Holidays at #theAud Photo Contest

Holidays at #theAud Photo Contest

Enter to win a pair of tickets to

Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah!

How to Enter: Photograph yourself, your friends, or your family at the Auditorium Theatre this holiday season. Post the photo on your favorite social media sites following the instructions below to enter.  Be sure to make your post "public" so that we can see your entry! You may enter as many times as you like - the more photos, the more chances to win!

Please note:  Photos may be taken in the lobby or after the performance inside the theatre.  No photos may be taken inside the theatre before or during the performance.

There are three ways to enter:

Facebook – tag the Auditorium Theatre in your post or photo
Twitter - tag @auditoriumchgo and #theaud
Instagram – tag @auditoriumtheatre and #theaud

Prizes: Two winners will be randomly selected. Each winner will receive two (2) free premium tickets to Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah, January 18 & 19 at the Auditorium Theatre.

Contest Rules: No purchase or payment necessary to enter or win a prize.  Must be 18+ years of age. Contest ends December 31, 2013 at noon. The submitter certifies he or she has obtained permission from all persons appearing in the entry; however, only the entrant submitting the entry is eligible to win the prize. Photo must not contain material which is sexually explicit, obscene, violent, illegal, or offensive. Photo must not include 3rd party trademarks, logos, or insignias. You must tag @auditoriumchgo or #theaud in your Twitter post to enter.  If you enter on Facebook, you must tag the Auditorium Theatre Facebook page, Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Tag @AuditoriumTheatre or #theaud on Instagram to enter. Posts must be made "public" to be entered to win.  Auditorium Theatre staff will contact winners via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram; failure to respond after 48 hours of notification may lead to the forfeit of prize. Photo entries will be used by the Auditorium Theatre to promote the contest, the Auditorium Theatre, and the programming at the Auditorium Theatre. This contest is in no way sponsored by Facebook or Twitter and is being run exclusively by the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Void where prohibited.

Speaking the language of Hungarian folk dance

By Tibor Horváth, Former Dancer with Hungarian State Folk Ensemble

My passion for Hungarian folk dance can be attributed largely to two factors: my parents, and my dance instructors. My parents, because they passed on to me a love of Hungary and things Hungarian, and my dance instructors, because they taught me the language of Hungarian folk dance.

Sándor Timár, one of the founders of the Hungarian táncház or “dance-house” movement, believed that the ability to learn Hungarian folk dance was comparable to learning a foreign language. First, you learn words, then phrases, then whole sentences. Once fluent, you can construct these sentences in any manner to express yourself. Such was the method by which I learned the dances of Hungary and Hungarians in Transylvania.


I grew up in Seattle, Washington, to parents who had emigrated from Hungary, and began dancing in my early teens with the local Hungarian dance group. While we learned choreographies to perform, the goal of the instructors in my group was to learn the dances inside and out, allowing us to dance freestyle, just as these dances were originally danced in the villages. In some places, most notably among Hungarians in Transylvania, they are still danced today at celebrations and village events.

Learning Hungarian folk dances allowed me an avenue to connect with my heritage. Each region has distinct costumes and step-work associated with it. The music, as collected by greats such as Béla Bartók and Zoltán Kodály, shows an amazing diversity from region to region. The folk costumes are equally diverse, and in some cases, are covered in intricate beadwork or embroidery. The men’s dances, in particular, demonstrate a virtuosity of complicated slapping and footwork that is not found elsewhere. I feel I learned more about the customs and people of Hungary through dance than I could have in any other way.

In the fall of 1990, following a tour of Croatia with a Seattle-area Croatian group with which I also performed, I travelled to Hungary to study on a scholarship with a university in Budapest. Shortly after arriving, I was afforded the opportunity to audition for the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, then under the artistic direction of Sándor Timár. As nervous as I was, I was surprised that I didn’t fail the audition. Being the first foreign-born Hungarian to be awarded a contract, I felt extremely honored.

The next two years were difficult, but also rewarding. I had arranged to take my university classes in the evening, allowing me to go to rehearsal five days a week, from early morning to mid-afternoon. On days we had performances, I would leave class early and race back to the theater in time for group warm-ups and preparations before show time.

I still dance today, and especially enjoy dancing at táncház parties. The band plays cycles from different regions, and everyone dances that particular region’s dance freestyle, improvising motifs and footwork based on the appropriate “vocabulary” of that region. While I believe there is always more to learn, I consider myself to be quite fluent in the language of Hungarian folk dances.

I was excited to learn that the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble would be performing in Chicago at the Auditorium Theater. It gives me an opportunity to see some friends that still are with the company, but more importantly, it gives a chance for others to see the beauty and majesty of Hungarian folk dance. From the military-style “verbunk” or men’s recruiting dances, to the dizzying spinning of the women in many couples’ dances, the audience will see the variety of Hungarian dance and appreciate the years of training and hours of practice put in by each dancer. From the moment the dancers burst onto the stage, the audience will be treated to the sights and sounds of rural village life presented in a dazzling fashion. In so, they will begin to recognize the language of Hungarian folk dancing. 

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Tibor Horváth has performed Hungarian folk dance for nearly thirty years in front of audiences in the Pacific Northwest, California, western Canada, and Hungary. His tours with the Hungarian State Folk Ensemble also allowed him to perform on stages across Europe. He has taught Hungarian dances to dancers and aficionados, both beginners and advanced dancers. A recent transplant to Chicago, he is currently dancing with the Borozda Hungarian Ensemble based in Norridge, IL.

The Arts: A Love that will Last a Lifetime

By Kelly Saroff, Auditorium Theatre Intern

Ever since I was five years old tagging along to my sister’s piano lessons, I have been intrigued by the arts. For almost as long, I have enjoyed organizing, scheduling, and communicating with others to make initiatives successful. So when I discovered Arts Administration as a career option, I was hooked.

Music has always been my passion. I started playing piano in elementary school, but it was my dream to play flute. The instrument fascinated me, and I wanted to be able to produce its characteristically beautiful, singing sound. I was so excited when I entered the band program in sixth grade and was able to pick up the flute for the first time. It wasn’t quite the magical experience I had hoped for—in fact, it took me several weeks before I could actually make a sound on the instrument! However, I kept working through middle and high school and eventually progressed to making the District and All-State Bands as well as participating in elite area youth ensembles. I attended a summer intensive music festival, where I began to seriously consider music as a career. I grew in my skills as a performer and musician, and I learned to love music in an entirely new way.

This experience inspired me to pursue a degree in Flute Performance at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University. I soon discovered that while I loved performing on the flute, I also enjoyed being active in student groups on campus. As the former president of my sorority and a current vice president for the Panhellenic Association, I have found that I really enjoy working with others and being involved in the administrative or management aspects of an organization. These interests led me to explore the field of Arts Administration and eventually pursue a minor in Arts Administration along with my degree in Performance.

I have previously held Arts Administration internships at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, South Arts, and The Atlanta Opera. All three internships gave me different opportunities in the broader field of Arts Administration, and all of them confirmed my interest in Arts Administration as a career path. I am thrilled to be working at the Auditorium Theatre, where I am getting hands-on field experience at a very well-established arts organization in the heart of Chicago. I have already had the opportunity to assist with final preparations as well as attend two of the Auditorium Theatre’s major events: The Devil’s Ball and the Gala. I am excited to see what else my internship has in store as I learn about Development in a theatre setting.

My love for flute, music, and the arts is one that will last a lifetime. Combining my skills and my different interests has led me to expand my field experience through an internship at the Auditorium Theatre. As a college senior, I look toward the future as an opportunity to explore my love for the arts in a career in Arts Administration.

Click HERE to learn about internship opportunities at the Auditorium Theatre.

From Young Passions to Big City Ambitions

By Amber Snearl, Marketing Intern 

Amber Snearl, Marketing Intern

Wearing a nice dress, putting on my best hosiery, and pulling my hair back so nicely that I looked as good as those on stage was a routine as a child. Being a part of the audience was just as important to me as being on stage was to many performers. You see, I’ve always been a fan of the theatre and have utilized every chance that I had to be in attendance at shows. Growing up in the city of St. Louis led to great opportunities for me to attend live theatre events. Between attending Shakespeare in the Park every summer and seeing live musicals at the Fox Theatre on a regular, I was always able to get my dose of theatre just when I needed it.

As an elementary student, I was very musically inclined; I played the trombone for three years and even worked my way into the school’s jazz band by the time I was in the sixth grade! Each chance that I got, I was playing in a talent show, being the supporting sound to a choir performance or even writing my own tune to show to my instructor.

While those years were fun, it wasn’t until I began my transition into middle school that I realized I no longer had a passion for being in the shows as much as wanting to know what went into producing them. As years passed I slowly came to the realization that I was more of a behind-the-scenes kind of girl! Marketing seemed to be right up my alley and I began to gear my education towards that while making it my major at Roosevelt University.

Diving into the major related courses is what has really gotten me inspired to market! It was Business Communications, BCOM 301, to be exact that opened my eyes to all that I could do with a degree in Marketing. I was able to create visual ads and draw up plans that would allow for a product or company to be exposed to the world. I got some kind of rush out of those projects and my inspiration and creativity just got flowing and hasn’t stopped since! I’m glad that it hasn’t, seeing as I have landed an internship with the wonderfully historic Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. Within my first weeks already, I have been exposed to wonderful theatre. Seeing Ballet West perform The Sleeping Beauty in Roosevelt’s very own Historic Landmark Theatre has been wonderful and has shown promise that I will enjoy my time here.

Being here has allowed for that sweet memory of my childhood to spring back into the present while mixing my strong interest in Marketing all into one great experience. Being hired to intern here has not only helped me to gain a vision of what a possible career path could be like, but it has allowed for me to be back in the atmosphere of something that I have always enjoyed, and that is the theatre!

Intern Alix and the Role of the Arts Administrator

By Alix de Commines, Auditorium Theatre Intern

As a kid, I played harp, took music theory classes, and danced ballet in a Parisian Academy of music, so I grew up immerged in an artistic atmosphere. If I live twice, I actually wish I could be a ballet dancer, but this life had other plans for me as I happen to be better at negotiating and following the business-oriented side of the arts. Promoting dance, especially ballet, through an arts administration internship appeared to be the best fit for me.

I feel like promoting the arts and working to broaden its audience is essential for our society. Indeed, our generation is highly specialized, and even though people are excellent at what they are doing, they don’t necessarily have a broad cultural overview. It’s a shame because it helps to build a balanced personality. By promoting the arts, your goal is to make people feel something new, think about things differently, and broaden their knowledge of artistic creation. I believe you cannot fulfill yourself without the arts, either professionally or personally. Anything in life can be related to the arts. It’s all about helping people build finer critical thinking skills, find out who they are, and figure out their artistic tastes. It also helps develop sensitivity to other cultures throughout the various types of ethnic dance and music, including: contemporary, hip-hop, jazz, flamenco, ballet, and many others.

The main message I want to work on at the Auditorium Theatre is telling people that these shows are made for them—for everyone. The arts are not as selective as they used to be. To make this audience broader, our mission is to use business strategies to reach people in order to make them aware that there is a huge cultural legacy that is not going to survive without them and without their interest. The arts administration staff at the Auditorium Theatre is doing an amazing job promoting dance and music. It’s a really good experience for me to work side by side with people who have the same goal of preserving and highlighting their 125-year-old building by attracting the most diverse population through broad and multi-cultural programming.

This internship has been really beneficial for me for various reasons. I have learned how a theater works, both backstage and front of house, why certain shows come to certain places, and how the artistic life is organized! You won’t have this opportunity twice in your life! So if you don’t know the awesome staff of the Auditorium Theatre yet, if you’ve never walked to the dress circle of one the most beautiful buildings in Chicago, if it has been a long time since you’ve seen a dance performance, or if you want to become part of the adventure, do it now and come to the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University! I will be more than happy and proud to give you a private tour!

Sabrina Lenzi, Répétiteur Works With The Joffrey Ballet on La Bayadère

Sabrina Lenzi, native of Rome, Italy and former principal dancer, was hand selected by renowned choreographer Stanton Welch to be the “répétiteur” for The Joffrey Ballet’s upcoming production of La Bayadère. (Learn more about the ballet here.)

Ms. Lenzi, tell us about yourself and how this shaped your dance journey to where you are today.

Sabrina Lenzi, Répétiteur

I was born in Rome, Italy and left Italy at 16 years old to pursue dancing. I eventually joined the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany for 11 years. After that, I worked with David Bintley at the Birmingham Royal Ballet as a principal dancer in London, where I met Stanton Welch. I got to dance some of the lead roles in his ballets including Powder. Later, Stanton was asked to be the Artistic Director of Houston Ballet and he had asked me to help him with Bayadère.

How does Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère differ from the original Petipa version?

Stanton has an amazing sense of musicality; his ability to hear music is incredible. In this version, Stanton layered the original choreography – making some of the choreography more technically difficult, especially the men’s variations and the corps. He also layered upon the first pas de deux with Nikiya, making it more romantic. 

It’s interesting that Stanton has elaborated upon the dancing in the men's sections. It seems to be aligned with the evolution of ballet in that during Petipa’s time, the man’s role was more to highlight and accentuate the women whereas now, male dancing is becoming more central – establishing more of a sense of equality in the ballets. Do you think this is accurate?

Yes I do think that he is creating a sense of equality in the roles and in the dancing. He added more steps and dancing in the male roles as well as increased the level of technicality in their dancing as well.

What is your favorite part of La Bayadère?

I love the Kingdom of the Shades in Act III. Other favorites are the first pas de deux and the temple scene with all of the ladies. It has such a wonderful energy and atmosphere.

What is the most technically difficult part in regards to either staging La Bayadère and/or the dancing itself?

In staging the ballet, the most difficult part is that it is a classic piece, but has a very specific style, which can be challenging to teach. For the dancer, they have to really become the character and not just “be” the character but build it from the beginning and follow through until the end. It is also challenging for the dancer to remain engaged in their role both technically and artistically from the beginning until the end. La Bayadère is truly an “endurance ballet.”

Our audiences may be curious to know more about the live snakes (yes, real snakes!) and other props that play a role in this production. Can you tell us more about this?

Joffrey dancers Amber Neumann and Temur Suluashvili rehearse with live snakes

This ballet is very exciting – it is a busy, lively production and there are lots of props including snakes. There is a snake handler in the ballet and we are working with a company to decide which ones to use (they are in the 3-5 foot range and in case you are wondering, they are not venomous and have been hand raised, phew!)

 

From the dancers’ point of view, it can be very challenging to work with all of the props. For instance, in the temple scene, the women dance with large jugs and are wearing veils. Everything needs to be staged carefully so that the scenes run seamlessly. Additionally, in the Kingdom of Shades scene, there is a large ramp with lights involved in the scene, which adds to the effect for the audience, but for the dancers, it is difficult to remain focused and balanced.

There is certainly a lot for audiences to see and enjoy- from the dancing to the props, scenery, costumes, and more! La Bayadère is being performed at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, October 16-27. Click here to purchase tickets.

Tweet to Win Tickets @AuditoriumCHGO

Enter to win a pair of tickets to your favorite show during our 13/14 Season! To enter, tweet and complete the phrase below. Click the link next to your favorite show for a pre-made customizable tweet! The most creative tweet that represents or promotes the event best will win.

“If I won tix to <event name> @AuditoriumCHGO, <fill in the blank>. #theaud”

Performances in the 13/14 Season include:

·      Hungarian State Folk Ensemble, November 22 [Tweet]

·      Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah, January 18-19 [Tweet]

·      Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, February 28 – March 9 [Tweet]

·      Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan Songs of the Wanderers, March 14-16 [Tweet]

·      Houston Ballet Aladdin, March 22-23 [Tweet]

·      Chick Corea and Béla Fleck, April 5 [Tweet]

·      River North Dance Chicago, April 12 [Tweet]

·      The Idan Raichel Project, May 15 [Tweet]

·      The Paul Taylor Dance Company, May 17-18 [Tweet]

Contest Rules: Only public tweets will be counted as entries. Enter as many times as you like for more chances to win!

One winner will be selected for each event  and contacted via Twitter on November 15. The most creative tweet that represents/promotes the event will win.