The Auditorium Unveils 2025-26 Dance Season

The Auditorium has revealed its 2025-26 Dance season, Celebrating Women Leaders in Dance, with many companies marking milestone anniversaries in the coming months.

The Auditorium is launching a season of five dynamic dance programs by five female-led companies 

A NEW IDENTITY

Also announced today, the National Historic Landmark officially unveils its new identity as The Auditorium, better representing the evolution of diversified, contemporary programming on its world-class stage. Under the direction of CEO Rich Regan since 2019, The Auditorium programming model has dramatically and purposefully evolved to incorporate a broad range of concert, film, and speaker series programming along with the venue’s long-time signature dance, theater, and orchestral music presentations.  Among the diversity of programming showcased on The Auditorium stage in recent years is the launch of the wildly popular Auditorium Philms series in 2024, presenting iconic pop culture films such as “Love, Actually,” “Ghostbusters” and “The Black Panther,” brought to life with scores performed in concert by the Chicago Philharmonic. Related, The Auditorium has also become known as the stage for artist-with-orchestra concerts, most recently the Grateful Dead’s Bob Weir, singer-songwriters Amos Lee and Gregory Alan Isakov, and indie sensation Kishi Bashi. 

2025-26 DANCE SEASON OFFERINGS:

Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater

Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 7:30PM
Tickets: $30-$90
Founded in 1975 by Artistic Director Dame Libby Komaiko, this world renowned Chicago dance company is dedicated to preserving the traditions of Spanish dance with a repertoire of classical, folkloric, and flamenco dance forms showcasing the depth and diversity of Spain’s cultural heritage.  Artistic Director Irma Suárez Ruiz – who began dancing with Dame Libby in 1979 – has established her own legacy of excellence and prominence and is recognized throughout the cultural community as a dancer, choreographer, and arts leader.  The Auditorium is pleased to help commemorate the company’s 50th anniversary in a celebratory performance capturing the passion, tradition, and intensity of Spanish dance.
 

Martha Graham Dance Company

Saturday, January 24, 2026 | 7:30PM
Tickets: $35-$130
Legendary dancer and choreographer Martha Graham established her eponymous dance company in 1926 with her technique, known for its focus on contraction and release, becoming a cornerstone of modern dance. Since its founding, the company has consistently produced some of the most groundbreaking works in the dance world.  Now, as the company celebrates its 100th anniversary with Executive Director LaRue Allen and Artistic Director Janet Eilber at the helm since 2005, it continues to honor Graham's legacy while pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance.

Trinity Irish Dance Company  

February 28, 2026 | 7:30PM
Tickets: $35-$95
Celebrating its 35th Anniversary, Chicago's internationally-renowned Trinity Irish Dance Company (TIDC) returns to The Auditorium bringing its pioneering innovation and percussive power.  The program will celebrate three world premiere works: Founding Artistic Director Mark Howard and Associate Artistic Director Chelsea Hoy's reinvention of Johnny (1991), Howard's iconic work that ushered in a new era for Irish Step Dance; and new works by guest choreographers Michelle Dorrance, and Jamey Hampton and Ashley Roland of BodyVox. The program will also feature original live music performed by TIDC’s band, fronted by Killarney-native, New York-based Brenoshea. TIDC has long sent a strong message of female empowerment; Hoy embodies the company's unique blend of uncompromising power and grace and is uniquely equipped to join Howard to spearhead the future of this cultural art form. 
 

Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends

March 7-8, 2026 – Sat 7:30PM | Sun 3PM
Tickets: $35-$130
Award-winning New York City Ballet Principal dancer Tiler Peck embraces the role of director with the 2024 Olivier Award-nominated, Turn It Out with Tiler Peck & Friends. With complete freedom to design her own evening, Peck has assembled some of today’s most exciting dance artists and musicians for a virtuosic, deeply personal program. The performance begins with Peck’s own Thousandth Orange, set to live music by Pulitzer Prize winner Caroline Shaw. Peck sought out West Coast legend Alonzo King to create the electric pas de deux with Roman Mejia, Swift Arrow, and joins forces with her longtime friend (and tap dance star) Michelle Dorrance alongside Jillian Meyers on Time Spell. The program closes with The Barre Project, Blake Works II, a piece originally created for film that marked the first creative partnership between Peck and choreographer William Forsythe.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

April 24-26, 2026 – Fri 7:30PM | Sat 1PM | Sat 7:30PM | Sun 3PM
Tickets: $40-$150
An icon of American dance, Alvin Ailey pioneered a company that has become an enduring symbol of artistic excellence and a powerful voice for African American culture. The Auditorium proudly welcomes back the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater to its Chicago home as the company celebrates its next chapter with new Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack. A former Ailey dancer and only the fourth person in the company’s 66-year history to hold this prestigious role, Mack brings her celebrated artistry and leadership to continue the legacy of those who came before her.
 

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