Joffrey's 'Othello' combines classical and contemporary dance

You may have seen "Othello," William Shakespeare's classic tale of jealousy and betrayal, on stage, but chances are you haven't seen it performed as a ballet.

You have one more weekend to catch the first Midwestern performance of The Joffrey Ballet's "Othello," directed by Lar Lubovitch and playing at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago.

And according to Suzanne Lopez, a veteran dancer of The Joffrey Ballet, you don't have to be a ballet aficionado to enjoy this long-standing form of artistic expression.

"People have this impression that ballet is a very elitist art form, but I think it's very tangible," she said. "I always hear, 'It was my first time going to the ballet, and I didn't think I'd like it so much.'"

The full-length, three-act ballet blends both classical and contemporary dance with live accompaniment by the Chicago Sinfonietta and a backdrop of digital images of Venice.

The real-life friendship shared by Lopez, who plays the role of Emilia, and dancer Mauro Villanueva, who plays Emilia's villainous husband Iago, translated into a great collaboration on stage, both dancers said.

"I really love dancing with him. We have a lot of fun together," Lopez said.

Villanueva, 27, became a company member in 2002 when Lopez, 38, already had 11 seasons with the Joffrey under her belt. "(Lopez) is so pro," he said. "It's very easy to work with her. She's so intelligent about what she does, nothing goes unthought about."

Lopez is a native of New Jersey and Villanueva grew up in Texas. Both live in Chicago.

Preparing for the role of Iago was uniquely challenging because acting is not his forte, Villanueva said.

"Iago is a very intellectual person. That's how he creates his havoc, by manipulating people," Villanueva said.

His parents supported his desire to become a dancer, even letting him move to Connecticut at 16 to train with the Nutmeg Conservatory. "I lucked out in that area, because not many boys who want to go into ballet get that support," he said.