Reality Check

My show is going very well here in the Large Apple, but I'm still trying to sort out some other areas of my life: finding a roommate, becoming a collections agency, the eternal search for that next job, etc. And just when I think my life is really terrible, something happens that calls me out. Something that reminds me I'm not so bad off, and all my troubles can be remedied, that I have a very supportive family and large circle of very close friends to catch me if and when I fall. And that other people are not always so lucky.

Gerald Arpino, or Mr. A. to those who knew and loved him--for to know him was to love him, the co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet and artistic director until just over a year ago, passed away this morning. He had no family left except for his beloved Joffrey family. And his problems were pretty bad. I found out a few weeks ago that someone had been imbezzling from his personal accounts while he became less and less able to handle his own affairs, and though I didn't know exactly the diagnosis until this afternoon, he had been suffering from prostate cancer for quite some time.

I am not a writer, and I only knew him peripherally for 2 seasons, so I invite you to read the following articles by journalists who came to know Mr. A. over the years and who can more eloquently describe the natural leader whose choreographic talent and no nonsense leadership brought the Joffrey out of bankruptcy in New York, gave it new life in Chicago, and has always been and will continue to be respected by every member of the Joffrey Ballet.

Chicago Tribune Article by Sid Smith.

Chicago Sun Times Article by Hedy Weiss.


Lux æterna luceat eis, Domine,
cum sanctis tuis in æternum,
quia pius es.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine;
et lux perpetua luceat eis ;
cum Sanctis tuis in aeternum,
quia pius es.