Spring Dance at the Auditorium Theatre

The Auditorium Theatre is excited to present three unique dance companies this spring, offering a wide-range of performances for any dance fan. We invite you to come to our landmark theatre to experience an old favorite or see something completely new!

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Batsheva Dance Company

Max and B/olero by Ohad Naharin
March 17 at 7:30 pm and March 18 at 2:00 pm

Get lost in Naharin’s movement world, Gaga, as his dancers search and explore the origin and essence of movement, examining formations, time and space. "…this is as max as it gets." -The New York Times

“Max transports and confounds, confuses and elucidates.”
– San Diego Arts

Batsheva Dance Company photo by Gadi Dagon.

American Ballet Theatre

Giselle
March 22-25, Times vary

In a perfect fusion of music, movement and drama, this quintessential Romantic ballet epitomizes the transcendent power of love and forgiveness. American Ballet Theatre’s unrivaled roster of international ballet stars brings Giselle’s mystery and ethereal beauty vividly to life in this universally acclaimed production, performed with live music by the Chicago Sinfonietta.

“To see American Ballet Theatre at its best, is to see it in Giselle.”
–The New York Times

For casting*, please visit our website.
*Casting subject to change. Photo: David Hallberg in Giselle. By Rosalie O’Connor. © American Ballet Theatre. All rights reserved.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
April 11-15, Times vary

Let Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's gorgeous dancers lift your spirits as they perform thrilling premieres and new productions plus returning audience favorites. Experience the power of Ailey and see for yourself why this extraordinary company is hailed as America's cultural ambassador to the world and "possibly the most successful modern dance company on the planet." (The New York Times)

For programming*, please visit our website.
*Programming subject to change. 2011-2012 SEASON IMAGE - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's Kirven James Boyd. Photo by Andrew Eccles.

Ways to order:

Phone: 800.982.Arts (2787)
Online: Ticketmaster.com
Box Office: 50 E. Congress Pkwy
Groups 10+: 312.431.2357

A Message from Variety, the Children's Charity of Illinois

Hi!

My name is Mike Murillo, and I’m one of the event coordinators at Variety, the Children’s Charity of Illinois. Variety is really excited to be one of the sponsors for the AXIS Dance Company’s performance at the Auditorium Theatre on November 19th and 20th.

Variety’s mission is to provide funding and services for programs that strive to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life for children who are mentally and physically challenged, abused, sick, homeless or underprivileged. Our “Kids on the Go” program is dedicated to helping children with disabilities participate in some of the same activities as their able-bodied friends, such as bike riding, sports and dance. I enjoy seeing young people with disabilities just as active as anyone else!

As a recent addition to the Variety team, I was not educated on physically integrated dance, but after attending the AXIS panel discussion last Wednesday, at Access Living, I was really moved and gained a huge an appreciation for the art form. What I learned was that physically integrated dance is about the beauty of the human form and appreciating the movement of each individual. The individuals performing are interested in being seen for how their art inspires people’s perceptions of the opportunities the human body can create, regardless of physical ability.

I am inspired by the philosophy and mindset that physically integrated dance hopes to shift the way that society looks at disability. Whereas traditionally a lot of society sees physically disabled individuals as more helpless and less capable than able-bodied people, physically integrated dance is an avenue to the possibility that we as humans are all capable of amazingly creative and technical ability. I really believe that physically integrated dance, and activities like it, can begin to shift the society’s perspective of what being disabled is, from a medical view to a more social view, including looking at physical handicaps through the lens of social barriers, attitudes towards disability, and possibilities to better integrate individuals into society, which is also a goal of Variety of Illinois.

Finally, I’m really excited to see the AXIS Dance Company perform. They are one of the premier integrated dance companies in the US and it is going to be an honor to see and support them at the Auditorium Theater. I really hope that you join me in seeing the performance!

If you would like to continue the dialog, please “like” Variety on Facebook at www.facebook.com/varietyofillinois.

Edward Villella and the Miami City Ballet School

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

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.

Fun Fact about Miami City Ballet's Edward Villella at the Auditorium

Edward Villella is bringing his Miami City Ballet for the company's first Auditorium appearance October 2-4; however, it's not Villella's first time at the Auditorium Theatre.

On October 31, 1967, the Auditorium celebrated its grand re-opening after 36 years without performances. The performance was New York City Ballet, and Villella was part of the company! We're thrilled to welcome him back this fall.

Miami City Ballet tickets are currently available for groups of 10+ and renewing subscribers; call 312.431.2357 for details.

Meet Boris Eifman: Pre-Show Reception at Russian Pointe

Visionary choreographer Boris Eifman will be among the guests at a pre-show reception at Russian Pointe Dance Boutique on Saturday, May 16 at 5:30pm. The reception will include hors d'oeuvres, wine and trolley transportation to the Auditorium Theatre for the 8pm performance of Eifman's new ballet, Onegin.

The cost of the reception is $50 (does not include performance ticket). Call 312.922.2110 ext 300 for reservations.

Video - Eifman Ballet "Onegin"

(This video was posted in YouTube by the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Please remember the Auditorium's dates are May 14-17.)

Boris Eifman On His Latest Work, "Onegin"

Visionary choreographer Boris Eifman will be bringing the Chicago premiere of his latest work, Onegin, to the Auditorium May 14-17. Inspired by Pushkin's novel Eugene Onegin, this is a story of love, rejection and regret.

"In turning to great literature to inspire my ballets, I try to use the art of choreography to express the emotional agitation that comes from communing with the wisdom and creative power of our genius predecessors. The word is an instrument of both creation and destruction; it can generate and it can annihilate.

The language of the body, as the most ancient form of self-expression, bears universally understood emotional and spiritual values. By turning to the literary original source, I make it my goal to reveal what is of concern to my contemporaries and what can be expressed only through the great art of choreography.

Why did I choose Alexander Pushkin’s novel Eugene Onegin, what is in it that affects me today? The novel has been called “an encyclopedia of Russian life,” in which Pushkin saw and created an amazingly accurate archetype of the Russian character of his time, fashioning a poetic image of the Russian soul, mysterious, unpredictable, and incredibly sensual.

I use my art to understand the secrets of the Russian soul. Basing a ballet on Eugene Onegin is one more attempt to express innermost spirituality through dance.

I transported Pushkin’s characters to our times, placing them in new circumstances, more dramatic, even extreme, when the old world is collapsing and life dictates new rules. I needed that experiment in order to answer the question that troubles me: what is the Russian soul today? Has it preserved its uniqueness, its mystery, its attraction? What would the novel’s characters do with their lives today? What in the novel was just a reflection of the times and what was a sign of the destiny of many generations of my fellow countrymen?

The art of choreography is unable to respond to the real questions of building a society. But by participating in the creative formulation of those questions, analysis, and individual evaluation, we participate in the process of society’s perfection." - Boris Eifman