Ashley Wheater News

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, presents four world premieres in the culmination of Joffrey's national call for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American) artists to submit applications for the Joffrey Academy's Winning Works Choreographic Competition.

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, announces the recipients of the twelfth annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition: Audrey Ipapo Baran, Joffrey Company Artist Edson Barbosa, Taylor Carrasco, and Derick McKoy.

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, announced the recipients of the twelfth annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition: Audrey Ipapo Baran, Joffrey Company Artist Edson Barbosa, Taylor Carrasco, and Derick McKoy. 

As live performances return to venues throughout Southern California, Irvine Barclay Theatre welcomes a new season featuring an array of renowned performers, from iconic dancers to Grammy-winning artists, the beloved holiday classic The Nutcracker, and Emmy nominee and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, among others.

The Joffrey Ballet's critically-acclaimed reimagined classic, The Nutcracker, by Tony Award-winning choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, is certain to be a highlight of the Joffrey's first-ever season at the historic Lyric Opera House, 20 North Upper Wacker Drive, in 26 performances, December 4 – 26, 2021.

Raymond Rodriguez has announced Christopher Marney as the new Head of Studio Company and Trainees at the Academy. Marney begins his new role on November 3, 2021, just eight weeks after the Joffrey Academy of Dance opened its new “Joffrey for All” studio space and training facilities at 1920 South Wabash Avenue.

The Joffrey Ballet's Ashley Wheater MBE, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director and Greg Cameron, President and CEO are pleased to announce the addition of four dancers to the Joffrey roster for the 2021-22 season: Brian Bennett (Lanham, Maryland), Blake Kessler (Jacksonville, Florida), Yuchan Kim (Seoul, South Korea) and Miranda Silveira (Barcelona, Spain). With these new company members, The Joffrey Ballet has expanded to 43 dancers representing 13 countries.

As live performances return to venues throughout Southern California, Irvine Barclay Theatre has announced nearly 20 shows that it has added to its season, which kicks off on September 19 with the country chart-topping trio The Gatlin Brothers.

The Joffrey Ballet opens its inaugural season at the Lyric Opera House and marks its return to live performances with Home: a Celebration.

The Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, announces a national call for ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American) artists to submit applications for The Joffrey Academy's Twelfth Annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition.

The Joffrey Ballet has announced The Joffrey Ballet’s inaugural season at the Lyric Opera House, marking the Company’s long-awaited return to the stage with live performances featuring several new-to-the-stage works, highly-anticipated remounts, company debuts, and the world-premiere adaptation of a classic American story.

The Joffrey Ballet has announced the establishment of new studio space and training facilities at 1920 South Wabash Avenue (formerly the Chicago Dance Academy studios), expanding the Joffrey's reach to the South Loop and beyond, and marking a major step towards the completion of the organization's five-year “Joffrey for All” strategic plan.

The Joffrey Ballet has announced the world premiere of Under the Trees’ Voices, a new 28-minute work by Joffrey Rehearsal Director Nicolas Blanc, performed and streamed from the Joffrey’s Gerald Arpino Black Box Theatre on April 30, 2021 at 7:00 PM CST.

2020 winners of annual Winning Works choreographic competition reimagine their works for the virtual stage; livestream performances on March 25-26 and April 8-9

The Joffrey Ballet has announced that a dynamic video installation featuring members of the company will animate the acclaimed 150 Media Stream public art exhibition at 150 N. Riverside Plaza as the inaugural output of Action Lines, a new production company formed here by a pair of Joffrey Ballet Company Artists, Xavier Núñez and Dylan Gutierrez, and writer and film producer Eric Grant. 

The Joffrey Ballet has announced the world premiere of Boléro, named after the acclaimed orchestral piece by composer Maurice Ravel and choreographed by Joffrey Company Artist Yoshihisa Arai February 12, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Boléro, to be performed by 15 members of the Company.

Chicago Dance History Project (CDHP) has confirmed the lineup and schedule for its Interview Marathon on January 31. Interviewees will appear live from international locations and around the U.S. CDHP Executive/Artistic Director Jenai Cutcher will conduct all the interviews from Chicago's historic Auditorium Theatre, which has donated its space for the event.

Joffrey Board Chair Anne L. Kaplan, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE, and Joffrey President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Cameron are pleased to announce that The Joffrey Ballet has established a newly named position at the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet. Effective immediately, current Academy Director Raymond Rodriguez assumes the new title of Abbott Academy Director, Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet.

 The Joffrey Ballet is introducing the Joffrey Studio Series, a comprehensive roster of virtual programming — from livestream performances and company rehearsals to pre-recorded conversations — curated by Joffrey artists during the COVID-19 era.

Chicago Dance History Project (CDHP), which investigates, documents, and presents the individual and institutional past of Chicago dance, kicks off its fifth anniversary celebration by showcasing that legacy and continuing its work with the Interview Marathon, a live, day- long, digital event on Sunday, January 31.