Auditorium Theatre announces 2022-23 season
Kyiv City Ballet, Step Afrika! and Ensemble Español among featured performances
The Auditorium Theatre’s 2022-23 season boasts what Auditorium CEO Rich Regan called its “most expansive roster of international talent,” with the Kyiv City Ballet of Ukraine’s first Chicago appearance kicking off the fall season and Step Afrika! making its Auditorium debut.
Meanwhile, local favorites taking the stage include Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and M.A.D.D. Rhythms. The season also includes the return of the National Geographic Live series, as well as two holiday music concert specials in December.
‘Live at the Aud’ 2022-23 season: Global dance
Kyiv City Ballet (Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sept. 25 at 3 p.m.): Led by Kyiv City Ballet Artistic Director Ivan Kozlov, the company will perform a mixed repertoire. The show also features prima ballerinas Krystina Kadashevych and Oksana Bondarenko.
Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan
(Oct. 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m.): Cloud Gate will perform 13 Tongues, which transforms childhood memories of the Taoist rites and bustling street life of Bangka into a fantasy world.
Step Afrika! (Jan. 14, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.): Step Afrika! will make its debut on the Auditorium Theatre stage. The company combines dance styles from historically African American fraternities and sororities, traditional African dances, and a variety of contemporary dance and art forms.
Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Feb. 11, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.): This all-male ballet company will display a playful view of traditional ballet in parody form.
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
(March 8-10, 2023, at 7:30 p.m.; March 11, 2023, at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.; and March 12, 2023, at 3 p.m.): This company has a 50-year long history with the Auditorium and will return for its annual visit with both new and classic programs, each ending with founder Alvin Ailey’s piece “Revelations.”
American Ballet Theatre (April 14-15 at 7:30 p.m.; and April 16 at 2 p.m.): American Ballet Theatre will present a mixed-rep program that will include some of its most exciting contemporary pieces.
Chicago dance
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater (Oct.
1 at 7:30 p.m.): Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater kicks off its 46th season with a performance at the Auditorium with its passionate dancers, live flamenco music and vibrant costumes.
Deeply Rooted Dance Theater
(Nov. 5 at 7:30 p.m.): Deeply Rooted Dance Theater combines
modern, classical, American, and African American traditions in dance and storytelling.
Trinity Irish Dance Company and M.A.D.D. Rhythms with special guest, Dorrance Dance
(April 22 at 7:30 p.m.): Three masters of rhythm
take the stage for a percussive evening featuring Irish dance, Chicago tap dancers and special guest Dorrance Dance.
Giordance Dance Chicago
(June 10 at 7:30 p.m.): Giordano Dance Chicago, one of the longest-running jazz dance companies
in the world, celebrates its 60th anniversary with both new works and classics.
Holiday concert specials
Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah (Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec. 4 at 3 p.m.): This show features a completely revamped rendition of Handel’s classic Messiah. Alfreda Burke, Karen Marie Richardson and Rodrick Dixon are slated to be the night’s three soloists.
Celtic Woman (Dec. 11 at 7 p.m.): This show will celebrate Ireland’s rich musical and cultural heritage, as Celtic Woman celebrates its 16-year legacy.
National Geographic Live
The season also features three shows from this multimedia event series where experts discuss various global issues: Greenwood: A Century of Resilience (Jan. 29, 2023, at 2 p.m.), How to Clone a Mammoth (March 26, 2023, at 2 p.m.) and Coral Kingdom and Empires of Ice (April 30, 2023, at 2 p.m.).
50 E. Ida B. Wells Dr.; single tickets for all performances will go on sale Aug. 1 at 312-341-2300 or auditoriumtheatre.org