Across The Pond presented by The Joffrey Ballet at Auditorium Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...Walker's aesthetic is rooted in hip-hop and commercial dance, and I don't have to tell you that street dance is not the Joffrey's M.O. Unfortunately, this is painfully obvious. "Home" spends much of its time asking the ensemble to walk or scooch about the stage performing sharp arm and hand gestures akin to a drill team routine, while Duarte is left to anguish alone at center stage. This does, however, get at the theme of feeling alone and ostracized in a new place. A tender duet for Duarte and Fabrice Calmels, and Duarte's genuinely extraordinary solo could have saved this piece; copious references to the Pledge of Allegiance, however, couldn't."

Chicago On the Aisle - Recommended

"...To conclude a whirlwind season of grand-scale narrative works that included Christopher Wheeldon’s Degas-inspired riff on “Swan Lake” and his Chicago World’s Fair-driven take on “The Nutcracker,” as well as the world premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s cinematic version of “Anna Karenina,” the Joffrey Ballet’s artistic director, Ashley Wheater, decided to shift gears in a most intriguing way."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...Against the backdrop of Allchurch's percussive score sounding like crashing cages, Duarte works overtime to keep his equilibrium, despite looking off-rhythm from the rigid processions that engulf him. (The uniformity of the ensemble's group moves, sometimes echoed in stunning silhouettes, is awesome at best and frightening at worst.)"

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Through Walker's choreography, featuring a powerful performance by Fernando Duarte and the 20 dancers he essentially navigates on his search for connection, the Joffrey uses the last moments from "Across the Pond" to remind us that while dance is about the precision showcased in "Yonder Blue" and the passion on full display in "Vespertine", it is also about finding meaning and making sense of our world in the way that only movement can. At its best, dance moves us, but it can also take us to a deeper understanding of our lives, our city, and our nation. And coming from the world-class Chicago dance company that infused a subtle but powerful message about wealth and exploitation into Swan Lake and reimagined the Nutcracker with a social justice message about the immigrant experience in Chicago, we would expect nothing less."