Ashley Wheater News

Ashley Wheater, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet, is pleased to announce the addition of seven dancers to the Joffrey roster for the 2018-2019 season:

On the heels of the highest grossing season in its history, The Joffrey Ballet opens 2018-2019 with the much-anticipated return of Christopher Wheeldon's Swan Lake, which became an audience-favorite when it premiered in Chicago in 2014. Danced to Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky's classic score and performed live by the Chicago Philharmonic, Swan Lake is presented at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway in 10 performances only, October 17-28, 2018.

Joffrey Board Chair Zachary Lazar and President & CEO Greg Cameron are thrilled to welcome former Joffrey dancer John Mark Giragosian to the Joffrey Board of Directors. Giragosian becomes the first former Company-turned-Board member in Joffrey history. Board members serve as the governing body of the Joffrey, providing leadership, overseeing policy and direction, and are responsible for the fiscal accountability of the organization. Mayor Rahm Emanuel serves as the Honorary Chair of the Joffrey's Board.  

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 Ninth Annual Winning Works Choreographic Competition. The goal of the award is to recognize talented and emerging ALAANA choreographers whose unique perspective will ignite creativity in the form of original works of dance. The deadline for application is September 1, 2018.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami's performances of Gerald Arpino's Light Rain and Esferas, part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, today, June 26 and Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 7:30pm at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, NYC.

The Joffrey Ballet has received a $5 million endowment gift from the Paul Galvin Memorial Foundation Trust in honor of Mary B. Galvin, a long-time supporter and Board Director of the Joffrey, to establish The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director position. The gift will be distributed in two installments of $2.5 million over the next two years. Effective immediately, Ashley Wheater will assume the title of The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director. The Galvin Foundation gift is the largest single endowment gift in Joffrey history, and the first to name a position at the Joffrey.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami's performances of Gerald Arpino's Light Rain and Esferas, part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, on Tuesday, June 26 and Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 7:30pm at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, NYC.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami's performances of Gerald Arpino's Light Rain and Esferas, part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, on Tuesday, June 26 and Wednesday, June 27, 2018 at 7:30pm at The Joyce Theater, 175 Eighth Avenue, NYC.

For the first time as a Company, The Joffrey Ballet will make its Paris debut at the invitation of Les Etes de la Danse ("The Summer of Dance"), a highly-anticipated annual festival that welcomes the world's most prominent dance companies, artists and choreographers to Europe each summer for a month of performances.

The Joffrey Ballet set a new attendance record in 2017-2018 and achieved the highest grossing season in its 62-year history, breaking the previous record established during the 2016-2017 season. Total attendance in 2017-2018 exceeded 100,000, with ticket revenue surpassing $7.7 million. The record numbers come at a time of growth for the Joffrey, which recently received a $1 million grant from the Alphawood Foundation to fund a transformational three-year project aimed at audience expansion and sustainability.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces Eglevsky Ballet's Annual Student Workshop Performance as part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, with a performance of Gerald Arpino's Viva Vivaldi, on Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 6:30pm at The Madison Theatre at Molloy College, 1000 Hempstead Ave, Rockville Center, NY. Tickets are $35 at the door.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces Eglevsky Ballet's Annual Student Workshop Performance part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration Tuesday, June 5, 2018 at 6:30pm The Madison Theatre at Molloy College

For its 27th annual event, Dance for Life Chicago presents a diverse group of companies and artists performing August 18 at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, Chicago. Dance for Life, which mobilizes Chicago's dance community by raising funds through dance, presents this annual benefit performance, which is preceded by a gala reception at the Hilton Chicago.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces Marymount Manhattan College's Spring Repertoire Concert 2018 as part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, with a performance of Gerald Arpino's Light Rain.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces New York Dance Project as part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, with performances of Gerald Arpino's Birthday Variations as well as new contemporary works by Gabrielle Lamb, Africa Guzman, and Tyler Gilstrap.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces New York Dance Project as part of The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, with performances of Gerald Arpino's Birthday Variations as well as new contemporary works by Gabrielle Lamb, Africa Guzman, and Tyler Gilstrap. 

The Joffrey Ballet boldly closes its 2017-18 season with the North American Premiere of Midsummer Night's Dream by internationally renowned Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman. A full-length contemporary ballet vastly different from Shakespeare's tale, this fully immersive theatrical experience pays homage to the summer solstice and the Scandinavian Midsummer holiday-a time of uproarious celebration, mystery, adventure and love. Midsummer Night's Dream is presented in 10 performances, April 25-May 6, 2018.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, to be held beginning in 2018, the 10th anniversary of Gerald Arpino's passing and the 30th anniversary of Robert Joffrey's passing. The Foundation is honoring these two influential innovators in American dance by organizing performances of their works by renowned companies across the nation and internationally.

The Gerald Arpino Foundation announces The Joffrey/Arpino Celebration, to be held beginning in 2018, the 10th anniversary of Gerald Arpino's passing and the 30th anniversary of Robert Joffrey's passing. The Foundation is honoring these two influential innovators in American dance by organizing performances of their works by renowned companies across the nation and internationally.

The Joffrey Ballet has received a $1 million grant from the Alphawood Foundation to fund a transformational three-year project aimed at audience expansion and sustainability. The grant will be distributed over a three-year period, allowing the Joffrey to implement new marketing and development initiatives. The grant is intended to support these new initiatives over the next three years, after which they will become self-sustaining as part of the Joffrey's goal to generate new audiences and revenue.