Joffrey Ballet Concert Group to Present New Works in February

The Joffrey Ballet Concert Group, under the artistic direction of Bradley Shelver, will appear in all new works, Feb. 16-18 at the Ailey Citigroup Theater. Shelver has created two new works for the event, 12th Room and Random People With Beautiful Parts, and the program will also see two new works by young dancemakers Lindsay Grymes and Eric Trope, recipients of the first Creative Movers Choreographic Initiative, a new program of the Joffrey Ballet Concert Group.

Selected from hundreds of applicants, Grymes and Trope have created new dances especially for the vibrant young company. The performances will also feature an appearance by teenage ballet prodigy Faakhir Bestman, coming from his home in South Africa on scholarship to the Joffrey School. The young dancer has already received awards and scholarships in South Africa, and this journey will be part of a documentary that is being made on his life.

Shelver's Random People With Beautiful Parts, set to music by JS Bach, celebrates the complexities of the mental, physical, and emotional expressions of the dancers and the pristine focus of the human mind.

Shelver's second world premiere, 12th Room, is set in a random place on a random floor in a random building and addresses the eternal questions: Where are we? Why now? Who are you? Where am I going? Music collage includes selections by Ezzio Bosso, Andrea Falconieri, Philip Glass, and Olafur Arnaids.

Eric Trope's Gazebo Dances finds an ensemble of 14 classically trained dancers letting loose to Gazebo Dances by composer John Corigliano. Trope found special inspiration in watching the Concert Group dancers "show up each day fully-embodied with vigor, passion, and openness."

Lindsay Grymes created Falter Upward to celebrate the journey to a goal and the input of other people's support, knowledge and differing viewpoints. Music selections range from Dinah Washington to Liszt to Nils Frahm's "Improvisation for coughs and a cell phone".

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 2, 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. 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.

LINDSAY GRYMES is a choreographer and dancer who seeks to create an accurate and recognizable depiction of the human spirit through movement while keeping timelessness of the abstract in mind. She graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2020 and has had the honor of presenting work at Jazz at Lincoln Center, STEPS on Broadway, Peridance APEX, and more.

Tickets: $35; $25 for students; $150 for performance and reception following (on opening night)

Reservations: https://www.joffreyballetschool.com/trainee-program/joffrey-ballet-concert-group/

For more information, visit: www.joffreyballetcenter.org