Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance (Wednesday, May 22, 2013)

           

            Today I had the pleasure of watching the documentary, Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, a film detailing the start and run of the Joffrey Ballet. I found the documentary to be very interesting; it was set up similarly to Ballet Russes. Like Ballet Russes, it combines footage of the performances with interviews of the company’s original members and is spun cleverly into a cohesive and touching mix.

            The film starts off with a bit of historical background on the Joffrey Ballet and its founders, Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, a dynamic duo and gay couple. While Robert Joffrey was a classically trained dancer, Gerald Arpino was an eccentric visionary. Together, they created and reformed ballets that shocked the American audiences with a company known as the first American-formed troupe. Their unique approach combined training young dancers in classical ballet, something that they believed was the basis of all dance, and making them into knowledgeable and versatile dancers, such that when a new choreographer came in, they were able to constantly adapt their style and take on a variety of modern techniques.

            Joffrey even stated that his inspiration was Balanchine’s original company, Ballet Russes, and

later went on to collaborate within the Joffrey Company with Leonide Massine. One thing that was very unique and cool about the Joffrey Company is that they created new ballets that spoke directly towards current events, political and social issues. They showed an antiwar message during the Vietnam War when young American boys were being drafted into the USA’s army and sent oversees. The company had some of their own dancers drafted and even a couple killed in the war.

            The Joffrey Company, like many during this time period, had its fair share of struggles. Dancers had to leave due to their lack of income. The company changed

constantly in order to please backers. But these changes didn’t always please their American audiences. After some turmoil, the Joffrey Company saw a turnaround when Robert Joffrey met renowned singer, Prince, and invited him to a performance. Prince was so inspired by the company’s performance that he allowed them to use all of his songs without royalties. This created a new era for the company in which their ballets took on more of a disco vibe. A lot of the dance moves used were ones the dancers incorporated from their experiences on the dance floors at clubs and parties.

            These types of phases continued as the company fought to survive up until it suffered a tragedy. Robert Joffrey died of AIDS, a disease slaughtering America. Most of the company’s dancers knew of Joffrey’s private battle with AIDS. Even his audiences knew. But it wasn’t spoken of, even by the ruthless journalists of the New York Times. When he died, a part of the company died with him. Several years later, Gerald Arpino died after being artistic director of the Joffrey Company for many years.

            The Joffrey Company continues to flourish today, which I think is incredible due to the many struggles it has faced.