Maria Tallchief News

The Joffrey Ballet kicks off its 2013-14 'Masters of Dance' season with a special addition to its home engagement line-up, a one-weekend-only program titled 'Russian Masters' celebrating the centennial of Vaslav Nijinsky's ground-breaking 1913 ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring), alongside George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante and two works byYuri Possokhov, the Chicago Premiere of Adagio and the return of his 2011 Joffrey commission, Bells. These four powerful works by Russian choreographers and composers are presented in four performances only in the Joffrey's home venue, the historic Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago at 50 E. Congress Parkway, today, September 19 - 22.

The Joffrey Ballet kicks off its 2013-14 "Masters of Dance" season with a special addition to its home engagement line-up, a one-weekend-only program titled "Russian Masters" celebrating the centennial of Vaslav Nijinsky's ground-breaking 1913 ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring), alongside George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante and two works byYuri Possokhov, the Chicago Premiere of Adagio and the return of his 2011 Joffrey commission, Bells. These four powerful works by Russian choreographers and composers are presented in four performances only in the Joffrey's home venue, the historic Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago at 50 E. Congress Parkway, September 19 - 22.

The Joffrey Ballet kicks off its 2013-14 "Masters of Dance" season with a special addition to its home engagement line-up, a one-weekend-only program titled "Russian Masters" celebrating the centennial of Vaslav Nijinsky's ground-breaking 1913 ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring), alongside George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante and two works by Yuri Possokhov, the Chicago Premiere of Adagio and the return of his 2011 Joffrey commission, Bells. These four powerful works by Russian choreographers and composers are presented in four performances only in the Joffrey's home venue, the historic Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago at 50 E. Congress Parkway, September 19 - 22.

Jacob's Pillow. Everyone in the professional dance world knows its name, and every professional company wants to perform there. The history of Jacob's Pillow is a reflection of the development of dance in America. It presents the highest quality of dance currently being performed around the world.

One Chekhovian country house exits the Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater and a new Chekhovian country house enters.  But Richard Nelson's Nikolai and the Others, enjoying an elegant staging by director David Cromer, is a more sober-minded effort than the venue's last tenant, Christopher Durang's Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike.

Maria Tallchief, the first Native American to win acclaim as a prima ballerina, passed away on April 11, 2013. While she worked with many companies and choreographers, she is most renowned for her collaboration with George Balanchine, first at The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and then, most importantly and famously, at the New York City Ballet. She was married to Balanchine from 1946 until 1952 when the marriage was annulled. Despite this interruption in their private lives they continued their professional association.

It wasn't until Frederick Ashton undertook a new creation of the ballet that it finally became an international hit. He referred to it as his 'poor man's Pastorale,' a lovely reference to Beethoven's symphony where things go from simplicity to thunderstorms and back to normalcy and contentment with the world. He commissioned The Royal Opera House conductor, John Lanchberry, to orchestrate a new score that, while recalling French culture and manners (it did begin as a French ballet after all), is firmly rooted in an English sensibility

Maria Tallchief, the first Native American to win acclaim as a prima ballerina, was born on January 24, 1925. While she worked with many companies and choreographers, she is most renowned for her collaboration with George Balanchine, first at the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo and then, most importantly and famously, at the New York City Ballet. She was married to Balanchine from 1946 until 1952, when the marriage was annulled. Despite this interruption in their private lives they continued their professional association.

For many dance enthusiasts the question persists: do we need another book unearthing more about George Balanchine or Jerome Robbins? Barbara Bocher answers that question in her memoir The Cage, named after one of Robbins' most noted ballets. If any ballet could serve as a metaphor for her brief career, The Cage would certainly be it.

Twelve distinguished dance figures join the Dance Heritage Coalition's list of "America's Irreplaceable Dance Treasures." These new honorees were nominated by a national survey and vote in 2012 and were confirmed by the Dance Heritage Coalition (DHC) Board of Directors. The 12 figures are celebrated online along with the initial list of 100 in an Online Exhibition of Dance Treasures, through a grant funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.

2012 marked the passing of Yvonne Mounsey at the age of 93, a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and the founder of the Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica, probably one of the finest dancing institutions in the United States.

The Joffrey Ballet, one of America's pioneering ballet companies of the 20th century, makes a rare East Coast appearance to conclude the Jacob's Pillow 80th Anniversary Season today, August 22 through August 26.

The Joffrey Ballet, one of America's pioneering ballet companies of the 20th century, makes a rare East Coast appearance to conclude the Jacob's Pillow 80th Anniversary Season August 22-26. The Joffrey Ballet returns for the first time since its high-profile appearances at the Pillow in the 1950s and 60s, presenting an impressive program that features Taiwanese-American choreographer Edwaard Liang's Age of Innocence, Russian choreographer Yuri Possokhov's Bells, and the world premiere of Son of Chamber Symphony by Stanton Welch, Artistic Director of Houston Ballet.

The COLUMN AWARDS Board of Directors and the Executive Director/Producer announced today that Tony Award winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Chita Rivera will be the Co-host for the 13th Annual COLUMN AWARDS Gala.

The COLUMN AWARDS Board of Directors and the Executive Director/Producer announced today that Tony Award winner and Kennedy Center Honoree Chita Rivera will be the Co-host for the 13th Annual COLUMN AWARDS Gala.

Open Call auditions will be held at the Von Heidecke Dance Center in Naperville (1239 S Naper Blvd) on Saturday, March 26, 2011 for Kenneth Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet production of the timeless classic 'Cinderella.'

Open Call auditions will be held at the Von Heidecke Dance Center in Naperville (1239 S Naper Blvd) on Saturday, March 26, 2011 for Kenneth Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet production of the timeless classic 'Cinderella.'

Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet announces its production of the all-time classic, Prokofiev's beloved "Cinderella" will perform at the McAninch Arts Center (425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn) for ONE NIGHT ONLY on Friday, May 20, 2011 at 8 p.m.

Von Heidecke's Chicago Festival Ballet announces its production of the all-time classic, Prokofiev's beloved "Cinderella" will perform at the McAninch Arts Center (425 Fawell Boulevard, Glen Ellyn) for ONE NIGHT ONLY on Friday, May 20, 2011 at 8 p.m.

Northrop Dance at the University of Minnesota presents American Ballet Theatre's ABT II on Sat, Oct 9 at 8:00 pm at Northrop.