For Jonathan Dummar, becoming a dancer was a family affair: "My sister was taking dance lessons, and I was watching with my mom. It looked like a lot of fun and the teacher said, 'Come in here and try this.' I never left and had a fondness for it from the get-go. When I found it that you could have a legitimate career doing it, I knew it was what I wanted to do."
However, this was all back in Reno, Nev. Dummar took a circuitous route to get to Chicago and joining the world-famous Joffrey Ballet. He took summer courses in Seattle, Wash.; went to the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Fla. ( where he graduated first in his class ) ; and danced with Ballet Memphis in Memphis, Tenn., before ending up in the Windy City.
As for being out, Dummar said that a situation in boarding school helped him come to terms with his sexuality. ( "It wasn't the first situation, but it was the first one where I was comfortable enough to admit it." ) He added that "my mom still has issues with it because she wants grandkidsbut she's met every guy I've called a boyfriend, and she's been gracious."
Dummar has been with the Joffrey for more than five years, meaning that he was here when Ashley Wheater became the company's artistic director ( a development Dummar called "the great turnover" ) . "Honestly, I think he's done great things," Dummar said. "I can't complain about him at all. He's a wonderful humanso kind, so generous."
As for the company, it's currently performing The Merry Widow through Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress. " [ The Merry Widow ] is fun; it's kinda more of a Broadway show than a ballet, but it's nice to have some levity now and again. I mean, we actually do the can-can at one point." However, Dummar is really looking forward to the Joffrey's spring show, "Rising Stars": "We're doing two world premieres as well as a Joffrey premiere with Julia Adam, whom I've had the pleasure of working with in Memphis. I'm so thrilled; I can't wait."
Dummar also teaches at the Academy of Dance. "I love teaching," he said. "Having students is such a good experience. It can make things so clear sometimes when you're trying to communicate what you're trying to achieve. I think the students also being taught by a professionalsometimes it brings in a more realistic perspective about what they're expected to do. The best thing is that knowledge is being passed down from generation to generation; it's nice to be able to share what you've learned, and to see that it makes a difference."
Lastly, with all the hype surrounding the Natalie Portman movie Black Swan, that flick begs the question: How realistic is that movie? "I actually think the competition factor is a little overstated," Dummar said. "No one wants to be doing these roles every night. We do 30 to 40 performances of The Nutcracker, and if I had to go out there and do the Cavalier 40 times, I'd be in the hospital. I think you're in competition with yourself. ... The director was probably the most ridiculous aspect of that movie."
THE STATS
Age: 27
Neighborhood: Boystown
Hometown: Reno, Nev.
Relationship status: Has been with his boyfriend for a year
Favorite snack food: Fresh produce
Dream destination: Mount Shasta
Hobbies: Reading, meditating, yoga, playing video games, going to Sidetrack's "Musical Mondays"
Favorite singer: Yolanda Adams
Text by ANDREW DAVIS, photos by Andrew Davis, Herbert Migdoll