The Joffrey Nutcracker rises from the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago

By Joseph Houseal, 03 December 2019

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Reviewed at Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Chicago on 1 December 2019

The Nutcracker (Christopher Wheeldon)

Joffrey Ballet

Scott Speck, Conductor

Dylan Gutierrez, Dancer

Jeraldine Mendoza, Dancer

Cara Marie Gary, Dancer

Graham Maverick, Dancer

Victoria Jaiani, Dancer

Temur Suluashvili, Dancer

Atlanta Ballet shines in a mixed contemporary program

Rebecca Ehrhardt, 3rd April

Atlanta Ballet's Golden Hour program featured two world premieres and the Atlanta premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's Within the Golden Hour.

*****

NYCB: Ratmansky’s The Naked King is not satire, but good fun

Ivy Lin, 7th February

New York City Ballet presents a very entertaining quadruple bill which includes Alexei Ratmansky’s latest work, The Naked King, showing off the company’s comic talents.

****1

The Royal Ballet’s Like Water for Chocolate is sumptuous but complex

Amanda Jennings, 1st October

The Royal Ballet’s season opener, Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate, is visually tremendous, very well danced but the many principal and soloist characters are difficult to keep up with.

****1

Ballet Nights makes an impressive and unforgettable Scottish debut

Kathy Elgin, 4th July

Ballet Nights is more than an evening of party pieces: it showcases emerging talent alongside older favourites and, in the case of this first Scottish outing, has an eye to local tradition.

****1

ABT in Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale: CliffsNotes Shakespeare

Ivy Lin, 2nd July

Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale is a sumptuous looking production but on this occasion, it didn’t come to life emotionally.

***11

Wheeldon’s Alice: The Royal Ballet shines in a vehicle of excellence

Amanda Jennings, 13th June

Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland shows off The Royal Ballet's roster of supreme dance actors in every version of technical wizardry and comic incarnation.

****1

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Joseph Houseal

Joseph Houseal is the director of Core of Culture, cultural preservation organization based in Chicago and specializing in the Himalayas and ancient Asia. He has been a contributor to Ballet Review, New York, for 30 years, and a columnist for Buddhistdoor Global for four. Houseal’s writing on dance, from performance to philosophy has appeared in French, Swedish, Chinese, and English. His installation work has appeared in 14 museum exhibitions; held in 5 permanent collections. Houseal is a graduate of St John’s College, Annapolis, and hold a Masters of Philosophy from the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London.