Joffrey Ballet Concert Group To Appear At Riverside Church, May 14

The New York based JOFFREY BALLET CONCERT GROUP will appear Sunday May 14th, 7:30 pm at The Riverside Theater, located in Riverside Church, NYC.

The dancers will appear in works by Artistic Director Bradley Shelver and young choreographer Eric Trope, and will be joined by guest youth company, Le Jeune Ballet of Blue Ash Ohio, under the direction of former Joffrey Ballet dancer Steve Beirens. One performance, Sunday May 14 at 7:30 pm at The Riverside Theater, 91 Claremont (at 121 Street).

Artistic Director Bradley Shelver will be represented by three of his dances:

"Random People with Beautiful Parts," his newest contemporary work. Set to music by JS Bach, Shelver celebrates the complexities of the mental, physical, and emotional expressions of the dancers and the pristine focus of the human mind.

In "The 12th Room" choreographer Shelver has set the action in a random place on a random floor in a random building for the purpose of asking the eternal questions: where are we? Why now? Who are you? Where am I going? Music is a collage that includes Philip Glass, Ezzio Bosso, Andrea Falconieri, and more.

Shelver's iconic and dynamic "Babel" is inspired by the parable of the Tower of Babel, where the world was plunged into confusion when God changed a common tongue to that of many languages. Confusion set in, and their desire to reach the heavens was thwarted. Shelver's work plays on the idea of love language and the often quirky ways in which we communicate. Musically the dance takes a journey from Eastern Europe to France, Portugal and the Baltics with compositions by Bobani Marko, Edith Piaf, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

The Company will repeat "Gazebo Dances" by Eric Trope, recipient of the first Creative Movers Choreographic Initiative, a major new Joffrey program that selects two young choreographers each year to create a ballet on the Company. Trope's upbeat work finds an ensemble of 14 classically trained dancers letting loose to Gazebo Dances by composer John Corigliano.

Special guests for the performance are Le Jeune Ballet from Blue Ash, Ohio, founded and directed by former Joffrey dancer Steve Beirens and his wife Hannah Dortmueller.

BRADLEY SHELVER is a dancer/teacher/choreographer/author, and current Artistic Director of the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group. As a dancer, his many credits include appearing with Ailey, Elisa Monte Dance, Complexions, Ballet Hispanico, Francesca Harper Project, Limon Dance Company, and productions with the Mark Morris Dance Group. He is now in his 14th season dancing with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Bradley has created works for Ailey 2, Richmond Ballet, Ballet Austin, Lustig Dance Theater, Compania Rio Danca, Cape Dance Company, Cedar Lake 2, and schools and universities worldwide. From 2013-16, the South African native was Artistic Director of the STEPS Repertory Ensemble. Most recently, the Company guested on the Gala of the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition. Shelver is an international master teacher in Ballet and Modern, and his book "Performance through the Dance Technique of Lester Horton" is available worldwide.

ERIC TROPE is a freelance choreographer and dancer whose recent work was seen at the Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival in July 2022. His work has been presented at the Adrienne Arsht Center at the prestigious Mainly Mozart Festival, and he was selected to participate in the 2016 Session of the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of the New York City Ballet. Eric has made works for Dimensions Dance Theater of Miami, the Miami City Ballet School, Louisiana Delta Ballet, the New World Symphony, and the fundraiser Shut Up and Dance. As a dancer, Eric appeared for eight seasons with Miami City Ballet, after dancing with the Pennsylvania Ballet.

Sunday May 14th at 7:30 pm

The Riverside Theater, 91 Claremont Avenue

(entrance Claremont & 121 Street)

Tickets: $30; $20 for students

Reservations: www.joffreyballetcenter.org