Displaying items by tag: Dance

On July 24th and 25th at 7:00 pm, Chicago Dance Crash will present expo/sd, a world premiere concert at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Curated by Artistic Director KC Bevis, the evening features new works choreographed by Annie Franklin, Cameron McKinney, and Crash resident choreographer Elijah Motley.
 

expo/sd
 

Friday and Saturday, July 24-25th at 7:00 pm
The Ruth Page Center for the Arts
1016 N. Dearborn Street, Chicago, IL 60610
Tickets: $25 for adults / $15 for children 12 and under
 

Tickets available at ChicagoDanceCrash.com
Questions or requests? Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The upcoming concert will feature a world premiere by choreographer Annie Franklin that investigates how traditional street and contemporary dance forms can exist in conversation with one another while pushing dancers to embrace the visceral, the intimate, and the imperfect in performance—work that is unsettling, raw, and emotionally charged rather than conventionally beautiful. Rooted in themes of voyeurism and intimacy, the piece will ask what it means for audiences to witness moments they are "not supposed" to see, reflecting the deeply personal practice of freestyle movement and the vulnerability of exploration. Performed to an original score by local music producer e j e c t, this work was made possible by the support of the Chicago Cultural Center and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. 

Also featured in the concert will be a new repertory work, "A 4 Bar Loop", by choreographer and Crash alum Elijah Motley. This dynamic piece explores identity, drawing from Motley's personal experience as a Black man raised in the South. Growing up surrounded by reminders of the Jim Crow era and stories of racial discrimination shared by his grandparents, Motley reflects on the tangible progress made in civil rights, its regressions, and ultimately asks: "Are we any different now?"

Choreographer Cameron McKinney will also premiere a new duet  - "Fall From Grace." Rooted in hyperphysicality, McKinney explores how the body can be pushed to (and beyond) its limits, and how that physical threshold becomes a gateway to raw honesty. This work operates in a space of "meditative exhaustion": a state where the energy we normally spend maintaining our facades is stripped away, leaving only the truth of self in the moment.

Seating will be very limited for this weekend-only showing and, as with all freestyle-driven productions, both performances will be entirely different. Join Chicago Dance Crash in July as we celebrate three world-premiere works in expo/sd.

About Chicago Dance Crash
A multidisciplinary dance company existing within the intersection of street dance, concert dance, and physical theater, Crash's fusion-style works and performing ensemble embodies our dedication to being an accessible and innovative dance company, creating intensely physical, authentic, and narrative-driven art. Crash burst onto the scene in its first season with a new and innovative movement play concept and has grown to receive critical acclaim throughout its 24 years of groundbreaking dance.
 

Learn more at www.ChicagoDanceCrash.com + join the conversation on Facebook and YouTube (Chicago Dance Crash), Instagram @chicagodancecrash

At first glance, the performance space for Architecture of Memory feels less like a theater and more like a living museum of human experience. Before a single performer moves, the audience is invited into an art installation featuring the work of three artists whose visions quietly prepare us for the emotional terrain ahead: multidisciplinary artist Hart Ginsburg of Digital Tapestries; Candance Casey, whose photography examines abandoned urban ruins and the possibility of rebirth within decay; and director and creator Ellyzabeth Adler, who transforms discarded letters, notes, and forgotten objects into vessels of memory and meaning.

Scattered throughout the space are boxes labeled “generational trauma,” “pain,” “hurt,” “reflection”, “rebirth” and other life experiences. The symbolism is immediate but never heavy-handed. These fragments of emotional inheritance become the foundation for Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble’s Architecture of Memory, a deeply personal yet profoundly universal meditation on how memory shapes identity, relationships, and healing.

Divided into nine interconnected chapters - Intersecting Voices, Petals, Directions, Cliffside Postcards, Pathways, Carry Forward, Carry Back, Enough, The Red String That Has No End, and Beginning Again—the production unfolds like a stream of consciousness. Rather than relying on traditional narrative structure, the work moves through movement, visual imagery, soundscapes, and emotional association. Remarkably, the transitions between sections feel fluid and organic, as though each chapter emerges naturally from the emotional residue of the one before it.

Founded in 2001, Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble has built its reputation on socially conscious, politically engaged performance work rooted in community activism and social justice. Architecture of Memory represents something of a departure. While the production still carries the company’s trademark emotional honesty and collaborative spirit, it turns inward rather than outward. This is not overtly political theater. Instead, it is reflective, intimate, and autobiographical in feeling. Yet its themes - loss, memory, connection, generational wounds, and renewal - resonate broadly.

The ensemble performers - Nik Graves, Maya Paletta, Austin Rambo, collaborator Anthony Taylor, and Virginia Vanlieshout - bring extraordinary vulnerability and physical precision to the piece. Because the production relies less on dialogue and more on movement, gesture, and emotional presence, the performers must communicate interior states through embodiment alone. Each artist contributes distinct emotional textures to the work, whether conveying longing, grief, tenderness, or release. Together, they function less as individual characters and more as collective carriers of memory itself, moving through Adler’s fragmented emotional landscape with remarkable cohesion and sincerity.

The production’s visual language is especially striking. Props are used extensively and intentionally throughout. Door frames become portals between emotional states and remembered spaces. Mannequins suggest the ghosts of former selves or absent loved ones. Clothing carries traces of identity and history. Nothing onstage feels accidental. Every object appears charged with emotional residue, as though memory itself has physical weight.

Hart Ginsburg’s multimedia projections add another evocative layer, creating dreamlike environments that blur the boundaries between physical and emotional landscapes. The integration of movement and projection often produces images of startling beauty.

Most impressive, however, is the emotional sincerity at the heart of the work. Architecture of Memory is not interested in tidy conclusions. Instead, it acknowledges the messiness of grief, the persistence of memory, and the complicated process of carrying pain while still choosing renewal. The result is a production that feels cathartic and quietly healing.

By the final chapter, Beginning Again, the audience is left not with answers but with a sense of release. Architecture of Memory reminds us that memory can imprison us, but it can also connect us, sustain us, and ultimately help us begin anew.

As Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble celebrates its 25th anniversary season, Architecture of Memory feels like both a reflection on the company’s artistic journey and a reminder of its continued evolution. And while I am not at liberty to discuss a project slated for next season, audiences would be wise to keep a close eye on Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble. If this production is any indication, the company is entering an exciting new creative chapter.

Highly Recommended

When: May 3 to 18 Friday/Saturday @8pm

Where: The Auditorium at Ebenezer Lutheran Church

               1650 W. Foster Avenue

Running time: 80 minutes with a 10 minute  intermission

Tickets: $10 - $25

www.danztheatre.org

Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) presents Saturn Returns, directed by Molly Smith and music directed by Anaiet Soul, June 11-14 at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway Ave. Performances are Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 13 at 5 p.m. and Sunday, June 14 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $35 - $75 and are on sale now at ChicagoTapTheatre.com. 

Directed by Molly Smith, Saturn Returns tells the universally human story of getting older through tap dance and live music with new choreography by Smith and the dancers of Chicago Tap Theatre. Based on the Saturn return process in astrology, this show, the last in CTT's '25-'26 season, is a heartwarming snapshot of our individual pasts, presents, and futures.

Director Molly Smith stated, "I've been interested in exploring the intersection of astrology and tap dance for a long time, and this opportunity created the perfect space to use the perspective of a Saturn return, when the planets align as they did at one's birth, to look at how we age, mature, and navigate life in ever-unsteady times. Tap dance is a natural vessel to portray the rhythm of life, how we grow and change as individuals and as a community, and how we celebrate our wins, and this show is full of excitement, challenges, and surprises for dancers and audience members alike."

The Program for Saturn Returns Includes:

Hope College Piece (pre-show opener), choreographed by Martin "Tre" Dumas III

Celestial Groove, choreographed by Molly Smith

Approach the Threshold, choreographed by Mark Yonally

The Shock of Aging, choreographed by Sterling Harris & Molly Smith

Accountability/Responsibility, choreographed by Sara Anderson

Hard Work & Discipline, choreographed by Molly Smith

Separation/Restriction, choreographed by Molly Smith

Slow & Steady, choreographed by Sara Anderson & Greta Sorensen

Solitude, choreographed by Molly Smith

Boundaries, choreographed by Heather Latakas & Molly Smith

Own your Choices & Create Your Path, choreographed by Molly Smith

Celestial Celebration & Bows, choreographed by Molly Smith

Chicago Tap Theatre Summer Show's dancers include Mark Yonally, Sterling Harris, Molly Smith, Sara Anderson, Heather Latakas, Chris Matthews, Greta Sorensen, Ellie Guzzano, Antonio Houston, and Kelsey Nickens. Accompanying the dancers will be local Chicago musicians, led by music director Anaiet Soul.

ABOUT MOLLY SMITH, DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER

Molly Smith (they/them) [Rehearsal Director, Director of Operations & Community Engagement] is a performer, dance teacher and arts administrator and has been with Chicago Tap Theatre for 8 seasons. Smith is a co-founder of THEM queers band and is on faculty at Incite Dance Center & Activate Your Artistry dance convention as well as Chicago Tap Theatre's community youth classes. Smith has traveled to teach and perform tap dance internationally, touring with Martin Tre Dumas to China, teaching at the Artis Escola de Dansa in Reus, Spain, and they are a frequent teacher and choreographer throughout the United States, including at the Chicago Tap Summit, Chicago Tap Allstars' Tap Dance Day Workshop Weekend and guest teaching at Oklahoma City University.

 ABOUT CHICAGO TAP THEATRE

Founded in 2002, Chicago Tap Theatre is a growing and vibrant dance company dedicated to preserving the quintessentially American dance form of tap while taking it to the next level of creativity, innovation and quality. CTT performs exclusively with live music provided by some of Chicago's finest musicians playing everything from Duke Ellington to David Bowie and many artists in between. Under the dynamic direction of master teacher and performer Mark Yonally, CTT has gained a loyal and sizable following in Chicago and continues to tour both nationally and internationally. Having pioneered the "tap opera" format, which tells stories with compelling characters and intriguing plots, CTT has used the language of tap dance, live music and narration to move audiences for more than 20 years.

Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT) presents Saturn Returns, directed by Molly Smith and music directed by Anaiet Soul, June 11-14 at The Edge Theater, 5451 N. Broadway Ave. Performances are Thursday, June 11 and Friday, June 12 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, June 13 at 5 p.m., and Sunday, June 14 at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $35 - $75. Tickets are now on sale and may be purchased by visiting ChicagoTapTheatre.com.

The world‑renowned Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, in residence at Northeastern Illinois University, brings the passionate, expressive rhythms of Spain to life at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., in honor of their 50th Anniversary Celebration—one performance only, Saturday, June 13 at 7:30 p.m.

"As the company celebrates its golden anniversary season, we are excited to present our company of dancers and guest artists for this special concert honoring the work of our founder, our company and everyone who has made it possible for us to provide the best in Spanish dance here and around the world," says Irma Suarez Ruiz, Dame Libby Komaiko Legacy Artistic Director.

"For five decades, Ensemble Español has shared the passion, rhythm, and soul of Spanish dance with Chicago and the world, one breathtaking step at a time. Now, we invite everyone to join us as we celebrate that history and ignite the passion that will propel us into the next 50 years" added Executive Director, Jorge Perez.

Audiences will experience a special 50th Anniversary performance revival of Dame Libby's iconic critically acclaimed "Boléro," danced by the only remaining original dancers of this ballet from its premiere in 1993, Ruiz and Perez. Lively musical accompaniment will be provided for a selection of Flamenco dramas by musicians Jose Moreno (Flamenco singer, guitarist), Andrea Salcedo (Flamenco guitarist), and Enrique Chavez (percussionist). Also joining the Ensemble Español will be classical guitarist, Brian Torosian.

The program is scheduled to feature the following works
· "Amangue" (2023): The program will open with the flamenco company work set in 2023 in the Buleria style by guest artist, Isaac Tovar, former principal of the National Ballet of Spain to original musical composition by renowned guitarist Curro de Maria.
· "Escenas Villanescas" (World Premiere): This Spanish classical premiere will feature the full company in Irma Suarez Ruiz's "Villanescas" set to the music ofEnrique Granados. Special thank you to Philip and Marcia Dowd production sponsors.
· "Pasion Oculta" (2019): This contemporary work by Irma Suarez Ruiz, set to the music of the all-female electronic string quartet from London, received rave reviews in 2025 by the Chicago Tribune hailing it "Tour de force...Pasion Oculta is a modern masterpiece."
· "Antecesores/Ancestors" (2025): This company flamenco drama performed to the songs and rhythms of Seville in Andalucía, southern part of Spain, is choreographed by newly appointed Associate Artistic Director, Jose Torres. The work pays homage to those who came before us in the world of Spanish dance and music.
· "Boléro" (1993): The Ensemble Español will present the revival of Dame Libby Komaiko's full company iconic "Bolero" to the music of Maurice Ravel thanks to the generous support of friend and donor Sonia Florian 1936-2025. This work has graced some of the greatest landmark theaters and dance festivals in the world to well over one million audience members and been featured in two documentaries. The New York Times called Dame Libby's "Boléro" "amazing" and said the piece "wowed the audience" at a sold-out performance at Joyce Theater in Manhattan.

Tickets

Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater: 50th Anniversary Celebration is presented at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie, 9501 Skokie Blvd., 7:30 p.m., Saturday, June 13. Tickets are $45 - $65 before ticketing and online purchasing fees. To purchase tickets and for more information visit NorthShoreCenter.org or call 847.673.6300. 

Group rates are available for groups of 10 or more. Call the North Shore Center box office for group sales (847.673.6300). For more information about the show, call Ensemble Espanol at 773.442.5916 or visit EnsembleEspanol.org.

About Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater

The Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater is the premier Spanish dance company and center in the United States. The ensemble is in-residence at Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago. The Ensemble Español preserves, presents, and promotes the four styles of Spanish dance: Flamenco, folkloric, escuela bolera and classical. Founded in 1975 by Dame Libby Komaiko, and incorporated in 1976, the organization is now under the leadership of Irma Suarez Ruiz, Dame Libby Komaiko Legacy Artistic Director and Jorge Pérez, Executive Director. The company is comprised of dancers, singers, guest artists, and musicians representing a mosaic of cultures from around the world. The organization is praised by educators, arts professionals, business and government leaders, as well as arts and cultural media for its artistic excellence, cultural integrity, and of course, its commitment to arts and higher education opportunities for all.

The Ensemble appears in a broad range of television, opera, Emmy-winning documentaries, film, and symphonic formats, including with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. It has appeared in theaters and universities in Chicago and Illinois, including the landmark Auditorium, North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, Harris Theater and Symphony Center. The Ensemble has also toured throughout the United States (including Puerto Rico and Hawaii), Canada, and internationally, performing in countries across four continents, such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Poland, Australia, China, and Spain.

The Joffrey Ballet concludes its 2025-26 season with the highly anticipated Chicago Premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin, a richly layered and deeply human exploration of love, loss, and redemption inspired by Alexander Pushkin’s poetic novel. From the acclaimed creative team behind Anna Karenina, Eugene Onegin—a co-production with San Francisco Ballet—features an original score by the award-winning composer, performer, and conductor Ilya Demutsky and an immersive set design that plunges audiences into the fragility of the human heart. Eugene Onegin takes place for ten performances only at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, from June 4 to 14, 2026.

“Our longstanding creative partnership with Yuri Possokhov has reached a new height with Eugene Onegin, supported by an extraordinarily hands-on collaboration with San Francisco Ballet that elevated every element of the production. The precision of detail and emotional storytelling come together to create a fully immersive experience - one that speaks with striking clarity to the world we live in today, and reflects the very best of The Joffrey’s artistic ambition,” says The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE.

“As we close our 70^th anniversary season, Eugene Onegin is both a celebration and a statement of what shared ambition can achieve. At every level, our ability to move audiences depends on the strength of the relationships behind the work, and we are particularly grateful to our partners at San Francisco Ballet for taking the leap with us. Mounting a production of this scale signals the new heights The Joffrey continues to reach, and the stability of the organization as we lay the foundation for our next 70 years,” said Greg Cameron, President and CEO.

Set against the backdrop of 19^th-century Russian aristocracy, the cautionary tale centers on Eugene Onegin, an enigmatic and aloof aristocrat whose life is forever altered after his fateful encounter with the earnest Tatiana. The events that follow – a tragic duel, a devastating loss, and a chance reunion force Eugene Onegin to confront the weight of his choices. Considered a classic work of literature, Eugene Onegin and its protagonist have served as models for literary heroes across time with a worldly and personal narrative style.

A frequent guest choreographer of The Joffrey Ballet, Possokhov returns to the Lyric Opera stage following 2019’s incredibly favored full-length commission of Anna Karenina, a co-production of the Joffrey and the Australian Ballet. Eugene Onegin reunites the award-winning team behind Anna Karenina, including Possokhov and Demutsky; plus, librettist Valeriy Pecheykin, set designer Tom Pye, costume designer Tim Yip (an Oscar-winner in Art Direction for “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”), lighting designer Jim French, and projection designer Finn Ross.

Eugene Onegin marks the first full-length co-production between The Joffrey Ballet and San Francisco Ballet and received its World Premiere in San Francisco in January 2026.

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful to Eugene Onegin Presenting Sponsors Lorna Ferguson and Terry Clark, Anne L. Kaplan, Lynda Sue Lane, M.D., Rudolf Nureyev Fund at The Joffrey Ballet, and Mr. and Mrs. Joel V. Williamson; Major Sponsors Mary Jo and Doug Basler, Dancing Skies Foundation, Ethel Gofen, Audrey L. Weaver, and Alexandra C. Nichols; Production Sponsors Holly Palmer Foundation, Gary Metzner and Scott Johnson, and Bill and Orli Staley Foundation; Costume Sponsor Jane Ellen Murray Foundation; and Commissioned Score Sponsors The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music and Marion A. Cameron-Gray and J. Douglas Gray.

Eugene Onegin features live music performed by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, conducted by Scott Speck, Music Director of The Joffrey Ballet.

Tickets and Schedule

The Joffrey Ballet presents Eugene Onegin from Thursday, June 4 to Sunday, June 14, 2026.

The full performance schedule is as follows:

Thursday, June 4 at 7:30PM;
Friday, June 5 at 7:30PM;
Saturday, June 6 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM;
Sunday, June 7 at 2:00PM;
Thursday, June 11 at 7:30PM;
Friday, June 12 at 7:30PM;
Saturday, June 13 at 2:00PM and 7:30PM;
and Sunday, June 14 at 2:00PM.

The Joffrey Ballet is the only official seller with the best prices. Be aware of ticket re-sellers offering overpriced or invalid tickets. Tickets are available for purchase at the Lyric Opera Box Office, located at 20 N. Upper Wacker Dr., by telephone at 312.386.8905, or online at joffrey.org.

About The Joffrey Ballet 
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for 70 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works. Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron.

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2025–2026 70^th Anniversary Season Sponsors: The Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, Gallagher, The Florian Fund, Anne L. Kaplan, and Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation. Live Music Sponsors Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges our Season Partners: ATHLETICO and Chicago Athletic Clubs.

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

Sustaining legacy is no simple task, especially when considering the arts.  How do you preserve continuity of spirit while simultaneously establishing artistic harmony with the past, present and future?  Knowledge, skill and vision at the top are always critical.  But there are other intangibles that ultimately determine long term success.

When Robert Battle unexpectedly announced he could no longer act as artistic director for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 2023 for health reasons, one of the most accomplished and revered dance companies in the United States began a search to fill a pair of epic shoes. Since its inception in 1958, nearly 70 years ago, the company has only had three artistic directors, Mr. Ailey himself, his designated successor and former principal Ailey dancer, Judith Jamison, and Mr. Battle whose initial association with the Ailey company was that of a guest choreographer. He’d go on to distinguish himself as a master in his field.

Late in 2024, Alvin Ailey Dance Theater chose Alicia Graf Mack, at the time director of the dance division at Juilliard, to become its fourth artistic director.  She began her tenure as Ailey’s new artistic director in July last year. 

Mack’s background and credentials are all exemplary and on their own portend a fruitful stewardship.  Born in California and raised in Columbia Maryland, her parents, one Jewish the other African-American, were socially engaged academics who encouraged their children’s creative interests.  Mack trained in ballet and by 17 was accepted into Dance Theater of Harlem where, at nearly 6’ tall and willowy, her height and grace contributed to building her celebrity.  Consequential injuries necessitated that she quit dance, leading her to acquire a History degree at Columbia University. 

After finishing Columbia, Mack returned to the Dance Theater of Harlem where the company’s financial difficulties made her homecoming brief. Applying to the American Ballet Theater and being rejected because of her height, she approached the Ailey company where she was not only accepted into the company, but she was also “embraced” in her totality. 

Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

Her initial time with Ailey, from 2005 and 2008, allowed Mack to explore and hone other dance styles more deeply and to intellectually mature as a dancer.  After leaving the company to obtain a degree in non-profit management at Washington University in St. Louis, she returned to Ailey in 2011 where she enjoyed notable success as one of its premier dancers until 2014.   Mack then redirected her career and devoted it to education.

At a luncheon held in her honor at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater earlier this year, Mack talked about the people and experiences that led her from being an aspiring teenage dance professional to heading one of the world’s leading dance organizations. As she recounted her past, the emotional intelligence and natural humility she’s noted for were readily apparent.  In her remarks, the new artistic director recognized the wealth of experience, knowledge and talent resident in the Ailey staff and stated she would be relying on those resources to help her fulfill her mission.  She also credited the mentorship she received from dance titans, including Ms. Jamison, pioneering Black ballerina Lorraine Graves and the legendary Carmen de Lavallade.  The advice and counsel they all shared will prove valuable assets for the future.

Just as she balanced the need to adapt to tomorrow while respecting heritage at Juilliard, Mack addressed doing much the same in her new role with Ailey.  Not only is she mindful in honoring the “Ailey aesthetic”, but she also shared her interest in bringing in new choreographic voices to complement, expand and enhance the principles and values Mr. Ailey displayed in his work and that of the choreographers he admired.

Providing avenues for dancers to achieve fulfillment in their craft is also central to Mack’s mission.  One she’s shown to advance through an ethos of affirmation. 

As the climax to the Auditorium’s 2025-2026 Celebrating Women in Dance season later this month, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theater engagement at the theater is a welcome to Ms. Mack.  The three-day run will see two programs performed.  In addition to Alvin Ailey’s classic Revelations and an excerpt from Judith Jamison’s 2005 Reminiscin’, the remaining five dances are contemporary creations of pioneering luminaries in choreography.  All five works saw their world premieres in 2025.

 Chicago Repertory Ballet (CRB) is proud to present an exhilarating Spring Series that celebrates reinvention and bold new voices with two World Premieres and the revival of Founding Artistic Director Wade Schaaf's The Rite of Spring, set to Igor Stravinsky's watershed score. Since its establishment in 2011, CRB has championed blending classical ballet with contemporary dance, adding its singular voice to Chicago's rich dance landscape through original, genre-bending works. Following boundary-breaking choreographic works including adaptations of The Four Seasons, Bolero, Macbeth, and most recently, the critically acclaimed Romeo and Juliet spinoff, The Capulets, the Spring Series continues CRB's exploration of contemporary classical form. CRB 2026 Spring Series takes place one weekend only, May 29 to 31, 2026, at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 North Dearborn Street. Tickets are available at www.crbdance.com or by calling 872-588-0430.

Schaaf said, "We are excited to build on Chicago Repertory Ballet's recent success with The Capulets with a spring program that sits squarely at the intersection of ballet's past and our vision of what ballet can be. Our refreshed adaptation of The Rite of Spring – a Ballet Russe era ballet that was so revolutionary in its time that it caused riots – will be modernized again for today's audiences. The two World Premiere works Beyond the Blue Line and Pulse: ILTJ1101 boldly capture the innovations of ballet today – including inspirations from technology and outer space – making the Spring Series 2026 a thrilling exploration of what our company does best."

The evening opens with Pikieris's striking World Premiere contemporary ballet, Beyond the Blue Line. Evoking vastness, possibility, and quiet mystery, Beyond the Blue Line draws its inspiration from the horizon line where sea meets sky. Beyond the Blue Line invites audiences on a journey into openness, curiosity, and discovery, guiding us past the visible horizon and into the imaginative space that lies beyond. Known for his sweeping physicality and intricate musicality, Pikieris crafts movement both architecturally precise and emotionally expansive, demanding virtuosity while revealing the humanity of each dancer.

The program continues with the World Premiere of Schaaf's Pulse: ILTJ1101, a high-voltage fusion of neo-classical ballet and relentless techno soundscapes, propelled forward by futuristic lighting that turns the stage into a living circuit of energy. Inspired by the phenomenon of stellar radio pulses – where a collapsed star draws matter from a companion and releases it as powerful bursts of radiation – this work translates cosmic physics into visceral human motion. Dancers drive through virtuosic technical vocabulary with precision and force, their movement charged by an undercurrent of rhythmic intensity. Partnering becomes a study in exchange: weight, momentum, and energy pass from body to body as if transmitted along an invisible current. As light and sound converge with movement, Pulse: ILTJ1101 invites audiences into a futuristic landscape where classical form meets raw kinetic power; an electrifying exploration of how energy fuels motion, connection, and creation.

The evening concludes with Schaaf's crowd-pleasing The Rite of Spring, a visceral reimagining of one of the most iconic works in dance history in which a tribe selects one individual each year to perform a sacrificial rite, and must dance until death. Schaaf's production originally premiered in 2013 at The Vittum Theater and was later reworked for an outdoor performance on Crickett Hill in 2021, where the natural environment intensified its primal themes and communal tension. Now, Schaaf revisits and reshapes the 2021 version as a site-specific staging for The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, allowing the space to heighten the audience's immersion in the ritual. Driven by pounding rhythms and the relentless momentum of Stravinsky's score, the ballet highlights how group dynamics can make for fatal outcomes - an idea which remains as salient today as it was at the ballet's premiere over one hundred years ago.

ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHERS

Yanis Eric Pikieris is a native of Miami, Florida and began his dance training with his parents, Marielena Mencia and Yanis Pikieris, at Miami Youth Ballet. He also trained at Miami City Ballet School and with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride at Charlotte Ballet Academy. As an apprentice with Charlotte Ballet, Pikieris performed in several company productions, including Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux's The Nutcracker and Peter Pan, Alonzo King's Chants, and George Balanchine's Tarantella. Pikieris joined Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami in 2016 as an inaugural member of the company where he has since been featured in works by George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Vicente Nebrada, Septime Webre, and Ivonice Satie, among others. As a choreographer, he has created several original works for Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami's main stage series at The Moss Center; as well as two commissions for their sister company, Ballet Vero Beach; and a world premiere collaboration with Miami-based Illuminarts and Philadelphia-based Variant 6. In 2022, Pikieris choreographed a work for National Water Dance, encouraging ongoing engagement between dance and the environment. Pikieris is now one of Dimensions Dance Theatre's Artists in Residence and is a two-time recipient of the (DMC) Dance Miami Choreographers' Program award.

Wade Schaaf (They/Them) is a Chicago native and graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Arts, with an emphasis in dance performance. Throughout their professional career, Schaaf danced with several distinguished companies including Ohio Ballet, State Street Ballet Santa Barbara, The Omaha Theater Ballet, Thodos Dance Chicago, and River North Chicago Dance Company. During their time on stage, Schaaf had the opportunity to work with an array of renowned choreographers such as Septime Webre, Stephen Mills, Frank Chaves, Laurie Stallings, and Tony Award-winning choreographer Ann Reinking. Notable roles in Schaaf's performance career include Tybalt in Robin Welch's Romeo and Juliet, the Snow King in Welch's The Nutcracker, and Jonathan in Kennet Oberly's Dracula. Schaaf also originated the role of Mayor Carter Harrison in The White City, a collaboration between Thodos Dance Chicago and Ann Reinking. After retiring from performing, Mx. Schaaf founded Chicago Repertory Ballet in November 2011. The company debuted to critical acclaim, receiving the headline review "A Bright Debut for Chicago Repertory Ballet" (Sid Smith, The Chicago Tribune). Since then, Wade has choreographed numerous acclaimed works including The Rite of Spring, The Four Seasons, Bolero, and full-length ballet adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet (The Capulets). Under Schaaf's leadership, CRB continues to pursue a bold vision: challenging conventional definitions of ballet in both form and structure to create dance that defies labels. Beyond the studio, Mx. Schaaf is passionate about visual art, health, and wellness. 

ABOUT CHICAGO REPERTORY BALLET

Founded in 2011, Chicago Repertory Ballet is dedicated to presenting artistically daring and visually striking works that engage, inspire, and challenge audiences. The company has established itself as a vital part of Chicago's arts community, earning praise for its commitment to innovation and excellence in dance. For more information about The Capulets and Chicago Repertory Ballet, visit www.crbdance.com.

Comedy Dance Chicago is bringing their family-friendly show to The Second City! (Fun fact: this group was born out of a Second City Training Center class back in 2014). The show is a high-energy laugh-riot for ages 5 to 95. Comedy Dance Chicago's joyful mashup of sketch comedy, physical humor, music, and dance is sure to have you (and your kids and their grandparents) smiling, laughing, and bopping in your seats! These dancin' fools bring relatable situations to life... anything from the importance of hugs to a good old-fashioned staring contest. And who knows, you might even find yourself on stage! Don't miss this joy-filled experience, perfect for anyone in need of a laughter boost.

People often ask "What is Comedy Dance?" Here's what audiences say:

     "It's one of the funniest, most enjoyable hours you'll spend on a Friday night."
-Chicago Reader

     "My face hurts from smiling!" & "That was so joyful!"

     ""We had SO much fun and Olivia giggled her little head off the whole time."
            -Blair (parent)

Comedy Dance Chicago presents HAPPY DANCE, Saturdays March 21, April 4, April 18, May 2, May 16, May 30 at 2:00pm at The Second City in the e.t.c Theater (230 W. North Ave., Piper's Alley, Chicago, IL). Show runs 60 minutes with no intermission. Tickets are $35 for adults and $29 for kids.

Notable credits include: "8-BITS" and "Oh, the Mundanity!" at The iO Theater; Toronto Sketch Comedy Festival, Charlotte's Queen City Comedy Experience; San Francisco Sketchfest; Laugh Out Loud Schaumburg; I AM Fest at House of Blues; Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival; Chicago Women's Funny Fest, Stevenson High School Odyssey Festival; among others. 

About Comedy Dance Chicago

Comedy Dance Chicago. A different kind of comedy show. A different kind of dance show. Unique entertainment for Chicago and beyond. But... what is comedy dance?! In Layman's terms: they dance, you laugh. Still confused? You'll just have to see it.

Comedy Dance Chicago has been delighting and entertaining audiences for over 10 years.  They are a turnkey option for performing arts venues, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporate events looking to add joy to their next event. Company members bring a range of comedy and dance styles to the show and have trained with the Second City Training Center, iO Chicago, American Theatre Conservatory, Accademia dell'Arte, among others. Having performed at the Chicago Sketch Comedy Festival (Stage 773), iO Chicago, Dance Chicago (The Athenaeum Theatre), Woodstock Opera House, the Association of Applied and Therapeutic Humor Conference, and (that one time) at the House of Blues, Comedy Dance Chicago is thrilled to share laughs and spread the love of comedy dance to the rest of the US. 

The Joffrey Ballet has completed a major refresh of its Chicago-based home, The Joffrey Tower (10 E. Randolph Street), featuring interiors by Rubiostudio, and vivid environmental graphics by acclaimed artist & designer Bob Faust, renowned for crafting work with typography at its core, and showcasing visually-stunning examples of Concrete Poetry, courtesy of the national Poetry Foundation, also based in Chicago.  Together, this interdisciplinary collaboration of art, design, architecture, dance, and poetry aims to re-imagine Joffrey Tower as both a home for ballet and a living work of art; creating an environment as inspiring and dynamic as the Company itself.

Under the direction of Joffrey President and CEO Greg Cameron, Joffrey leadership began re-thinking the environment of The Joffrey Tower post-COVID, aiming to create an integrated campus within the Tower’s four floors to strengthen engagement between the Company Artists, its Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet students, Community Engagement students, and administrative personnel. Key elements of the resulting $2.5 million restoration, funded by generous Joffrey supporters, include the creation of an industry-leading Health and Wellness center and the installation of new Harlequin Wood Sprung Floors. The project also expanded the Tower’s Anne L. Kaplan Costume Shop, the Grainger Academy lobby, and administrative facilities, adding meeting rooms and workspaces.

“To support their work on stage, it is of the utmost importance that our Company Artists and students are taken care of off stage, so we sought for Joffrey Tower’s surroundings to be mindful of both the artists’ physical and mental wellbeing.  A great deal of attention was paid to providing leading-edge fitness equipment and spa facilities in our expansive new Health and Wellness Center, along with offering a variety of comfortable and vibrant spaces for our artists to both individually renew and to congregate for camaraderie,” offered Cameron.

To carry out this first renovation since the Tower opened in 2008, the Company enlisted architect (and Joffrey Board Director) Elva Rubio and Corporate Concepts Inc. to facilitate the interior architecture. Rubio, founder of Chicago-based Rubiostudio, has over 30 years of experience in various practice fields, including urban design, interior design, design education, communications design strategy, and the built environment. 

“My firm clearly understood the assignment put forth by the Joffrey Board: to design a practical and functional floor plan that brings the administrative and artistic functions together, enabling a great exchange of energy and ideas. Given my 20 years as a supporter of the Joffrey, it has been an honor to help deliver a space that serves all the Company’s needs, and I’d like to think our design has created a ‘wonderful chaos’ of interactivity,” said Rubio.

Upon completion of the structural foundation, and with over 6,000 sq. ft. of wall space as his canvas, Faust then dramatically embellished walls throughout Joffrey Tower with his signature “Wallworks,” larger-than-life kaleidoscopically re-mixed photographs. Seeking to interpret themes of movement, the origin photos – now remixed in sizes up to 50 x 400 feet – ranged in subject from Joffrey rehearsal and performance shots to behind-the-scenes costumes and scenic props.

“Working closely with Elva and her team, the ‘Wallworks’ installation for the Joffrey is unique in that she made the decision early on to design the space, knowing there would be art activations throughout. Many of the usual design details were omitted in exchange for clean white space. I sourced imagery, not usually celebrated but no less critical to performance making, for its details, colors, and textures to create ever-evolving and ‘moving’ patterns across these key walls. Visitors will encounter fragments of costumes, props, backstage mechanicals, and even former advertising remixed into contemporary patterns to bring a definable visual identity to Joffrey Tower,” added Faust.

And, in furthering the Joffrey’s commitment to Chicago artists and culture, Faust’s colorful wall installations are accompanied by inspirational lines of poetry, designed as site-specific Concrete Poems, works that are as much a piece of visual art as they are poems.  Curated as part of a new collaboration between the Joffrey and the Chicago-based Poetry Foundation, incorporated into the environment are excerpts of work by six local poets: Alfonso Carrara, Tarfia Faizullah, Angela Jackson, José Olivarez, Anne Stevenson, and the former (and inaugural) Poet Laureate of Chicago avery r. young.  

The Joffrey Ballet concludes its 2025-2026 70^th Anniversary Season with the highly anticipated Chicago Premiere of Yuri Possokhov’s Eugene Onegin, a richly layered and deeply human exploration of love, loss, and redemption inspired by Alexander Pushkin’s poetic novel. From the acclaimed creative team behind Anna Karenina, Eugene Onegin—a co-production with San Francisco Ballet—features an original score by the award-winning composer, performer, and conductor Ilya Demutsky and an immersive set design that plunges audiences into the fragility of the human heart. Eugene Onegin is presented for ten performances only at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, from June 4 to 14, 2026.

ABOUT THE JOFFREY BALLET
The Joffrey Ballet is one of the premier dance companies in the world today, with a reputation for boundary-breaking performances for 70 years. The Joffrey repertoire is an extensive collection of all-time classics, modern masterpieces, and original works.

Founded in 1956 by pioneers Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, the Joffrey remains dedicated to artistic expression, innovation, and first-rate education and engagement programming. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron.

The Joffrey Ballet is grateful for the support of its 2025–2026 70^th Anniversary Season Sponsors: The Abbott Fund, Alphawood Foundation Chicago, Daniel and Pamella DeVos Foundation, Gallagher, The Florian Fund, Anne L. Kaplan, and Robert and Penelope Steiner Family Foundation. Live Music Sponsors Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music. The Joffrey also acknowledges our Season Partners: ATHLETICO and Chicago Athletic Clubs.

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet and its programs, visit joffrey.org. Connect with the Joffrey on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

It was the flippant statement heard round the humanities. An errant comment, a sweeping generalization, and another dismissive remark towards the arts. While the internet might have lambasted the commentator, the commentary at its core is the erroneous belief or misunderstanding that the arts are a relic of a bygone era. Despite repeated talks of automating away human interaction and computers replacing all the creative elements of life, art, opera, ballet, and more thrive in Chicagoland. One cannot walk anywhere in Chicago without seeing works of art in all their forms, celebrated and muraled and inviting to visitors and locals alike. There is no truer testament to the lasting power of an art form than in its inclusive programs that empower the next generation, offering them time and space to captivate audiences of all generations. I can recommend no finer program than Winning Works, now playing at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Winning Works is a mission-driven, access-oriented initiative that upholds The Joffrey Ballet's core values of “Joffrey for All.” Performed by students and trainees of the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet, the program provides opportunities for everyone, regardless of background, to experience, support, and participate in dance. The goal of the award is to recognize talented, emerging choreographers whose unique perspectives will inspire creativity in the form of original works of dance. Through Winning Works, the Joffrey aims to broaden access for artists who have been historically excluded from the art form and empower those who embody its values to shape the future of dance.

The Grainger Academy and Winning Works is the strongest example we have that ballet might change and grow and evolve with the times, but will never fade into obscurity. The performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art is itself an exhibit of movement, exploration, love, and light. Set against its contemporaries, Winning Works features incredible performances that leave you spellbound, each more unique than the last. Each performance features a brief introduction by the choreographer, detailing their reflection on the program and staging a performance offering a unique perspective only the artist themselves could give the audience. Audience members will love the contemporary movements of To Carry Our Own Names by DaYoung Jung, enjoy the whimsicality of Alexandra Schooling’s Hushed Power, shimmy and shake along with Daniel Ojeda’s Visitors, bask in the glow of the light and airy Eclat by Julia Feldman, and marvel at the uniqueness of Fran Diaz’s A Strange House We Must Keep. There is truly something for everyone, all performed by the incredibly talented young dancers who will no doubt grace the stages of the grandest theatres across the world.

For as many years as I have lived in Chicago, I have heard “the arts are dying,” that they are old-fashioned and outdated. Truth be told, it’s rarely heard from Chicagoans, mere projections from those who would never visit the city let alone entertain the arts. Like the many seasons (and false seasons) of this great city, the arts and humanities have their seasons of flourish and seasons of slumber. Like Spring itself, Winning Works ushers in the new season with new performances filled with light, love, and beauty. Commentators may come and go, but ballet and the arts will always stand the test of time.

Winning Works is performing for a limited run from March 13-15 and March 19-22 at the Museum of Contemporary Art (220 E Chicago Ave, Chicago). Tickets are available at https://joffrey.org/. As a bonus, audience members can show their Winning Works program book to receive a free admission voucher to the MCA, proving that the arts are inescapably intertwined and will always win.