Perhaps the only dance company in the world so famous it can be recognized by its initials alone, ABT visits Chicago for the first time in seventeen years to perform the iconic 1840 story ballet “Giselle.” The massive company boasts sixteen principals, over a dozen soloists and a corps (practically an army) of sixty technically superb dancers. With a rotating cast of leads, one could have an entirely different experience at each of the five Auditorium Theatre performances. And each of those experiences will be very different from the highly modern Joffrey program most recently on the Auditorium stage. Frail peasant girls, nobleman cads, evil spirits and gauzy white frocks; this is your great-grandmother’s ballet in the great-grand tradition. And thanks to a new partnership between ABT and the Auditorium, the legendary company will perform in Chicago every other year for the next four years. (Sharon Hoyer)
At the Auditorium Theatre, 50 East Congress, (800)982-2787, March 22-25. $32-$127.
Complementary Opposites: A Preview of "Serenade" and "Of Mice and Men" by the Joffrey Ballet “Both [ballets] are trying to deal with a particular time: One by healing with the beauty of dance, the other by trying to create empathy for beaten-down humanity. Right now, we’re facing some of the same issues, such as huge migrations from the workplace. Steinbeck shone a light on his time, and I hope we’re able to do the same.”
