NDT 50th Birthday Celebration

"Lang zal hij leven" to our friends at Nederlands Dans Theater, who will be celebrating their 50th birthday in the 2009-2010 season. To mark the occasion, they recently posted this video:



The Auditorium will be celebrating our 120th birthday this December, and we're happy to welcome our much younger friends for the final performances of their 49th season June 16 and 17. Great seats are still available - call 800.982.ARTS (2787), visit Ticketmaster.com or swing by our box office for your tickets.

The Auditorium in The Devil in the White City

The Auditorium makes an appearance in Erik Larson's national bestselling novel of suspense, The Devil in the White City:

"...one prominent Chicagoan, Ferdiand W. Peck, proposed to build an auditorium so big, so acoustically perfect, as to silence all the carping from the East and to make a profit to boot. Peck envisioned enclosing this gigantic theater within a still larger shell that would contain a hotel, banquet room, and offices.

"The result was an opulent structure that, for the moment, was the biggest private building in America. Its theater contained more than four thousand seats, twelve hundred more than New York's Metropolitan Opera House. And it was air-conditioned, through a system that blew air over ice."

See a picture of the Auditorium in 1889 during the Republican National Convention, taken just a few years before the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.

Pictures from the Eifman Ballet Reception at Russian Pointe

Here are some pictures from the Eifman Ballet Reception at Russian Pointe. Guests enjoyed mingling with visionary choreographer Boris Eifman.

Russian Pointe will host another reception for Nederlands Dans Theater I on June 17 at 5 p.m.

This elegant reception is $50 (does not include ticket to the performance) and includes the opportunity to meet Artistic Director Anders Hellström, Manager of International Affairs René Vlemmix and a company dancer, as well as hors d'oeuvres, wine and trolley transporation to the theatre. Call 312.922.2110 ext. 300 for more information.

Find Out More About "Chicago's Landmark Stage"

Did you know that the Auditorium has a website, http://www.chicagoslandmarkstage.org/, that details the history, art, and architecture of our National Historic Landmark Theatre? Check it out for information, activities and more!

Our Ticket Printers Have an Olympic Pedigree!

The Auditorium box office just got some new-to-us ticket printers. These printers were previously used to print tickets for the 2008 Beijing summer olympics!

Meet Nederlands Dans Theater Artists on June 17 at Russian Pointe

Join us for a pre-performance reception on Wednesday, June 17 at Russian Pointe Dance Boutique! The evening will feature wine, hors d'oeuvres and appearances by Nederlands Dans Theater Artistic Director Anders Hellström (pictured), Manager of International Affairs René Vlemmix and a dancer or two. Trolley transporation to the theatre for the performance is also provided.

Call 312.922.2110 ext 300 for information and reservations. The cost for the reception is $50 per person.

Rave Reviews for the Eifman Ballet!

Like our staff, the press loved the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg's Onegin!

In the Sun-Times, Hedy Weiss wrote, "Perhaps the best way to think about choreographer Boris Eifman is to dub him "the Jerome Robbins of Russian ballet," for he is a master of theater as much as a maker of dances -- a man with a seamless feel for the way gesture, music and stage design can coalesce in the art of storytelling and character development. And now -- after watching the Thursday night Chicago debut of his "Onegin" at the Auditorium Theatre, and thinking back on the five previous visits by his company, the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg -- that essential resemblance has only been magnified."

Sid Smith said in the Tribune, "But you never wait long for Eifman to come up with something startling. A kind of weight bench throughout provides for some striking moments, and in the spectral scene, Onegin is held aloft, prone, by the dancers, until Lensky stands briefly on top of him before collapsing backward -- quite the acrobatic tour de force."

Now onto the final show of the 2008-2009 International Dance Series - Nederlands Dans Theater I is making a rare Chicago appearance next month!

Auditorium Staff Reviews of Eifman Ballet's "Onegin"

Here's what some of our staff members have to say about last night's performance by the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg:

Kathy Bliss, Executive Assistant: The genius of Eifman evokes the full emotion of the classic story ballet through a uniquely contemporary vision. Superb theatricality; drama -dance or dance-drama. Bold visuals and strong character development. A minimum set creates a maximum setting and the lighting is indeed a "character" in its sheer perfection. The corps is a voice that resonates throughout.

Nicole Losurdo, Director of Education: It was absolutely unbelievable – sign me up for the Eifman fan club. Every theatre person needs to see this kind of work – it speaks volumes on levels, spatial relationship, balance and counter balance, and human emotion. I was very inspired and the music was also really exciting. It is very emotional work and the dancers are expressive in ways I have never seen dancers communicate. It was visual eye candy and the lighting is absolute genius. It can tend to feel a little self serving and self involved, but strangely – it works.

Amanda Martinez, Development Associate: Eifman’s Onegin is a highly entertaining performance filled with exciting visuals, heart pumping music and the perfect blend of modern and classic ballet… I highly recommend it!

Tickets are still available for tonight at 7:30pm, tomorrow at 8pm and Sunday at 2pm.

Phone: 800.982.2787 (ARTS)

Online: www.ticketmaster.com/auditorium

In person: box office at 50 E. Congress Parkway

Eifman's ONEGIN opens tonight!

Lucia Mauro previewed the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg's Auditorium engagement yesterday on WBEZ's 848. Listen here.

Edward Villella and the Miami City Ballet School

An interesting video featuring Miami City Ballet Artistic Director Edward Villella.

You Can Help Us Make A Difference in a Child's Life!

Each summer, the Auditorium hosts a special performing arts summer camp especially for children ages 7-14 who have experienced the death of a parent. This summer marks the fifth year of HTHTA, and our first year at our new site in the Quad Cities, allowing us to reach even more children!

Even though our expenses exceed $1500 per child, we only charge $50 per camper (and many campers receive scholarships!) Obviously, we rely on a large number of generous donors and sponsors to make up the difference. If you would like to join our family of supporters, you can donate here or call 312.922.2110 ext 368. Every little bit helps!

Eifman Ballet Preview Articles

Read what Chicago's dance writers have to say about next week's Eifman Ballet engagement.

Sid Smith at the Tribune: Visits by Eifman and his Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg to the Auditorium Theatre over the years have proved to be thought-provoking and edgy, with audience reaction varying from delight to scorn. Whatever else, Eifman is never staid, cautious or predictable.

Hedy Weiss at the Sun-Times: One thing you can bet on: A large percentage of those who will flock to see Eifman's wildly dramatic, expressionistic mode of dance storytelling are part of the Chicago area's "Russian audience" -- drawn from that population of close to a half million immigrants (and their children) whose love of the arts began during their Soviet Union days and continues to thrive here.

Eifman Ballet Review

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

"Once you let your preconceptions go and decide not to worry about details of the story line, you can sit back and simply enjoy the stream of bizarre dream episodes, the high-flying acrobatic pas de deux and the seductively mesmerizing rock concert panache."

Click here for the full review.

Brett Batterson Receives State Farm Embrace Life Award for HTHTA

Our Executive Director received the State Farm Embrace Life award on Tuesday! The award included a $10,000 donation to our Hands Together, Heart to Art summer camp.


Join State Farm in supporting our campers, who have all experienced the death of a parent. Help us provide them a safe and supportive opportunity to be with other children who have experienced a similar loss - click here or call 312.922.2110 ext 368 to make a donation to HTHTA.

Raves for The Joffrey's Spring Program

Our resident dance company, The Joffrey Ballet, has gotten glowing reviews today or the Spring Program. Read the Tribune review here and the Sun-Times here.