When he died last summer, someone called Larry Long a pillar of the Chicago dance community, a label that in many ways actually falls short of his stature.
Thanks to his long association with Ruth Page, he served as caretaker of her version of “The Nutcracker” at Arie Crown Theater for years, while teaching countless Chicago area students for decades. Mikhail Baryshnikov once put him on a list of six outstanding ballet teachers in America–in a profession all about devotion, Long was in a class all his own.
The Civic Ballet of Chicago, which he co-ran for years with his wife, Dolores, his onstage partnerS and co-choreographer, is presenting the tribute “To Larry With Love” through Sunday at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. The program includes his “Ravalse,” two works co-staged by both Longs, some classics, a swing number and a film that is scratchy in image but ample in capturing his unusual humor and infectious passion. One scene depicts him energetically coaching despite toting an oxygen tank, a tank he discards and plops onto the studio floor, where it’s artfully dodged by one dancer who leaps over it.
Graced with guests who complement the Civic’s company members, “To Larry” isn’t so much a program of perfect, spectacular ballet as a loving homage to hard work and old-fashioned discipline. The Longs’ choreographic aesthetic in such pieces as “Scenes de Ballet” and “Tarantella” reflects a straightforward, basic approach that’s both elegant and musical in its classicism.
Though they tend to go on to long, they’re full of beauty. The lovingly sculpted “Scenes” glides with lilting propulsion and sports a bright variety of classical technique.
A pas de deux from “Sylvia” gives us a rare look at Frederick Ashton’s version, nicely danced by Teanna Zarro and Peter Kozak, and Kozak teams with former Joffrey Ballet dancer Jennifer Goodman for a pas de deux from “Coppelia,” a duo more striking in their speedier moments than slower stretches.
Looking forward, the company boasts some bright up-and-comers–Katherine Bruno, Sara Strom and Marco Clemente among them. As retrospective, “To Larry With Love” underscores the virtues and struggles of a life not only well spent but tirelessly devoted to dancing.
“To Larry With Love”
Various works performed by the Civic Ballet of Chicago
When
: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where
: Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 N. Dearborn St.
Price
: $25; 312-337-6543 or brownpapertickets.com
