget ever. I was a soldier. I still am! I did the same soldier spot for like 12 years. (laughing) That’s sad. Now, I help teach it.
Were you hooked? Was Joffrey it for you?
My goal since my junior year was I want to go to New York. I’m going to dance for Ailey. Period – end of story. My email address used to be Ailey2000! Being at Joffrey…we were in this fantasy bubble where dance was our life for a few months, it was weird transitioning back into school life again. Joffrey was starting a new apprentice program for six dancers and asked if we (Smith and Gombert) were interested. I’d just started taking it seriously, meaning, ok I’m not going to skip my ballet class and go take another modern class. I knew that I didn’t want to go to college. I thought ‘you need something. You can’t be poor!’ I agreed to it and signed the contract. Literally a week later I got offered a contract with Hubbard Street 2 and had to turn it down. I graduated in 200 and started the apprenticeship in the fall.
Over the years, how has the company changed?
Technically, the company has always had its technical people in it, but now it is really emphasized. The company is a lot younger than it used to be. There’s a huge age gap. There’s a small group of us that are about to turn 30 and a few at 25, then the babies…19, 20, 21. Over the years, the emphasis on rep has changed…the things being brought in and what is being demanded of us. I kind of miss doing some of the historic works. There’s nothing better than to be choreographed on, being that vehicle to produce art. At the same time, there’s something very interesting and a lot of growth can happen by doing older, historic works. I go to do the horse in ‘Parade’. Who wants to do that? The experience was amazing. I miss doing Arpino stuff a little. I guess that’s a change as well. I got to dance while he was still alive in his company. To have that greatly influenced how I viewed and still view dance and this company.
Do you have a favorite Mr. A story or memory?
Some of my favorite memories are just random moments. I miss seeing him sitting in front of the room or seeing him in the back giving you a thumbs up or an ‘ok’ sign. As apprentices, we would get gifts from him every once in a while. One of them was this huge, oversized knit scarf that,I assume, someone had made for him. The first couple of years, I only wore it every once in a while, but now it is a saving grace come wintertime. I need that big, chunky scarf. I need Mr. A’s scarf. Getting to dance for him at the opening of the new building (Joffrey Tower), that was a really special moment. He’d always say, ‘This company is going to have a home.” To see him walk into that building was such a special time. His dream just came true. That was pretty kick ass.
How have you changed?
I’m a lot calmer with age. Outside of work, I try to be really chill. In the studio, in my early 20’s, I tried to be a bad ass and talk back. You’re still trying to figure out who you are at that age and my nature was to be more aggressive about it. You have to find where you’re going to put your energy. Life is too short. I’m here to dance. I want to be art. I want to express myself through art. I want to exchange art and discuss it with other people. I’m the most senior boy in the company now and I know what it’s like to be that little punk kid in high school. Now I have all this experience under my belt. There is nothing more humbling than to have someone new in the company and to go and help them. I learn things and help teach it to others. I’ve been here a long time. I’m dedicated to it. It’s home to me.
What have been some of your favorite pieces to perform?
(Jiri) Kylían’s ‘Return to a Strange Land’, hands down. I got to do it with Maia (Wilkins) and Willy (Shives). That was beyond a dream come true on so many levels. Kylían is one of my all-time favorite choreographers. It just feels good to do his movement. Having the chance to dance with two people that are such great partners and to be the third in the trio…that’s a lot to live up to. That was a super highlight. The Pilobulus piece ‘Untitled’, ‘Suite Saint Sans’. ‘Inner Space’ was three dancers in a 4×4 Plexiglass box. Loved it! Everyone wants to go out and be the prince or the lead, but there is something to be gained from doing the more abstract stuff too. Finding your own story in it or how you can get through this to make it entertaining and find growth within yourself. You’ve never had to do some self-examination until you’ve been put in a 4×4 box with two other people for seven minutes! Getting to do one of the stepsisters in ‘Cinderella’ with one of my best friends (Gombert). We were playing ourselves pretty much only in women’s clothing. I don’t know if anything that silly will enter my life again. It was pretty fantastic. And ‘Nutcracker’ is always something special. I do love it. It’s the one time of year where you are performing constantly. It’s like, should I even take this make-up off? I’m going to be right back.
You also have talents in a vast range of hobbies: photography, videography, choreography and teaching. What are your goals?
To take whatever comes and see what happens. When Jessica Lang came and set ‘Crossed’…that was a great experience. Really inspiring. You truly just have to be the vessel and let the art come through you. She told me to never say no to anything. Go do it and see what happens. Try to make all these things happen and see what comes out of it. It was a great piece of advice. Not that you can’t say no, but if you can do it…why not? My goal wold be to keep experiencing everything I can possibly experience. If you allow yourself to be open to just experience it, you’ll learn a lot. I’ve auditioned for Hubbard Street like five or six times now. I love them. I’d love to dance for Hubbard Street.
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If you like the classic 1983 movie, then you will LOVE the musical! A Christmas Story, The Musical – playing now through December 30th at the Chicago Theatre -is a delightful way to celebrate the holidays. This adapted stage version has everything from the movie, plus show-stopping music and dance numbers by a stellar cast. (Former schoolmates of Lizzie Leopold, director of Leopold Group wrote the music and lyrics!)
The hilarious trials of the Parker family are on full display: Ralphie’s uncompromising desire for a BB gun, a kid’s tongue stuck to a flagpole on a dare – I’m sorry, a DOUBLE-DOG-DARE! , a trip to see Santa and his bitter elves, a leg lamp, some cussing and subsequent soap-in-mouth punishment…it’s all there. And yes, there is even a leg lamp kick line number complete with Busby Berkeley-esque pinwheel sequence. Showstopper!
Tickets are still available through Ticketmaster. All photography by Carol Rosegg.
Ralphie to the rescue!!
If you need some last minute gift ideas for the dancer/dance lover in your midst, here are some great ideas!
Get your New Year’s resolutions off on the right foot by treating yourself to a fun workout with BeMoved‘s first fitness DVD! Dance Bollywood along with the fabulous Sherry Zunker – $24.99.
Expand your dance knowledge by signing up for the incomparable dance writer Lucia Mauro‘s weekly dance history webinar series! Each session is 35 minutes and only $5 – or you can buy the season pass for the entire series (52 weeks) and earn a certificate. Past session are available online for $3.
Russian Pointe owner Aleksandra Efimova has a delightful line of ballet-themed children’s books available at Growing Through the Arts. Stories like The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty range in price from $7.95 – $24.95.
Of course, pre-paid dance classes are always a hit! Here are a few local studios to choose from:
Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center
Happy Holidays! Keep dance in your life in 2012!
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Time really does fly during the holiday season. It’s been almost a week since opening night of Joffrey Ballet‘s annual The Nutcracker performance at the Auditorium Theatre and I can’t stop thinking about it (or get the music out of my head!). Honestly, this is not a new development. Nothing says Happy Holidays to me more than watching a good version of The Nut and, in my view, Joffrey’s is the best. Set in 1850s America, Robert Joffrey took a classic German tale and made it ours. There is so much action happening on stage that even the notoriously boring Party Scene breezes by leaving you wondering what you missed. Derrick Agnoletti as the bratty little Fritz provided comic relief for those not completely enthralled with Clara (Abigail Simon), her Godfather Drosselmeyer (Matthew Adamczyk) and her obsession with the wooden doll that happens to crack nuts. Once the clock strikes midnight, the action escalates in Clara’s dreams aided with some magic dust from Dr. Drosselmeyer. (Seriously, what is in that sparkly stuff? I’ll take two please!) Dolls coming to life, an enormous growing tree, a, epic battle, a first kiss, a beautiful snow fall and a lovely pas de deux: and that’s only Act One! The audience seemed a bit shy and lulled by the graceful snow pas danced by Victoria Jaiani and Dylan Gutierrez, but finally livened up to applaud during Agnoletti’s spirited dancing as the Snow Prince.
The excitement carried over into Act Two which had each of the divertissements getting rousing approval. Erica Lynnette Edwards was sassy in the Spanish variation, Arabian showed off Jaiani’s super flexibility, the Russian Nougats’ gravity-defying leaps (as usual) brought down the house, Elizabeth Hansen proved perfectly pristine as the lead Marzipan Shepherdess and Gerald Arpino’s choreography in Waltz of the Flowers is just as gorgeous as the famous music. The petite Yumelia Garcia as the Sugar Plum Fairy stunned the crowd (and RB!) with a spectacular balance at the end of the Grand pas that lasted at least 10 seconds! No joke, she stayed perched in first arabesque so long, she missed the next section of choreography, then hurried with her cavalier (Ogulcan Borova) downstage for the dramatic end poses all to cheers and wild applause.
On a somber note before the show, Artistic Director Ashley Wheater dedicated this season’s Nutcracker performances in honor of the city’s former First Lady, Maggie Daley, who was a huge supporter of the arts and served on Joffrey’s Women’s Board. Daley died last month after a long battle with cancer.
There are 16 performances left – get your tickets now and enjoy this holiday classic ballet.
Joffrey Ballet presents The Nutcracker through Dec 27th
Auditorium Theatre, 50 E Congress, 800.982.2787 or ticketmaster.com
Hubbard Street in "twice (once)" by Terence Marling. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
Seven members of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (HSDC) took a corner of the Harris Theater stage with select members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) for the MusicNOW series last night where HSDC Artistic Associate Terry Marling premiered his work to a score written by CSO Mead Composer-in-Residence Anna Clyne. Clyne, along with her fellow Composer-in-Residence, Mason Bates (cute!) hosted the evening that featured four other musical works by Julia Wolfe, Anthony Cheung, Aaron Jay Kernis, Lee Hyla. Each work was previewed with a video clip of the composer discussing their process as well as an appearance on stage to answer a question or two from the hosts. Cellist Kenneth Olsen played brilliantly in four of the five pieces and the petite Cynthia Yeh grabbed my focus with her huge sounds on percussion. Aside from a three-year stint playing the alto sax, my musical knowledge is fairly limited (music is my brother’s milieu), so I will leave that to the experts and focus on the dance.
With general admission seating it’s always a gamble, but I lucked out and grabbed a great seat down front (not too close) and center. When the crew rearranged the stage for the final piece, I realized the dancing would be happening on the stage left side and my vision was compromised, unfortunately, by a man with an ENORMOUS head. Undeterred, I wiggled around and leaned on my friend until I could see the dance space clearly, although at an angle. With no wings, the black stage walls provided a moody backdrop for the dancers wearing all white. A door on the back wall with bright light shining in served as the entrance (and numerous exits) for the dancers. In twice (once), Marling worked with the limited stage space by placing most of the dance on an angle coming from the open door. The dancers worked off of that angle, replacing each other, entering/exiting through the door, disappearing into the stage left blackness to Clyne’s achingly beautiful score. He successfully created a feeling of infinity, particularly in a moment where Kellie Epperheimer walked slowly forward on the angle while the other six dancers ran in a moving circle around her. Another breathtaking moment was with Ana Lopez (always brilliant, her solo work mesmerizing) where Jesse Bechard and David Schultz, who replaced an injured Pablo Piantino, held her feet to the ground while she swayed and arched back like a willow in the wind (pictured above). The sheer tulle skirts on the women added to the elegiac theme of the music (Clyne wrote it immediately after her mother’s death) and the somber, slow exit out of the door into the light by the dancers extended past the final note, again bringing to mind infinity and beyond. I’m looking forward to seeing Marling’s choreography reconfigured for the Danc(e)vole performances at the MCA Stage in January. His keen sense of weight shifts and musical timing shine on the HSDC dancers.