The Joffrey Ballet continues to surprise audiences with innovation and superior technical prowess. Golden Hour, which opened Thursday at the Lyric Opera House, is a program of two dances from the extensive Joffrey repertoire and two world premieres. To me, Golden Hour is the R&B hit, "Golden Time of Day," by Frankie Beverly and Maze. Work is over, and the sun is easing down, sustaining a warm breeze. There is live music from the Lyric Opera Orchestra under the baton of Scott Speck. After 135 minutes eased by, Joffrey left an afterglow in the Lyric house.
The first dance was titled Under the Trees' Voices, with choreography and costume concept by Nicholas Blanc. Joffrey first performed it on October 13, 2021. Jack Mehler's scenic and lighting design was spare yet lush with translucent philodendron leaves suspended in the air. The dancers were the woodland denizens of this magical wood, indulging us with languid movements. Under the Trees' Voices was imbued with an animistic vibe. The leaves were as alive as the entities dancing and sometimes spreading leaves. There was soul and mystery from the dancers in harmony with the music by Ezio Basso. The strings of "Under the Trees" evoked the expanse of nature as the dancers twirled and flew across the stage. The contrabass opened a passage that rumbled like a storm brewing. The choreography reflected that feeling with dancers intertwining, entering, and exiting.
The second dance was Heimat, with music by Richard Wagner. Cathy Marston choreographed it, and Jim French designed the lighting. Heimat presented a deceptively domestic scene of the rivalries that can roil a family unit. Marston memorably choreographed Atonement, another story of a family riven by misunderstanding and naivete. The set was a park bench with the mother and three children looking like a sculpture on a bench. The father figure enters, takes the mother's hand, and they enjoy a romantic dance. The kids are all roused from their sleep and want the attention of both parents. The sibling rivalry is comic as they exchange kicks and push each other out of the mother's embrace and off the bench. There is rebellion in an array of fun dances, followed by détente. The costumes were from the Joffrey Ballet wardrobe department. They looked as if they were out of the Sears catalog, but that was the point. The individual dances were anything but 'suburban folks chilling in the park.' Heimat means homeland in German, which carries more weight than usual in these times for a melting pot of huddled masses.
The third dance was the world premiere of Andante, with music by Dmitri Shostakovich. Yuri Possokhov choreographed this lovely and graceful dance, which featured three of the Joffrey Ballet's more prominent members. Xavier Núñez, Victoria Jaiani, and Alberto Velazquez form a lovely ménage à trois, with each man vying for the love of the woman. Núñez is captivating, with more wanton movement and wild curls framing his face. Velazquez is featured in every dance of Golden Hour. He should trademark the cool, simmering vibe. It is not easy to do as a dancer, and he pulls it off, whether lifting a dancer in the air or gliding through an entrechat himself. Jaiani is the elegant and beautiful woman at the center of the relationship. Her movements are long and languorous as she glides into the arms of her suitors. Jim French's lighting is spare and soft for Andante, sculpting the dancers in soft focus, giving it a dreamlike visual.
The finale of Golden Hour was the premiere of Princess and the Pea. Dani Rowe inspired the choreography and co-wrote the libretto with Garen Scribner. James Stephenson composed the charming and energetic music. In traditional telling, this story is a twist on the story of Princess Winifred, aka Fred. The Princess in this story is a wicked royal with minions. Future Princess Penelope has two gorgeous dads and longs to break out of the dreary green world imposed by the Evil Princess. This dance opens with Alberto Velazquez in 1960s mode, complete with horn-rimmed glasses and a slide projector. He narrates the story of a totalitarian regime where everyone worked like robots and ate only peas. If someone broke the rules, they got canned, literally.
Penelope's dads get canned because they dared to allow their daughter to have a carrot. The story gets wilder from there. Emma Kingsbury designed epic costumes and scenery for Princess and the Pea. There are plaids (glen, tartan, Shepherd check, etc.), all in shades of green. Penelope is alone without her dads and is thrown into the industrial production line of peas. As she sleeps, a vision of her dads brings her a human carrot that encourages rebellion and standing up for individuality and freedom to be whatever you are. It is a Seussian riot of color and superb dancing. This is one to be in the repertory and a funhouse mirror held up to the cultural and political milieu in which we exist. Princess and the Pea is a co-production with the Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Golden Hour has something that will appeal to everyone. The audience can get lost in the romance or indulge in fantasy or familial memories. Princess and the Pea joins Midsummer Night's Dream as a great example: "I didn't know that could be done in ballet." That is the great thing about the Joffrey Ballet. I always wonder how they are going to pull this off and then spend an evening enthralled by the brilliance. I highly recommend that you see Golden Hour. Take family, friends, and the kids.
The Joffrey Ballet's Golden Hour runs through March 2 at the Lyric Opera House, 20 N. Wacker Drive. For more information and tickets, please visit www.joffrey.org
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