Joffrey Ballet’s contemporary Game Changers includes a Chicago premiere and the return of two favorites

The Joffrey Ballet showcases contemporary ballet in its winter program, Game Changers, which Artistic Director Ashley Wheator said is bringing to the audience “ballet for today – fearless and emotionally charged works from visionary new voices in 21st century choreography.”

The program begins with the return of an audience favorite from 2015. Fresh on the heels of his critically acclaimed and very popular interpretation of the Nutcracker in December, Tony Award winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon returns with Fool’s Paradise, which enjoyed its Chicago premiere in September of 2015. Set to a commissioned score by Joby Talbot, this abstract ballet for nine dancers moves through solos, duets, and trios in a moving display of beauty and strength as the dancers’ bodies form a series of living sculptures while falling, shimmering petals shower the stage. Both beautifully painful and emotionally intense, Fool’s Paradise reveals a deep connection between the dancers that leaves the audience to discover its meaning and effect. The slower pace of Fool’s Paradise allows the audience to see the fluidity and intricacy of the beautifully symmetrical movements.

The program continues with the return of the innovative and arresting Infra, which had its U.S. premiere with The Joffrey Ballet in 2012. Inspired by the 2005 terrorist bombings in London, Infra is set to an original score by Max Richter that includes mournful strings and industrial sounds. Suspended above the stage is a 59-foot rectangular LED screen displaying walking pedestrian animations by British artist Julian Opie. Beneath it (“infra,” Latin meaning “below”), twelve dancers execute choreographer Wayne McGregor’s quick, intricate, and abstract movements with a vibrant emotional undercurrent that explores what lies beneath the surface of human interactions.

Finishing the program is the Chicago premiere of a dance inspired by the Chinese zodiac, Year of the Rabbit. Choreographed by Justin Peck (soloist and resident choreographer with New York City Ballet), this work is set to American singer-songwriter Sufjah Stevens’ album, Enjoy Your Rabbit, with a new orchestration of the score created specifically for this ballet by Michael Atkinson. Visually arresting with a lively pace and powerful movements, it is an impressive ending to a program showcasing modern ballet.

The musical scores are beautifully performed live by the Chicago Philharmonic. Piano lovers will especially enjoy the score for Fool’s Paradise, in which that instrument is prominently featured.

Game Changers will be performed at the Auditorium Theatre for 10 performances only, from February 15-26, 2017. The theater is located at 50 East Congress Parkway in downtown Chicago. Single tickets range from $34-$159 and are available for purchase at The Joffrey Ballet’s official Box Office located in the lobby of Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph Street, as well as the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Box Office, by telephone 312-386-8905, or online at Joffrey.org.

Photo: Year of the Rabbit, featuring Yoshihisa Arai and Company. Photo by Cheryl Mann.