The Joffrey Piece

I was totally geeked to be invited to a rehearsal at the Joffrey Ballet a couple of weeks ago. I've sort of turned into the default dance writer at Chicagoist which is just fine since I enjoy covering all arts, not just music. They have a new program, Winter Fire, beginning on Wednesday, so they reached out and of course I jumped at the chance. (Read my preview AND interview with the choreographer!) Getting to watch these dancers up close in a rehearsal atmosphere was such a treat. I was a competition dancer up until the time I turned 18, but I've still taken ballet classes here and there over the years. 16-year-old-me basically wanted to be these dancers, who am I kidding, today-me still dreams of dancing like that! It all just gives me a greater appreciation of the ability on display.

Here are some rehearsal photos sent to me by their publicist, and some from the Sun Times which are from the space I saw them in. Enjoy!