Joffrey Ballet Company Leaps into the Los Angeles

Known as “the company of firsts,” Joffrey Ballet Company is the A-list opportunity for professional dancers, as they were the first to perform at the White House, the first company to appear on American television, the first company to set a ballet to rock music and the only company to appear on the cover of TIME magazine. Aside from the dense history that Joffrey and its founders have, Joffrey Ballet has found its way onto the stages of many countries, bringing both their classical ballet and modern dance to audiences. Joffrey Ballet Company will be stopping through during their busy 2015-2016 season at the Fred Kavli Theatre at the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks on March 11.

Founded as a touring company in 1956 by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the company earned their spotlight in New York City, where they called home. Stretching the norm for expected ballet repertoire, Joffrey aimed to stage more than the classics on his dancers. Also touring with original ballets, Joffrey would stay in New York, teaching classes and earning the salary for his six original dancers, while Gerald Arpino took to the road with the group. Since then, choreographers such as Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp and George Balanchine have all staged pieces with Joffrey Ballet Company. Now a company of 40 dancers, they exercise a packed performance calendar season each year. Moving the company’s home to the Joffrey Tower in Chicago, the company has also become a dance education organization, offering strict and adept dance training through the Joffrey Academy of Dance and Community Engagement programs.

A program of three diverse pieces, Joffrey Ballet Company will begin the night with Val Caniparoli’s “Incantations.” An abstract piece set to music by Alexandre Rabinovitch-Barakovsky; “Incantations” shows the mergence of similar themes told through movement and emotion. Followed by “Son of Chamber Symphony” by Stanton Welch, the Company will move to the music of John Adams. Ending the night with “Episode 31,” Joffrey Ballet Company will spice up their program with music by Mikael Karlsson, Ane Brun & Erik Satie, performing the inspiring, fast-paced composition, which has been said to combine the Harlem Shake, by Alexander Ekman.

Jeté your way to the Fred Kavli Theatre of Civic Arts Plaza on March 11 and enjoy the Joffrey Ballet Company. Tickets available online.