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Frida Kahlo: Life Through Ballet
- Catherine Talbert
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Something I’m a big nerd for is ballet, and this weekend I went to see the Joffrey Ballet at the Harris Theatre in Millennium Park. The performance, Broken Wings by choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, is an ode to Frida Kahlo. The music, composed by Peter Salem, was performed by the Chicago Philharmonic alongside a live band with two guitarists and singer Denis Vélez. It was absolutely incredible. The piece drew deeply from Kahlo’s work, featuring male dancers who portrayed her self-portraits, and followed the story of her life and art.
I actually didn’t know much about Frida Kahlo’s life, so it was fascinating to learn about her experiences through dance and music. Being familiar with her life and paintings wasn’t entirely necessary, the emotion and artistry were enough to make her story feel universal. Of course, once I got home, I did a full deep dive to understand what I had just seen.
Beginning the ballet, Frida is first shown as happy and full of life, dancing with a young man, until suddenly, pain. Even without knowing her story, it was clear that something tragic had happened. The dancer cradles her leg and screams, signaling the horrific bus accident that caused multiple fractures to her right leg, foot, spine, and pelvis. The theme of her damaged leg recurs throughout the ballet, a haunting reminder of her suffering and the injuries that plagued her throughout her life.
"My painting carries with it the message of pain."
- Frida Kahlo
After the accident, to fill her endless hours of recovery and cope with the pain, she begins painting, completing her first self-portrait the following year. At this time, nine male dancers emerge, each representing one of her self-portraits. The choice to use male dancers might have reflected Frida's own gender non-conformity.
Painting seems to bring her joy again, and soon she meets an older man—Diego Rivera. They marry, and for a time, she appears content. But there’s an undercurrent of unease, and it soon becomes clear that he isn’t the partner she deserves. The tone shifts again, and Frida’s pain returns. Frida once said, “I suffered two grave accidents in my life. One in which a streetcar knocked me down… The other accident is Diego.” I think that the ballet did a great job of capturing this feeling.
One of the most striking moments in the performance involves a red yarn being pulled from between her legs, symbolizing a miscarriage. It was devastating to watch as Frida struggles to pull the yarn back toward her, desperately trying to save her pregnancy. Kahlo longed for children but suffered multiple miscarriages and at least one abortion due to the injuries from her accident. Her 1932 miscarriage in Detroit was particularly traumatic and inspired her famous painting Henry Ford
Hospital.
Her sadness deepens as Diego’s affair is revealed. They separate, and her loneliness and anguish become central to the performance. During this time, her art is brought to life through dancers representing nature—a doe, trees, birds, and the many fragments of her own image. Self Portrait as a Tehuana was painted when she and Diego Rivera divorced. The painting shows Diego in her thoughts.
Eventually, she and Diego reconnect and remarry, but her suffering never fully lifts. The end of the ballet is both heartbreaking and beautiful. After her painful surgeries, Diego pins Frida to the wall as a butterfly. At the very end, a colorful bird-like creature emerges. It’s a haunting symbol of her death and her transformation, suggesting that even in pain, she became something eternal.
I left the theater feeling like I had just watched a painting come alive and fade in the same breath. Sunday was the last day of the run, but if Broken Wings ever comes around again, I can’t recommend it enough. It’s moving, surreal, and utterly unforgettable.
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