Here’s how the folks at Northrop Auditorium, the venue for tonight’s performance in Minneapolis, describe American Icons.
In honor of their 70th anniversary, the beloved Joffrey Ballet revisits Northrop with American Icons, a tribute to four dance legends. Featuring iconic works that have shaped the history of American dance, the soaring program is brought to life with live orchestra, including a stirring piece played by Northrop Organist Greg Zelek that highlights our glorious Aeolian-Skinner Op. 892.
Witness the daring and enduring spirit that defines the Joffrey's maverick legacy. American Icons celebrates dynamic works by four trailblazing 20th-century artists: Joffrey co-founders Gerald Arpino and Robert Joffrey, prolific dance pioneer Martha Graham and Joffrey alum Glen Tetley.
Performance includes:
“Kettentanz”: Choreography by Gerald Arpino | Music by Johann Strauss Sr. and Johann Mayer
Inspired by classical Viennese balls and gardens, “Kettentanz” is highly regarded as one of Arpino’s signature works.
“Secular Games”: Choreography by Martha Graham | Music by Robert Starer
“Secular Games” presents a playful exploration of human nature and the lengths to which we go to impress one another.
“Postcards”: Choreography by Robert Joffrey | Music by Erik Satie
A ballet depicting vignettes of Paris in the early 1900s, evoking fleeting relationships and whimsical memories, with challenging maneuvers and luscious classical movement.
“Voluntaries”: Choreography by Glen Tetley | Music by Francis Poulenc
A masterpiece of emotional depth and soaring movement set to Poulenc’s “Concerto in G Minor for Organ, Timpani and Strings,” Tetley’s “Voluntaries” is a tribute to the late John Cranko. Features Northrop Organist Greg Zelek on our glorious pipe organ.
Related Off-site Links:
American Icons Showcases the Exceptional Melting Pot That Is the Joffrey and American Dance – Martha Bayne (Chicago Sun Times, February 20, 2026).
With American Icons, Here’s Why the Joffrey Ballet Is Different – Lauren Warnecke (Chicago Tribune, February 20, 2026).
See also the previous Wild Reed posts:
• The Art of Dancing as the Supreme Symbol of the Spiritual Life
• “Then I Shall Leap Into Love”
• Love’s the Only Dance
• We All Dance
• Not Whether We Dance, But How
• The Dance of Life
• And As We Dance . . .
• Our Dance
• “I Came Alive With Hope”
• The Premise of All Forms of Dance
• The Power of Dance
• Finding Balance in the Presence of the Beloved
• Our Bodies Are Part of the Cosmos
• Flexibility and Flow
• Move Us, Loving God
• A Prayer for Dancers
• Trusting the Flow
• The Soul of a Dancer
• Aristotle Papanikolaou on How Being Religious Is Like Being a Dancer
Image 1: Joffrey Ballet dancers Amanda Assucena, José Pablo Castro Cuevas and Hyuma Kiyosawa in “Voluntaries” as part of “American Icons.” (Photo: Cheryl Mann)
Image 2: Michael J. Bayly.
Image 3: Glen Tetley’s “Voluntaries.” (Photo: Erik Berg)
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