A doting Meta Berger stood back at last week`s supper gala for the Chicago Friends of the Joffrey Ballet and unspooled the sorts of tales usually tucked away in family albums.
To Berger, and to a core of Midwest supporters who welcome the company with open arms each year, the Joffrey is indeed something like family.
Asked about her den-mother role with the dancers, Berger began: ”Many, many, many years ago . . . .”
”Before the white man coveted the plains,” interjected her husband, Ronald, breezing by toward the bar.
”About 15 years ago,” she continued seamlessly, ”they asked me,
`wouldn`t we like to have a party for the dancers in our home. Not for Jerry (Arpino, founder and artistic director) and not for Robert (Joffrey, the late founder).
More Top Picks Best Electric Cargo Bikes
”Every year-never on opening night, but mid-run-we would have a wonderful party. One year we ended up dancing at Zorine`s. Oh, it was wonderful. And it`s interesting: The first year I did diet food-veggies and fruit-and they hardly ate. The second year we did everything fattening-fried chicken, spaghetti, all kinds of desserts. Not a veggie, not a piece of fruit. And they pigged out.
”I used to find them at 1 in the morning in my bathtub, talking-not bathing, just sitting there eating and drinking and talking. Sometimes to get them out, we would take them dancing. That`s how we ended up at Zorine`s.”
Dropping to a whisper, she added: ”And they`re terrible smokers, big drinkers-wine, not hard liquor-and they love candy. All those things you think they wouldn`t do. Those are all my secrets, and they`ll kill me if they know I told you.”
With that, Berger twirled off in her black-and-white polka-dot pumps to attend to the dancers just arriving for dinner. An arm around one, a hand clutching another, she whisked them off to their tables and made sure each one was settled in for a delightful evening. Even if it wasn`t under her very own roof.