Preternaturally spry and acutely seasoned may be good ways to describe Joffrey Ballet Chicago these days—at least based on the company’s Spring program, American Icons, now in performance at the Lyric and running through March 1. A tribute to the company’s seventieth year, American Icons looks back to provide context for Joffrey’s robust present and bright future.

It was visionaries who gave rise to what is now one of the country’s most august dance companies. Joffrey’s Spring program revives the works of four of them. Three—Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, and Glen Tetley—were either founding or original pillars of the company, and one, Martha Graham, was an inspiration to them all.

Natali Taht and Zachary Manske in Kettantanz

Leading with Kettentanz, choreographed by Gerald Arpino and debuted in 1971, the performance opens with a burst of energy that soon gives way to copious displays of exceptional artistry. The vibrancy of Johann Strauss Sr.’s music, complemented by Johann Mayer’s delightful “Schnofler Tanz,” provides the perfect octane blend to propel Joffrey’s dancers to impressive feats. Translating to “chain dance,” Kettentanz finds dancers prancing in formation like sleek pedigree ponies before splintering into displays of superb technical skill.

The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble in Kettantanz

The centerpiece of Jack Mehler’s set design—a massive, lushly foliaged tree—radiates the bounty and peace of summer, adding an air of carefree abandon and vitality to the scene. Aesthetically, the sense of nature and freshness it brings to the dance couldn’t be more striking.

The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble in Secular Games

At one moment, two male dancers leap and spin in perfect unison, continuing the same movements until they have completely crossed the stage. Speed, synchronization, and timing come together to paint a picture of exhilaration and frame a diorama of vigor.

The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble in Secular Games

In another segment, the exquisite takes the fore, as it does in Jeraldine Mendoza’s solo beneath the boughs of Mehler’s giant green colossus. Dressed in the sheer loveliness of Joe Eula’s costume, Mendoza wraps vulnerability in discernible strength—highlighting dance’s ability to express the finest nuances of human character and emotion.

The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble in Secular Games

Secular Games, by Martha Graham, carries much of the free-spirited verve of Arpino’s Kettentanz—not something one typically expects from Graham, whose work often leans toward weightier themes. Here, the sexes meet in playful battle and revelry, competing, cajoling, and cavorting with one another. Buoyed by Robert Starer’s score, a hint of mischief adds spark to the affair. Embedded throughout is Graham’s signature sense of form and her insistence that dancers fully invest, pushing their bodies into daring physical territory. The result offers a revealing perspective on what dance can achieve and invites curiosity about what further possibilities might unfold.

Anais Bueno and Stefan Gonçalvez in Postcards

As the company’s founder and artistic director, Robert Joffrey did not have extensive time to choreograph, but when he did, the results were often exquisite. Postcards, an homage to Paris in the early 1900s, has enjoyed wide appeal since its 1980 premiere. A series of vignettes filled with pas de deux and ensemble work, it celebrates nostalgia and romance. Only one excerpt appears in this program, but it is a bona fide dazzler—enhanced by captivating live vocals and danced with polish and grace by Anais Bueno and Stefan Gonçalvez.

Victoria Jaiani and Dylan Gutierrez in Voluntaries

Less widely known but no less significant, Glen Tetley was among Joffrey Ballet’s original six dancers before becoming an acclaimed choreographer. His Voluntaries, the program’s final work, was created in 1973 out of grief following the sudden death of Stuttgart Ballet director John Cranko. A close friend, Tetley poured that loss into the piece.

The Joffrey Ballet Ensemble in Voluntaries

The result is something extraordinary. Voluntaries is powerful, magnificent, and transcendent—less a dance than a cathartic experience. With Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s softly glowing orb illuminating a hushed stage, and Victoria Jaiani and Dylan Gutierrez standing in silent embrace at its center, the work is instantly riveting. As the organ’s brooding tones emerge, the piece expands the expressive limits of dance, rendering emotional intricacy with astonishing clarity.

Amanda Assucena, José Pablo Castro Cuevas, and Hyuma Kiyosawa

For dancers, mastering Voluntaries has been likened—per comments in Pointe magazine—to conquering the Matterhorn: a singular achievement as rewarding as it is formidable. Tetley himself once said, “I always wanted to be pushed to the extremes—to the limits.” That rigor is embedded in his choreography, and Voluntaries stands as an indisputable masterpiece.

In its Joffrey premiere closing American Icons, it proves sensational. Jaiani and Gutierrez blaze with precision and emotional intensity throughout. Staged by Peter Ottman and carried by the darkly rich elegance of Francis Poulenc’s score, Joffrey’s presentation of Voluntaries reaches a pinnacle of what dance can achieve.

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