LAUREN STEWART Joffrey Ballet Chicago, Illinois USA BIO | POSTS

After a two week layoff following the closing of Giselle in Chicago, Joffrey returned to work this past Monday to start rehearsals of Nutcracker and Tudor’s Dark Elegies. We will tour to St. Louis to first perform Nutcracker, December 3rd-9th and return to Chicago for our Auditorium Theater season until the 30th of December. It has certainly been a busy week for us, to say the least! The first few days after layoff are always rough and our demanding schedule this week made it especially challenging. Over the layoff, I visited my family back home in New Hampshire and Boston, got a chance to rest, and guest taught at my home studio, Southern NH Dance Theater in Bedford, NH. I returned to Chicago a week ago, and got a chance to see Complexions perform at the Auditorium Theater. This was my first time seeing them dance as a member of the audience, the last time they were in Chicago, Joffrey dancers appeared with them on the same bill for the Chicago Dancing Festival in August at the Pritzker Pavillon. Their energy and obvious talent was much inspiring and their demanding program made it even more so exhilarating to watch. I especially enjoyed Rhoden’s Solo danced by Desmond Richardson, his movement quality is so expansive and unique. Following the performance, a few friends and I celebrated Jonathan Dummar’s birthday. Jonathan is a fellow dancer at the Joffrey. It was great to see everyone rested from their break and ready to start Nutcracker! Tis’ the season!

A program page from Complexions performance at the Auditorium Theater

Happy Birthday:from left to right-Katherine Selig, Jonathan Dummar, Michael Smith, David Gombert, Jessica Wyatt, and myself.