Erica Lynette Edwards
CHICAGO
(September 25, 2014) – Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley Wheater and Executive Director
Greg Cameron announced today that Erica Lynette Edwards, a dancer with the Joffrey since 2000 who took on such roles as The Chosen One in Nijinsky’s
The Rite of Spring, fourth song soloist in Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies and the Fairy Godmother in Frederick Ashton’s
Cinderella, will retire following the engagement of Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker (set to run at the Auditorium Theatre, December 5-28) to become the company’s new Director of Community Engagement.
In
her new role, Edwards will be responsible for continuing to expand the
company’s successful Community Engagement program, which serves over 50
schools
in Chicago and an average of 5,000 students annually. In addition to
managing all educational programs through Chicago Public Schools,
parochial and private schools, the Chicago Park District and across the
community, Edwards will also work to increase dance
awareness and dance appreciation, laying the foundation to build future
dancers and audiences. Edwards replaces Pierre Lockett, who resigned
from the position in June, but still works closely with the Community
Engagement program on a consulting basis.
The Joffrey’s expansive Community Engagement
program serves students of all ages, ranging from the Lemonis Bridge
Program for first and second grades through the long-standing Middle
School Dance Clubs and Residency programs for pre-K through
grade 12. Advanced programs include the Exelon Strobel Step-Up Program,
a rigorous scholarship program offered to promising high school
students; the Advanced Art Program, a partnership with the Chicago
Public Schools at Gallery 37 involving yearlong dance
instruction for ambitious high school students; and After School
Matters Summer Intensives. For more information on the full range of
Community Engagement programs, visit
www.joffrey.org/community.
“I am honored and excited to transition into my new role as the Director of Community Engagement,” said
Edwards. “My major at Butler University was arts administration
with a concentration in dance. I knew that if I didn’t make it as a
professional dancer, I would find a career that would support the art of
dance. My mentor, Pierre Lockett, has developed
an inspiring Community Engagement department and I am ready to nurture
it and watch it grow. I am blessed to have had a magical 15-year career
as a ballerina with The Joffrey Ballet, and am so happy that I can
continue to uphold the legacy of this incredible
company.”
“I cannot think of anyone better suited to lead our
Community Engagement program. Erica is a native of this region and is
intimately familiar with its promise and its challenges. Community
Engagement is a key component of The Joffrey Ballet’s
mission,” said Wheater. “Our Community Engagement program
provides arts education primarily to students from Chicago’s culturally
underserved neighborhoods, with the majority of the program’s
participants coming from low-income households and participating
in the Chicago Public Schools’ free or reduced-price lunch program.
Through these programs, the students receive dance instruction and
performance opportunities to foster life-long learning in the arts.
Erica has contributed greatly to The Joffrey Ballet as
a dancer. Now her many talents will be channeled towards nurturing the
young people of our community. ”
“As a dancer, Erica is fearless, focused and
forward-thinking – qualities that she will now share with the children
participating in the Joffrey Community Engagement programs,” added
Cameron. “Her work on the stage has brought joy to Joffrey
audiences – she will now transform the lives of Chicago’s youth. She
will create opportunities for them to express artistic excellence, to
develop life skills such as discipline and self-confidence,
and she will ensure that they have fun and experience learning in a
safe and nurturing environment. Using the words of Franklin Delano
Roosevelt, we are proud to support Erica as she ‘builds our youth for
the future.’ ”
Edwards joined The Joffrey Ballet after being one
of the first dancers in the Arpino Apprentice program in 2000. She
trained at the Salt Creek Ballet School where she performed major roles
in their pre-professional ballet company. Edwards
attended summer intensives at the School of American Ballet, San
Francisco Ballet and Bryant Ballet on merit scholarships, American
Ballet Theater, Royal Winnipeg Ballet and Ruth Page Foundation. She
also trained two years at Butler University in Indianapolis
on talent, academic and leadership scholarships. She is featured with
The Joffrey Ballet in Robert Altman's movie,
The Company. Edwards’ complete bio and repertory are available at
www.joffrey.org/people/erica-lynette-edwards-0.
In related news, former dancer Michael Smith
(2001-2013) joins the team as a Community Engagement Coordinator, where
he will maintain social media, teach and choreograph. Michael will
oversee Joffrey’s After School Matters, Advanced
Arts Placement and Exelon Strobel Step-Up programs and serve as Ballet
Master for
The Nutcracker Children’s Cast.
The Joffrey Ballet continues its 20th Chicago Anniversary season
with its annual fall engagement, the Chicago Premiere of a newly envisioned
Swan Lake choreographed by one of ballet’s most acclaimed choreographers,
Christopher Wheeldon. Continuing Joffrey Artistic Director Ashley Wheater’s
endeavor to bring re-imagined story-ballets to Chicago audiences, this
performance represents the first time The Joffrey Ballet has ever
performed a
Swan Lake in its almost 60-year history. Swan Lake is presented at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, in 10
performances only, October 15 – 26. Single tickets,
priced from $32 to $170, are available for purchase at The Joffrey
Ballet’s official Box Office located in the lobby of Joffrey Tower, 10
E. Randolph Street, as well as the Auditorium Theatre
of Roosevelt University Box Office, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by
telephone at (800) 982-2787, or online at
www.ticketmaster.com.
For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs visit
joffrey.org.
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