Company Dancer Spotlight: Guillaume Basso

Learn more about Guillaume Basso, native of Dijon, France and Joffrey Ballet company member since last season (2012-2013). You may have noticed his extraordinary jumping and turning ability onstage, but here's a little more about his preferences, including chocolate, his biggest challenge and his love of the city, Copenhagen, Denmark! Also, in case you are wondering what his favorite step is, it's a "cassiole" also known as "the 540." Scroll down to the bottom of this blog post from the Ballet Bag to see a video clip of the 540 being executed in the coda of Le Corsaire. It's quite amazing!

2013 Trainee Program Students Attain Professional Contracts

Brazil, France, China, and Australia are among the 10 countries that The Joffrey Academy Trainees traveled from to attend the 2012-2013 Trainee Program. With a world-renowned reputation,  many students go on to dance professionally  in some of the highest caliber companies in the world, including the Dresden Semperoper, Staatsballet Berlin, Atlanta Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Texas Ballet Theater, Cincinnati Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Oklahoma City Ballet, BalletMet, Sarasota Ballet, Louisville Ballet, and Richmond Ballet. Among the students pursuing professional dance careers is Michael Sayre, a student of the Joffrey Academy since its opening in 2009, who will be joining BalletMet; and Daniella Spitelli, 2012-2013 Trainee Program student and recipient of first place at the Youth America Grand Prix semi-finals, will be joining Ballet West II.

Michael Sayre, Joffrey Academy Trainee 2011-2013

 

Michael had the opportunity to share his best memories, favorite roles, and his experiences working with Joffrey Academy Artistic Directors Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik.

AM: How many years you have been at The Joffrey Academy?

MS: I started taking classes at Joffrey when the Academy officially opened in January 2009. I started out in level four for a couple of years, then level five for I believe one year, and then the trainee program for two years.

AM: What was your experience like working with Academy Artistic Directos, Anna and Alexei?

MS: Anna and Alexei can be very intense teachers. They have really pushed me over the years that I have been with them. They are excellent at installing clean and proper technique in young dancers, and helping them to truly understand the core principles of ballet.

AM: What is your best memory during your time at the Joffrey?

MS: I have had a lot of good times at Joffrey, but one moment that stands out for me is the first time I got to perform snow for the company in the 2011 Nutcracker. It was really incredible to dance such beautiful and challenging choreography on the historic Auditorium Theater stage. The rehearsal process was hard, but it was extremely rewarding.

AM: What was your favorite performance?

Michael Sayre, left in Ma Cong's Impulse Within with Jose Soares da Silva 

 MS: My favorite performance at Joffrey was the 2013 Choreographers of Color showcase. I really enjoyed being in both Alexei's and Ma Cong’s pieces, (Carnival of the Animals and Impulse Within) and I was extremely proud of the performance the Trainees exhibited on the Harris Theater stage.

AM: What you are looking forward to most about your new position at BalletMet?

MS: I am really excited to work with Artistic Director, Edwaard Liang, I have always enjoyed watching his choreography, so I am excited to dance some of it. I think I will benefit a lot artistically from dancing the repertory of BalletMet.

With these exciting future endeavors, we wish our Trainees well on their journeys and end on a note from the Joffrey Academy Artistic Directors, Alexei Kremnev and Anna Reznik:

“Congratulations to all of our Trainees. We are happy that some of them have already found or will find positions with the company. Some of them will enter a university or will make another decision that will be important for their future lives. But, we really hope that they will always value their experience and many works that we had created together. It was a year of everyday challenges, small victories, and artistic successes. We have learned a lot. We learned how to help each other, how to become better dancers, artists and most importantly better people. It was a great year and we certainly hope it would be remembered this way.” 
By Amanda McAlpine

Q&A with Ginger Thatcher, Assistant to Choreographer Lar Lubovitch

Interview by: Amanda McAlpine

Over the past two weeks, The Joffrey Ballet has had the pleasure of working with world-renowned choreographer, Lar Lubovitch and his assistant, Ginger Thatcher, whose impressive background includes choreographing for theatre productions, film, TV, dance and opera, and working as Associate Choreographer for many Broadway shows. In speaking with Ginger, it was evident that her warm personality, passion for dance, and fondness for choreography have all been contributors of her success. In this interview, Ginger provides a unique perspective to working with Lar and shares her experience rehearsing with The Joffrey Ballet.

AM: How did you become involved with Lar Lubovitch Dance Company? With an amazing reputation and internationally recognized, was it an easy decision to make to join the company?

GT: It was a natural progression for me and I was ready to make a move after I had been with Cleveland Ballet for 10 years. I had danced in a work by Lar, while in Cleveland Ballet, and had kept in touch with him over the years, so I was absolutely thrilled when he asked me to join his company. I have always been attracted to companies who perform diverse works, both classical and contemporary. When I was dancing professionally, Cleveland Ballet was closest to The Joffrey in terms of repertoire and I was able to dance principal roles there. The training was also fantastic- we got to take José Limon workshops and then perform a Limon piece. It was rare to be able to have that in-depth training for a specific piece. The workshops were extremely helpful because they enriched the movement. What attracts me to companies like the Joffrey, is the diverse repertoire, and the company’s ability to execute such a wide range of styles so effortlessly.

AM: What’s it like working with Lar- First being a dancer in his company and now his assistant?

GT: I have always enjoyed working with Lar because he is not only highly respectful of his dancers, but he allows us to be a part of the creative process. As this is not common practice in classical ballet, I was speechless when he first asked for input on how best to execute one of his steps [laughs]. That was the first time anyone had ever asked me that, and I had not been exposed to the idea of actually contributing to a work with the choreographer. In classical ballet, you are given the steps, and you generally have to execute them as you are directed.  The idea of collaboration is much more common in contemporary dance.

AM: Who inspires you to choreograph?

GT: I really appreciate Lar’s choreographic style- his movements are so unique and beautiful. I really admire both Lar and Jiří Kylián as choreographers. They are extraordinary. Lar produces genius work, so it makes it difficult to choreograph [smiles] it’s hard to find a new lift that he hasn’t already thought of. I find that my voice comes out from working with him, but I can take from my Broadway background and classical background to find my own voice.

AM: You have quite a diverse background: Broadway, modern dance and classical ballet. What was your training like?

GT: Growing up as a navy “junior” I traveled everywhere, receiving very diverse training, even within the classical technique. From RAD training, to Vaganova training, and I quickly had to adapt. In the end, I think my diverse training helped me to become stronger, more adaptable, and well-rounded in my dancing. I was also strong in contemporary dance- which made dancing with Lar’s Company a great transition from Cleveland Ballet. I always had an interest in Musical Theater growing up, so I took acting classes, voice lessons and tap lessons.  I loved it all.

AM: How were you able to become a choreographer and work on so many different projects? How did these opportunities arise?

GT: I was lucky to have had some great opportunities to become involved with choreographing. Ben Stevenson inspired me and allowed me to work on projects as an apprentice with the Houston Ballet. Additionally, I was the founding director of a choreography project called “New Steps” while in Cleveland, with two other dancers, Margaret Carlson, and David Shimotakahara, which garnered an “Achievement in the Arts” nomination. Lar was always very generous when I joined his company, and allowed me to use his studio space for free- and I am grateful for that.

 I’ve also had the pleasure of performing in musicals such as West Side Story, Carousel, Phantom, Peter Pan, Showboat, Evita, etc. I was fortunate that Lar asked me to be his assistant on The Red Shoes for Broadway.  One thing led to another and that show opened up the doors for me to work again on Broadway with Carousel, Big with Susan Stroman, Matthew Bourne’s Swan Lake, A Year with Frog and Toad, and Oklahoma! , again with Susan Stroman. I will be her Associate for a new musical in 2014.

AM: How is working on Othello different than some of the other works you have done? (I.e. The Red Shoes) What is special about Othello?

The movement speaks the story- not the other way around. Othello is unique because it is a dance in 3 acts, which follows the typical format of a classical ballet, but there is hardly any pantomime.  The story is told through dance alone. It’s also special because it was Lar’s first 3 act production he ever created. I was especially honored when he asked me to be his assistant in this process because it was new for him. Lar’s choreography works so well with Othello because of his contemporary style and overall design of movement. I like to think of Lar’s choreography as “designing in space.” There are a lot of circular sweeping movements, (which is challenging for classically trained dancers to move in this way) - you can get very sore! The music is also a difficult score for the dancers to move to. The counts are not in typical eight-counts, if it’s counted at all. It’s beautiful but very challenging. However, The Joffrey is the best company to receive Lar’s work because of their diverse movement abilities. They are able to execute anything they are given and it’s also rewarding to see the principal dancers growing from the last time they performed Othello in 2009. This version of Othello is going to be the best yet; Lar is continuing to perfect the movements from all of the versions of Othello he has set on other companies including ABT, so this work continues to evolve with each version.  There is a layer of richness that is brought to this production that will make it truly special. It’s also motivating for the dancers to work with Lar because of the “kinetic intelligence” that one finds in his movement.  Lar’s choreography is never just steps. The dancers are challenged because of the way they need to execute the shapes and flow of movement, and through the movement comes the emotional story. Dancing this work is very fulfilling. 

The Joffrey Ballet’s Othello will be performed at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., 800-982-2787, April 24 – May 5, 2013. Tickets ($31-152) are available at the box office or on Ticketmaster.com. This will be the last time to see The Joffrey perform Othello in Chicago, as it will be retired from active repertory. http://www.joffrey.org/othello 

 

Jeremy McQueen, Recipient of the Choreographers of Color Award 2013: Giving back, creating a world premiere, and taking on a new challenge

Jeremy McQueen,
Recipient of the Choreographers of Color Award 2013

Young choreographer Jeremy McQueen, born in San Diego, California and currently living in New York City, is one of three recipients of The Joffrey’s Choreographers of Color Award 2013. Jeremy had the privilege of being exposed to theater, music, and dance at a young age and as a result, he prefers to express himself through movement rather than more conventional forms of communication.

Jeremy’s diverse professional experience includes the Broadway National Tours of Wicked and The Color Purple, as well as performing as a guest artist with companies such as the California Ballet Company and Dominic Walsh Dance Theater. Jeremy began training at the California Ballet School and San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, where he was the recipient of the Fred Astaire Award for Dancer of the Year. He has also trained as a scholarship recipient with the San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theater and Alonzo King's Lines Ballet. In 2008, Jeremy received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from The Ailey School/Fordham University.

Most recently as a recipient of the 2013 Choreographers of Color Award, Jeremy has spent time in Chicago setting a new work on the Joffrey Academy Trainees for the upcoming Winning Works performance at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park. Jeremy’s choreography which will premiere on March 10, is inspired by a Georgia O’Keeffe painting called Black Iris III that is displayed at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Jeremy not only draws inspiration from O’Keeffe’s artwork, but also by the strong, powerful and supportive women in his life. Learn more about Black Iris and watch the preview video.

In addition to his inspiration and creation of new works, Jeremy enjoys giving back to the community in teaching various master classes to aspiring young dancers. He has served as a guest instructor at Broadway Dance Center, as well as universities, high schools and dance studios across the country.While in Chicago, Jeremy held a workshop with the Joffrey’s Exelon Strobel Step Up Program, in which he led the students through a ballet warm up, core strengthening exercises and ended class with a modern dance combination. The students really enjoyed the challenges that Jeremy brought to the workshop and the advice he shared on pushing through challenges and staying motivated. Jeremy’s advice to young dancers today is “live your life and become well rounded. Choose a path that best fits you and don’t be afraid to fall or to fall in love.” See Jeremy’s world premiere work Black Iris along with four other world premieres at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance on March 10 and purchase tickets for this performance here.

Jeremy McQueen
Performer/Choreographer/Educator
www.JeremyMcQueen.com