A Real-Life Romeo and Juliet at The Joffrey Ballet

October 11, 2016

Dancing Romeo and Juliet is surely a life-changing experience for any performer. But dancing it with your offstage partner? That’s next-level romance (and intensity).

Along with several pairs of their colleagues, leading Joffrey Ballet dancers Jeraldine Mendoza and Dylan Gutierrez will perform the title roles in Krzysztof Pastor’s version of Romeo and Juliet, which opens on Thursday. The two seem to transition seamlessly from their ultra-hip offstage life to a supportive working relationship in the studio. You wouldn’t expect the two to be partnered together—he’s tall and she’s petite—but when Gutierrez wraps his arm around her waist (at 1:06 in the video below) to pull her along the bench they’re sitting on, you can tell from the way they look at each other that their real-life romance makes this a perfect pairing.

Watch Mendoza and Gutierrez, along with the rest of the leads, in the video below!

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