As a very young child, I remember listening to beautiful classical piano music such as Frederic Chopin’s Polonaise in G Minor. For many years of her own youth, my mother, Marcella, had been trained in the classic form of ballet known as “pointe.” After having surrendered her artistic training for love and marriage, Mom, however, continued to share the ballet’s music with her husband and two daughters. Later my daughter, Kristi, experienced the phenomenally difficult art form of “dancing on toe.” She too became familiar with her grandmother’s repertoire of the French terms of the danse which included words such as arabesque, elev’e, fouette, jete, pirouette, pli’e,and relev’e.
(Photos provided)
How excited was I then when given the opportunity to witness Peter Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake Ballet at the Auditorium Theatre in downtown Chicago! Thank you to Sun City residents, Ronda Goldman and Donna Sorensen, for helping to make this dream possible.
On Saturday, Oct. 18, I participated in Sun City’s own bus trip to see the Joffrey Ballet’s 20th Anniversary celebration in our city. According to the Sun-Times Dance Review critic, Hedy Weiss, (10/17/14), “This marks the Joffrey’s first-ever production of ballet’s most demanding classic in its nearly six-decade history, and the company met the challenge in a remarkable way.”
Accompanied by the live instrumentation of the Chicago Philharmonic Orchestra with the hall’s perfect acoustics, the 2 hours and 35 minutes performance of athletically and artistically talented dancers was a true tour de’ force. I will always be in appreciation of Sun City residents, Susan Carlins and Pat Morgan, who had the vision to see this project through in leading their senior entourage.
The afternoon’s presentation has brought back wonderful memories of Mom and Kris’ passion for pointe ballet. These recollections will remain with me for my lifetime!
