Under the Trees' Voices Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Recommended

"...The work has four sections, one of which explicitly deals with loss. It's the most potent despite its brevity: I saw it as a kind of precursor to what now must be explored in more depth. We'll eventually figure out that most COVID-19 losses have been hidden behind locked doors; this small section of the ballet feels like a beginning to that understanding."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Even if you don't see their wriggling and pulsating forms at first, listen closely and you might hear them. Living creatures, some combination of plant and animal, have just emerged from the earth. Their camouflage consists of leopard spots and silhouettes of leaves and branches. Once we know how to look past their façade, we can see their unmistakable vitality beneath the trees and can watch an energetic dance that enchants us with its dynamism and grace. How wonderful it is to discover these marvelous tiny beings who survive close to the ground, close to the trees' roots, and who live their lives passionately. We become aware of them in all their glory throughout the year, beginning with their awakening during spring, followed by their cheery vibrance during summer, their growing contemplation of the autumn leaves, and their regrouping underground throughout the winter season."

WTTW - Highly Recommended

"...But it is the Joffrey Ballet's world premiere of "Under the Trees' Voices" - feverishly choreographed by Nicolas Blanc (the company's rehearsal director and coach since 2015), and performed by 15 of the company's emotionally fiery and altogether virtuosic dancers - that might very well turn out to be one of the defining masterpieces of the era. More than that, it is a work of such beauty and dynamic intensity that it can and should easily endure as part of the standard ballet rep for years to come."