Being present at the beginning of a burgeoning career in the arts is a privilege. The Grainger Academy is a training program exclusively operated by the Joffrey Ballet. Winning Works is its annual program for original new work by outstanding new choreographers performed by the best of the academy's artists. This year, five choreographers were chosen to present their dances in the annual production.
Joffrey Ballet subscribers and aficionados flock to the Winning Works program to see what could be on a professional Joffrey program in the future. Winning Works promotes works by ALAANA persons(African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American). The 2025 cohort choreographed dances that drew on emotions, memories, spiritual inspiration, triumph over fear, and resilience.
Alejandro Perez presented Luisi in honor of a beloved childhood friend who has died. Perez's work was an ebullient portrait of children frolicking in the rain and exploring the world of their imaginations. The dancers formed a caterpillar that pulled me back into my childhood. I loved caterpillars and their many colors. Perez's choreography has a grace and playfulness that pulled emotions to the surface. Everyone processes loss differently, and Perez chose to honor the sweet moments in a distinctive style that will serve him well in his career.
Shota Miyoshi spoke of his love for jazz in the preview for Jive Five. His choreography is reminiscent of Bob Fosse, emphasizing the movements between the beats. Miyoshi's movements were stylized like Fosse's, and the dancers were costumed in pants, suspenders, and fedoras. It was fun and well-choreographed, showing the dancers' skills. The jazz style would be an excellent space in the future of theater choreography.
Karley Childress chose a theme of origins with Bereshit, (pronounced Bara-shut), meaning beginnings in Hebrew. Childress choreographs an Adam and Eve story with humor and reverence, the shortest of the 2025 Winning Works. I liked the humor and lighthearted approach to the fall of man from Eden. The principal dancers are engaging and expressive as the fruit of knowledge takes hold and exposes their nakedness. It was a digest of the Book of Genesis, which included Cain and Abel. I liked the storyline approach to dance and the story of humanity.
Roderick George's Soul Cry turns dark with the music and the post-modern monochromatic staging. George describes his theme as internalizing societal ills without being able to express feelings. The choreography is soulful and an eerily accurate depiction of the times in which we live. The lighting, however, should be less dark and foggy. The movements are skilled and deserve to be seen more clearly.
The final dance was Sea Change, choreographed by Keelan Whitmore. It was my favorite because it was based on Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis, one of the first books about existential angst I read as a new college student. Whitmore's choreography depicted the isolation and the way thoughts can be transformative. If you don't know the story, the main character wakes up and finds himself transformed into a giant insect. That waking nightmare and resistance to change are shown in the choreography. Sea Change is the most expressive and original of the new works. The emotional pull is what I look to feel when I watch a dance performance.
Winning Works runs through March 23 at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Edlis Neeson Theater, 220 E. Chicago Ave. Visit joffrey.org and https://joffrey.org/education/graingeracademy. Check the website early in 2026 because this series is always sold out. It is worth the adventure.
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