Joffrey Ballet Announces 2023 Winners of its Winning Works Choreographic Competition

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, announces the recipients of its 13th annual Winning Works: Natasha Adorlee, Christopher D'Ariano, Kameron Saunders, and Mike Tyus, following a national call for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab, and Native American) artists. The choreographers' world premiere works will be performed by the dancers of the Joffrey Studio Company and the Joffrey Academy Trainee Programs. With an additional performance added this year due to popular demand, Winning Works will be presented at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago's Edlis Neeson Theater (220 E. Chicago Avenue) Thursday and Friday, March 16 and 17 at 7:30 PM, Saturday, March 18 at 2:00 PM and 7:30 PM, Sunday, March 19 at 2:00 PM. Tickets for Winning Works are $30 and are currently on sale at joffrey.org/winningworks. The world premiere works will also be available to view virtually following the in-person performances.

The Winning Works choreographic competition was created to recognize talented and emerging ALAANA choreographers and to provide them with a platform to showcase their original and innovative work. Adorlee, D'Ariano, Saunders, and Tyus will be awarded a $5,000 stipend and given the opportunity to create new works under the mentorship of The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet Ashley Wheater MBE and Abbott Academy Director Raymond Rodriguez.

"Winning Works is actively shaping the future of dance, with an exceptional track record of launching professional dance careers," says Wheater. "Over its 13-year history, I have seen the best and brightest in the next generation soar to new heights, with works that push the envelope of dance."

Past Winning Works artists include Chanel DaSilva, whose contemporary work colōrem recently received its world premiere by The Joffrey Ballet (October 2022); Amy Hall Garner, choreographer of the new feature-length, touring production Rita Finds Home (July 2022); and Stephanie Martinez, the first Winning Works winner to create a mainstage work Bliss! (February 2020).

"We can point to the success of Chanel's recent premiere for the Joffrey's fall program or Amy's Rita Finds Home, the Joffrey's first family-friendly ballet for young audiences, co-produced with Miami City Ballet," added Greg Cameron, Joffrey Ballet President and CEO. "Winning Works is where it all began, and now, like Chanel and Amy, we have former Winning Works artists from around the world bringing their artistic vision to life on some of the biggest stages. This is a program that continues to exemplify a 'Joffrey for All.'

"Winning Works is an established point of pride for Joffrey and the Joffrey Academy," added Rodriguez. "The breadth of experience of this year's winners is truly exciting and shows how the program continues to draw the most innovative artists-on-the-rise today. Audiences will recognize the diversity of backgrounds and styles in this year's cohort, and we are excited to see how they shape the legacy of Winning Works moving forward."

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