"CROSSED is a new ballet that is already timeless." -- Chicago Stage Review

Crossed, set to music of Mozart, Handel and des Prez, is a reflection and reaction to music that was inspired by religion.  With a cast of 14, costumed in Tamara Cobus' designs, the piece ranges from dramatic to high-spirited delight and concludes with a joyous celebration.  Lang has created a set concept for this work that has large moving panels on stage intersecting and crossing, to magically reveal and erase the dancers from the space, to add dimension and to support the overall meaning of the music and movement.

Since 1999, Jessica Lang has been creating choreography extensively for ballet and modern companies across the US and abroad.  She has created and restaged her work on companies including Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Colorado Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Washington Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ailey II, ABT II, Hubbard Street 2, Ballet de Monterey, and New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, among others.  

Lang has also choreographed at universities and prestigious institutions including The Juilliard School, NYU Tisch School of the Arts, The Ailey School/Fordham BFA Program, Princeton University, Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing Arts, and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, among others.  Lang is a graduate of The Juilliard School, under the direction of Benjamin Harkarvy.  Upon graduation, she became a member of Twyla Tharp's company "THARP!" where she performed in major dance festivals around the world. 

Upcoming Commissions include new works for Cincinnati Ballet, Morphoses for the Guggenheim Museum’s Works and Process series, and a premiere for the New York Choreographic Institute’s 10th Anniversary Celebration performance where Lang will create on New York City Ballet dancers Wendy Whelan and Craig Hall.

The Joffrey Ballet has been hailed as “America’s Ballet Company of Firsts.”  The Joffrey Ballet’s long list of “firsts” includes first dance company to perform at the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy’s invitation, first to appear on television, first American company to visit Russia, first classical dance company to go multi-media, first to commission a rock ‘n roll Ballet and first and only dance company to appear on the cover of Time Magazine.  

Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America with its company, audiences, and repertoire.  Founded by visionary teacher Robert Joffrey in 1956, guided by celebrated choreographer Gerald Arpino from 1988 until 2007, The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under internationally renowned Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater who was recruited as a dancer in 1985 by Joffrey and Arpino before returning to lead the company in 2007 after a heralded tenure at San Francisco Ballet.  The Joffrey Ballet has become one of the world's most revered and recognizable arts organizations in America and one of the top ballet companies in the world.