Outreach

Since establishing The
Joffrey Ballet of Chicago (JBC) in September 1995, to carry on the 40-plus
year traditions and legacy of the company he co-founded with Robert
Joffrey, Gerald Arpino and The JBC dancers and staff have immersed
themselves in the culture and causes of Chicago, committing themselves to
enriching the community artistically, socially and culturally.

Outreach to youth has
long been a mainstay of The Joffrey agenda. 
In three-and-a-half years, The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago has
exposed thousands of youngsters, from diverse socio-economic backgrounds,
to the relevance and beauty of classical dance, through efforts including:

• The
  JBC Middle School Dance Clubs, developed in cooperation with the
  Chicago Board of Education with the long-term goal, according to
  Gerald Arpino, of “making ballet as common as little league on
  school grounds throughout the city.” 
  Now in its 3rd year, it has already provided the opportunity to
  more than 600 students at 15 Chicago public middle schools throughout
  Chicago with the opportunity to learn ballet basics and actual
  repertory from JBC dancers.  An
  estimated 15,000 students have been exposed to classical dance
  through peer performances of Joffrey repertory.

• Casting
  of 100 student dancers annually in Robert Joffrey’s THE
  NUTCRACKER;

• JBC
  dancer-taught ballet classes and other cooperative educational
  programs with
  the Chicago Children’s Museum;

• Presentation
  of Children’s Matinees at Ravinia Festival;

• Performance
  at Maggie Daley’s Magic City Festival (November 1995);

• Classes
  taught by JBC dancers at Oak Park’s Academy
  of Movement
  and Music;

• Participation
  in Dance Into Spring Workshop at Willa Cather School

• Open
  Rehearsals and Behind-the-Scenes Studio Tours for school groups;

• Distribution
  of thousands of complimentary
  tickets to JBC performances to groups such as the Boys & Girls
  Clubs of Chicago, Children’s Home and Aid Society, Metropolitan Family
  Services, the Christopher Zorich Foundation, Urban Gateways, The
  Chicago Public Schools and St. Teresa’s Catholic School in Chinatown.

• Fueled
  by Gerald Arpino’s belief in the power and responsibility of the Arts
  in affecting social change, The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago has become a
  central force in many key charitable causes and fundraising efforts,
  including:

• Dance
  for Life, a benefit to raise funds for Open Hand Chicago and the
  Dance for Life
  (AIDS) Fund.  (The JBC
  Artistic Administrator, Harriet Ross, is one of the founders of DANCE FOR LIFE and the founder of the Fund)

• Access
  Living, an advocacy organization for individuals with disabilities
  (JBC dancer Davis
  Robertson choreographed a world premiere work for Access
  Living’s May ’97 benefit that integrated
  JBC dancers with wheelchair dancers. 
  The piece, PORTRAIT OF HITCH, has since been incorporated into The JBC repertory and, in performance at a
  Ravinia Festival Children’s Matinee, inspired a young boy in a
  wheelchair to audition and be cast in The JBC’s annual production of
  Robert Joffrey’s THE NUTCRACKER)

• The
  1998 NUTCRACKER, performed in Chicago and in Orange County, CA, cast
  five young dancers in
  wheelchairs.

• During
  Chicago performance seasons, The JBC stage has become a forum for a
  wide range of city artists, fostering innovative and exciting
  collaborations, such as:

• Principal
  Chicago Symphony Orchestra bassist Joseph Guastafeste‘s
  performances in
  Arpino’s VALENTINE (August 1997 – Ravinia Festival; January 1997 –
  Shubert Theatre)

• Principal
  Chicago Symphony Orchestra violist Charles Pikler performances in
  Randy

  Duncan’s A-TRI-FLING  (June
  1998 – The Ravinia Festival)

• Chicago
  Children’s Choir singing in performances of Robert Joffrey’s THE
  NUTCRACKER (November 1996 &
  1997 – Rosemont Theatre, and 1998 – Auditorium Theatre)

• Praise
  Ensemble Choir of Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church 
  singing live, on-stage during the March ’98 revival of Arpino’s
  TOUCH ME at the Auditorium Theatre and at The Ravinia Festival.

• Other
  collaborations with Chicago’s cultural institutions have included:

• JBC
  performances in The Music and Dance Theater Chicago’s
  Spring Festival of Dance;

• JBC
  participation in the Chicago
  Symphony Orchestra‘s Manuel de Falla Celebration (May 1997);

• Gerald
  Arpino’s involvement, with representatives of the Lyric
  Opera and the Art Institute,
  in the Arts
  and Business Council of Chicago‘s “Blockbusters and
  the Arts” program (November 1997);

• Participation
  in other public lecture series at the Art
  Institute of Chicago, such as “Degas and
  Dance;”

• Co-sponsorship
  of lectures and behind-the-scenes programs at the Museum
  of Contemporary Art;

• JBC
  dancer-taught master classes at the Chicago
  Academy for the Arts;

• Membership
  in the Chicago Cultural Co-op with 25 other local cultural organizations
  that pool mailing lists and meet monthly to discuss topical issues;

• Provision
  of free studio space, as possible, to other local groups and artists
  including River North Dance, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Dance for
  Life, and various Chicago choreographers; and
  participant, along with twelve other major arts organizations
  in Chicago, in design and implementation of Kraft Arts in Education initiative to develop inter-disciplinary
  programs within the core curriculum
  in the Chicago Public Schools.  This
  program is now in the second phase of the pilot program working with Smith Elementary
  School on the southside and Aria Middle School in the Uptown
  neighborhood.