Maia Wilkins
Maia Wilkins is honored to continue the legacy of Gerald Arpino
legacy as a repetiteur for his works
and the Gerald Arpino
Foundation. As a freelance artist, she enjoys performing and teaching
throughout the country. Wilkins has staged works for Point Park
University Pittsburgh PA and Southern Methodist University Dallas TX.
She has taught and helped with dance workshops and performances at
University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, Nevada Festival Ballet in
Reno, Eastern Connecticut Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, Lou Conte Dance
Center and throughout the greater Chicago area. She loves dancing both
on stage and off with her husband and fellow artist Michael Levine.
The Joffrey Ballet
1991-2008
In a company that
has long avoided the star system, Wilkins has long been an unofficial
prima ballerina- an artist whose technique is paired with
exceptional gifts for dramatic expression.
- Dance Magazine
From Balanchine pointe to Pilobolus bare
feet; from favorite ballerina fairies to flying on a trapeze, Wilkins danced
featured roles that showcased her artistic range and physical
versatility. Wilkins has gotten to work with numerous repetiteurs and
choreographers including pieces by Tudor, Cranko, Parsons, Tharp,
Kylian, Graham, Ashton, and Nijinsky. Maia Wilkins has performed more
Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino ballets than any other ballerina.
Arpino created his 2004 duet, Ruth, Ricordi per Due, for Wilkins and
her frequent partner Willy Shives.
It is that
passionate attention to building a role that makes Wilkins such a
fascinating performer-a dancer
whose pristine technique is only the
handmaiden to the challenge of interpreting a role and making it her
own.
- Dance Magazine
Wilkins has worked
with the Joffrey for many years and has been instrumental in helping
establish it as a Chicago cultural institution of the top rank. -
Chicago Tribune
Maia Wilkins received the Ruth Page
Dance Achievement Award in 1999 for her outstanding interpretation in a
variety of roles each endowed with her special sensitivity and
impeccable style; and in 2001 for the role of Kate in Crankos The
Taming of the Shrew. She has been one of Dance Magazines 25 to Watch.
In 2002 the Chicago Tribune named her one of the top ten artists in
Chicago. In 2006, along with Gerald Arpino, Wilkins was named one of the
Chicagoans of the year for important contribution to the arts in
Chicago. Wilkins can be seen in the feature films Save the Last Dance
and Robert Altmans The Company.
Maia Wilkins was born and raised in Truckee,
California, began her dance training in tap, and then the
opportunity
to study ballet came when she was eleven. Wilkins received her
formative training under Maggie Banks at the Nevada Festival Ballet
School. She has also studied with Stanley Holden, the School of American
Ballet, Dame Margot Fonteyn, Luigi, and Tina Bernal. Wilkins performed
with Joffrey Concert Group as a scholarship student at the Joffrey
Ballet School then became a member of Joffrey II. She performed a European tour with Dennis Wayne Dancers in 1990.
Michael Levine
Michael Levine has danced professionally for over 17 years. Formerly a
principal with the Joffrey Ballet, Levine has had the pleasure of
dancing numerous leading and principal roles. He has danced as Romeo in
Crankos Romeo and Juliet, Death in Jooss The Green Table, Iago in
Limones The Moores Pavane, The Lover in Tudors Lilac Garden, Albrecht
in Freddy Franklins staging of Giselle, and The Prince in Ashtons
Cinderella. Levine has performed numerous Arpino and Joffrey works,
including: Arthur St. Leon in Pas de Deesses, A Round of Angels, Sea
Shadow, and Light Rain. Other leading roles include choreography
by:Kylian, Balanchine, and Pilobolus.
Levine worked with choreographer Donald Byrd on
the collaboration with Ramsey Lewis, To Know Her, and in the creation
of Motown Suite; both for the Joffrey. Away from the Joffrey, Levine was
involved in the creation of Lauri Stallings full evening work Eidelon
and performed in some of her other works, including Bacchus Vessel, In
the Belly of Grace and Sprawling Orchid. While at American Ballet
Theater, Levine had the pleasure of appearing in James Kudelkas Cruel
World, Kevin McKenzies Transcendental Etudes and Lar Lubovichs world
premier of Othello and A Brahms Symphony. Michael Levine has received
recognition for his technical ability and classical line as well as for
his excellent character portrayal. From the LA Times, Chicago Sun Times,
Chicago Tribune, New York Times, Washington Post, and in between, he
has been favorably reviewed across the country. Levine has taught,
coached, and helped lead workshops throughout the country including: The
Joffrey Ballet, Lou Conte Dance Center, Point Park University
Pittsburgh PA, University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point, and Eastern
Connecticut Ballet. Michael Levines photography captures moments from
his unique, experienced dancer perspective. Levine enjoys sharing time
both on stage and off with his beautiful wife Maia Wilkins.
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