A Day in the Life of a Joffrey Dancer: Jonathan Dole
Vicki Crain, Better Magazine
From a small-town studio in California to taking on lead roles in a world-renowned ballet company, Jonathan Dole has had many adventures bringing him to the wonderland we call Chicago and a home at The Joffrey Ballet.
This month, he dances two major roles in Christoper Wheeldon’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. As the first American company to perform this version of the ballet, the Joffrey is pulling out all the stops. No pressure.
Two-time Tony Award winner Wheeldon, known locally for his reimagined Nutcracker set at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, transforms the children’s story by Lewis Carroll into a colorful, fun, and surreal dance journey on a grand scale, fit for the Lyric Opera stage. For the first time, the Joffrey has extended the performance run for an additional weekend with a total of 14 performances. Dole is hard at work preparing for Alice, but before we follow him down the rabbit hole, let’s go back to the beginning.
The Making of a Dancer
“My mother tried to put me in every sport possible,” says Dole. “It was not for me.”
Dole and his mother found a small, local dance studio where he was the only student, and the only class was tap. Soon, other classes, including ballet and Fosse-style jazz, were added, along with more students. “At first, I hated ballet. It was so boring!” says Dole.
Boredom aside, Dole had an affinity for the art form, which led to transferring to the best dance studio in the area and competing in the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) ballet competition. It was at this competition that he learned about the Joffrey.
After sending in a video, he got an audition and joined the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet as a Trainee at the age of 17. With an additional two years in the Joffrey’s Studio Company, where he excelled in roles like Von Rothbart in Swan Lake and in Joffrey co-founder Gerald Arpino’s ballets, he was promoted to the main company. “I honestly didn’t know what being in a company meant,” Dole says. “In my wildest dreams, I didn’t even know that could be a job. It was a huge adjustment.”
Making a Name at Joffrey
Dole’s versatility as a dancer was an asset that got him noticed. It wasn’t only his physical flexibility, but his personality that showed through in a diversity of roles. “Since Jonathan’s arrival at the Grainger Academy, I have had the privilege of watching him develop and grow not only as a person but as a dancer who is a true artist,” says Ashley Wheater, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director of the Joffrey. “We had the chance to work together frequently when he was a student, and when he joined the company, it was clear that the Academy’s training had prepared him for the company’s repertoire. Jonathan has embraced the demands of that work, and it has led to some beautiful opportunities for him. A stand-out for me was his interpretation of the Creature in Frankenstein. That character lives too often in the frightening and menacing, and I felt he found the vulnerability inside of a misunderstood character, ultimately searching for love. There is no greater gift to a director than to see the company and the individuals in it blossom.”
That role marked a milestone for Dole, garnering his first opening night debut in a lead role.
This June, Dole takes on a very different role — one that pulls him back, full circle, to his roots. In Wheeldon’s whimsical version of Alice, the Mad Hatter is a tap dancer. “It’s been super fun to look back into my past training and to pull it all out for this role,” Dole says.
Dole also dances the role of the hookah-smoking Caterpillar, which incorporates acrobatic tricks that hark back to his childhood training in gymnastics.
A Day in the Life of a Joffrey Dancer
Follow Dole as he takes us through a day in his life preparing to perform 14 shows of Alice.
7:15 AM: Wake up, shower, and have breakfast: coffee, a spinach omelet on toast with avocado, and yogurt with granola.
8:20 AM: Leave home and walk to the Belmont Red Line stop. Take the train to the Lake Street stop and arrive at Joffrey Tower studios.
9:00 – 9:45 AM: Warm up and stretch before company class begins.
9:45 – 11:15 AM: Company ballet class to further warm up and get ready physically and mentally for the rehearsal day.
11:15 – 11:30 AM: Eat a quick snack of a banana, coconut, almond butter, and a chocolate chip Go Macro protein bar.
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM: Rehearsal of the Cards scene. This is a corps de ballet role that has a lot of dynamic, sharp movements to resemble the flat, sharp edges of a card.
1:30 – 2:30 PM: Rehearsal for the Tea Party scene as the Mad Hatter.
2:30 – 3:30 PM: Lunch break. Today was a lean home-cooked meal of salmon, pasta, and broccoli.
3:30 – 4:30 PM: Rehearsal for the role of the Caterpillar. This is a solo that is joined by Alice and four women, along with several anonymous feet and legs.
4:30 – 6:30 PM: Rehearsal for Flowers. This is another corps-de-ballet role with a lot of partnering.
6:35 – 6:45 PM: Cold plunge legs in 40-degree water.
7:00 – 7:30 PM: Take the Red Line home.
7:30 – 10:30 PM: Shower and make dinner. Tonight was chicken, pasta, and green beans. “I made a double portion so I can eat it for lunch tomorrow.” Dinner and watch TV.
10:30 (or 11) PM: Bedtime.
Read the full article on Better Magazine.