Throughout his career Gerald Arpino - the Joffrey Ballet's cofounder and former Artistic Director - created nearly 50 ballets for the company.

From landmark works like Trinity and Round of Angels to Suite Saint-Saëns and Light Rain, Arpino was an incredible entertainer who's dazzling displays brought audiences to their feet time and time again.

SHARE THE LEGACY!

The Joffrey Workshop offers educational classes and workshops to share the legacy of Gerald Arpino with future generations of dancers.

Whether you're looking for a new type of variations class to add to your schedule, or want a fully immersive workshop we can accommodate organizations of all sizes and schedules of varying availability.

We've designed a process that makes it easy for you to bring this exciting programming to your organization.

Book a discovery call today to learn more!

Schedule your Discovery Call

Meet the Team

Mauro Villanueva - Educator, Arpino Repètiteur, former Joffrey Ballet artist

Mauro Villanueva (he/him) began his dance training with Shawn Knife and later studied at the University of Incarnate Word Ballet School and the Nutmeg Conservatory.

Mr. Villanueva joined the Joffrey Ballet and danced ballets by world renowned choreographers, was a union representative for the artists, and was one of two dancers chosen to participate in the search for a new artistic director.

Mauro has also worked for Barak Ballet, Ballet San Antonio, The Jacksonville Symphony and others. He has taught at the Colburn School, Edge Performing Arts Center, Regional Dance America, The New Orleans Ballet Association, The New Jersey Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, North Carolina School of the Arts, and The Ballet Alliance.

Mr. Villanueva is a 2022-2023 School of American Ballet National Visiting Fellow and is dedicated to creating inclusive and welcoming dance spaces through his work as co-director of The Joffrey Workshop.

Arpino Repertoire

Nicole Duffy - Dance Historian, Arpino Repètiteur, former Joffrey Ballet artist

Nicole Duffy is a dance director, educator, mentor, and writer from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She danced professionally with the Joffrey Ballet, both in New York and in Chicago, and currently serves as a director and repetiteur for The Gerald Arpino Foundation.

While growing up in Puerto Rico, Ms. Duffy danced ballet classics, Balanchine repertory, and worked with international guest artists such as Fernando Bujones, Frederic Franklin, Melissa Hayden, and Ivan Nagy. She moved to New York City to further her training at the Joffrey Ballet School and Alvin Ailey.

During her tenure with the Joffrey Ballet, Ms. Duffy toured the world dancing leading roles in ballets by Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, John Cranko, Agnes DeMille, Kurt Jooss, José Limon, Vicente Nebrada, and Ruth Page, among others, and danced in all of the Ballets Russes reconstructions. Her contemporary repertory included works by Alonzo King, David Parsons, and Ann Reinking, and she was featured in the original cast of Arpino’s groundbreaking and controversial ballet Billboards, to music by Prince.

Ms. Duffy is a Visiting Artist at Barnard College, has taught at Marymount Manhattan and the Harlem School of the Arts, and guest teaches at STEPS on Broadway. She continues to stage the ballets of Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino.

The Impact of The Joffrey Ballet on American Dance

In this session students will learn about the founders of The Joffrey Ballet - Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino - and the impact their company had on the dance landscape. From creating experimental first of a kind works, reviving "lost choreography", and providing platforms for some of the most influential choreographers of our time like William Forsyth and Twlya Tharp, these men paved the way for today's ballet performance programming.

Schedule your Discovery Call