Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

DANCIN' FEATS Adamczyk takes road back to the stage in Ashton's 'Cinderella'
by Lauren Warnecke
2016-05-11

This article shared 3960 times since Wed May 11, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


As the Joffrey Ballet brings its 60th anniversary season to a close, veteran dancer Matthew Adamczyk's season is just getting started. Adamczyk, who joined the Joffrey Ballet in 2003 under Gerald Arpino, returns to the stage after a year away to play the role of Father in Sir Frederick Ashton's "Cinderella," running May 11-22 at the Auditorium Theatre.

Adamczyk, a former Windy City Times 30 Under 30 honoree, ruptured a tendon in his knee at the end of a ballet class while on tour with the company in Berkley, California, last season. "We had to try and figure out some sort of hospital on a Saturday in California," said Adamczyk in an interview with Windy City Times. His patellar tendon, which supports and stabilizes the knee, had to be surgically reconstructed, and Adamczyk said he was fortunate to be connected to Stephen Gryzlo, the team orthopaedist to the Chicago Cubs who has expressed interest in working with dancers.

During the recovery process it was discovered that a similar injury to the other knee was a distinct possibility, so Adamczyk opted to have both knees repaired to avoid becoming laid up in the future. Although rumored to be playing the role of Drosselmeyer in December, an unexpected delay on the second surgery kept him out of the studio even longer, preventing Adamczyk from performing the final presentations of the now-retired Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker. The delay also contributed to a shift in casting for the company's upcoming Cinderella, for which Adamczyk was originally slated to play the role of Stepsister. He began dancing about a month ago with some slow one-on-one ballet classes with ballet master Gerard Charles, and just two weeks ago started taking class with the company.

"I will have some limitations. I just have to really focus on how I use my body even more. Honestly, I feel so much better, and have more control than before the surgery," Adamczyk said, feeling appreciative of the body awareness that comes from such an extensive recovery process. Though not quite ready to tackle a physical role in full skirts and high heels, Adamczyk will instead play the quirky and fun Father. He continues to understudy the Stepsisters, and has been advising younger dancers on the kitschy role he danced in 2010 when Joffrey first commissioned the ballet. "When we did it the first time, I did extensive research. It's important to understand how a woman would take these roles. I would watch old Joan Crawford and Bette Davis films. …That's where I developed my character from. You need to have this grandiose personality onstage, and the subtlest choices can make or break the character," said Adamczyk.

Although Adamczyk's injuries are not career-ending, and he expects to return to dancing at full capacity this fall for Christopher Wheeldon's new Nutcracker, time off has increasingly placed him in an advisory role enhanced by his affinity for researching characters and his having spent more than a decade at Joffrey. In that decade, the company has changed leadership and redefined the aesthetic originally established by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino.

Adamczyk views himself as an ambassador to the company's history, and particularly to Gerald Arpino's sharp aesthetic. "Ballet needs to adapt," he said. "We can't be doing what they did in 1872. What Ashley [Wheater, Joffrey's artistic director] is doing is great!" Younger dancers, however, are able to draw from the rich oral histories passed down from the company's founders to veteran dancers like Adamczyk, bridging the gaps between Joffrey's past and present.

During his time off, Adamczyk found he had a lot of idle time. "I'm not going to lie. It's very difficult to take a year off of dancing and then get back into it. … I needed something to distract me. I need something to do to occupy my time." During a 2014 interview with Windy City Times, Adamczyk spoke about his increasing commitment to painting as his creative outlet outside of dancing. Coincidentally, he expressed a desire at that time to promote his painting while still dancing, in order to have a strong foundation on which he could fall back when performing is no longer an option. "I decided to take my own advice," he said, and dove head first into creating a number of paintings and reaching out to galleries and potential buyers.

Using color acrylics and a distinct Pop Art style, Adamczyk's paintings cover a broad range of subject matter, although many are infused with LGBT sexuality. A number of organizations and festivals have taken notice of his work: Center on Halsted opens a six-week gallery showing July 22, and Adamczyk will participate in his first juried event, the Lakeview East Art Fair, Sept. 10-11.

Now that he's returned to dancing, finding balance between these two worlds is a challenge that he's still working to figure out, but Adamczyk is adamant that he wants to dance and paint at the highest possible level, for as long as he can.

The Joffrey Ballet will present Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella May 11-22 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. Tickets are $32-$170, available for purchase at The Joffrey Ballet's official Box Office located in the lobby of Joffrey Tower, 10 E. Randolph St.; at Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University Box Office; all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers; by telephone at 800-982-2787; or at Ticketmaster.com .

Adamcyzk's gallery opening at the Center on Halsted takes place July 22, 7-9 p.m. in the third floor gallery, 3656 N. Halsted St. The Lakeview East Art Fair takes place Sept. 10-11 on Broadway between Belmont and Hawthorne avenues. See centeronhalsted.org and lakevieweastfestivalofthearts.com, respectively.


This article shared 3960 times since Wed May 11, 2016
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18
- Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05
- Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare 2024-03-05
- Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

Center on Halsted hosts 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show 2024-03-03
- On the evening of Feb. 29, Center on Halsted held its 6th Annual Intergenerational Talent Show in front of a packed audience at the Hoover-Leppen Theater. The event brought together participants of the Center's youth and senior ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion 2024-03-01
- Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

Theater Review: Billy Elliot, The Musical 2024-02-19
- Book and Lyrics: Lee Hall; Music: Elton John. At: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Tickets: 630-896-6666 or Paramountaurora.com; $28-$79. Runs through March 24 Billy Elliot: The Musical may nearly be two decades old, but ...


Gay News

'West Side Story' gets a sex-positive spin with new burlesque show 2024-02-19
- In partial observance of National Condom Day, which was Feb. 14, Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) presented A West Side Story Burlesque at the Harris Theater for two hour-long performances on Feb. 17. The show, ...


Gay News

Second Glance Productions hosts LGBTQupid Soiree 2024-02-16
- In celebration of Valentine's Day, Chicago based film and media production company Second Glance hosted The LBGTQupid Soiree. The event, which was focused on spinning attitudes on this particular day, was presented at The iO ...


Gay News

Carisa Hendrix mesmerizes as Lucy Darling in Teatro ZinZanni 2024-02-12
- Since 2019, Teatro ZinZanni has gathered together amazing performers from all over the world to create an experience in Chicago under the Spiegeltent in the Cambria Hotel building, 32 W. Randolph St. Over the years, ticket ...


Gay News

THEATER Dot-Marie Jones talks Goodman production, 'Glee,' 'Bros' 2024-02-12
- Running through Feb. 18 at the the Goodman Theatre, the production Highway Patrol works with a script conceived entirely from Emmy-winning actor Dana Delany's (TV's China Beach) digital archive of hundreds of tweets and direct messages ...


Gay News

Dr. Lady J explains how opera can be a drag 2024-02-10
- On Feb. 8, Center on Halsted, in partnership with Lyric Opera of Chicago, presented a lecture by historian, drag activist, podcaster and curator Dr. Lady J. The event, titled "Castrated Superstars, Cross Dressed Divas, and Queer ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Raven-Symone, women's sports, Wayne Brady, Jinkx Monsoon, British Vogue 2024-02-09
- In celebration of Black History Month, the LA LGBT Center announced that lesbian entertainer Raven-Symone will be presented with the Center's Bayard Rustin Award at its new event, Highly Favored, per a press release. She joins ...


Gay News

Chicago-based production company to host all-inclusive, LGBTQ-focused Valentine's Day event 2024-02-07
--From a press release - CHICAGO — Second Glance Productions will host the LGBTQupid Soiree this Valentines Day, Wednesday, February 14, 2024. The event will be held at the iO Theater, 1501 N. Kingsbury St., from 6 pm to 11 pm ...


Gay News

THEATER Nostalgic 'Sunsets' still offers a timely reflection of LGBTQ+ community 2024-02-07
- Nostalgia reigned on a variety of scales this past weekend in Chicago. During her Celebration tour, at a majestically packed United Center, Madonna acknowledged the last 40 years of her career, highlighting her '80s interactions with ...


Gay News

The Jeff Awards announces the 50th-anniversary non-Equity theater nominations 2024-02-06
--From a press release - (Feb. 6, 2024 - Chicago) — Celebrating its 50th anniversary awarding recognition for Non-Equity theater, the Joseph Jefferson Awards announces its nominations for theater excellence among Non-Equity theater during the ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.