**** Recommended Ballet Chicago, celebrating its 30th Anniversary, presented Balanchine & Beyond at the Harris Theatre recently. By the way, although they’ve been around for 30 years, this is another ‘new to me’ company. The program included two Balanchine masterpieces, Serenade and Rubies as well as two pieces by Resident Choreographer Ted Seymour, his Dánzon! and a new children’s piece. 3 1/2 Spotlights
**** Recommended Of Light and Shadow, a performance by Ballet 5:8 demonstrated the company’s versatility with the world premiere of Celestia; a beautiful pas de deux danced to a live piano solo, Corinthians 13:13; a dark, dark and more contemporary piece, The Cave; and finally, an interpretive piece, The Space In Between. Since I love ballet, I was delighted to be in the audience for this performance. 3 ½ Spotlights
****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED**** Aerial Dance Chicago recently celebrated their 25th Anniversary season with a stunning evening comprised of a dozen works that the company originated and performed during the course of their artistic development. The gradual evolution of their bold, fluid and unique style is on full display here. Artistic Director Chloe Jensen, along with Assistant Director Karen Fisher Doyle, have meticulously curated this collection, which is titled "Stardust," from over 300 works that Aerial Dance Chicago has created over the course of the last quarter century. 4 SPOTLIGHTS
**** Highly Recommended Nobody is better at contemporary jazz than Giordano Dance Chicago. Their winter engagement, SOARING, Life, Light, and Legacy, was dedicated to Nan Giordano’s son Keenan Giordano Casey and it was nothing short of spectacular. The program included three brand new pieces, the reprise of 2024’s Red and Black, and two pieces from the Giordano repertoire. The Giordano dancers – who are dancing in every piece – are so strong, so talented, so creative, they are awesome! 4 BIG Spotlights
***RECOMMENDED*** Do you hear what I hear?
Hopefully, you do not hear a constant dull hum or an aggressive drone during your every waking hour. Otherwise, you may need to seek the guidance of a self-help group collectively referred to as The Listeners. The narratives of many of the members of this nefarious group, in roles which are all sung by members of Lyric's chorus, combine and intertwine to create the highly disturbing yet hauntingly beautiful opera "The Listeners," composed by Missy Mazzoli in 2022 and receiving its Lyric premiere in a very bold yet distinctly adult production. 3 SPOTLIGHTS
****HIGHLY RECOMMENDED While there is no denying that Puccini's "La Boheme" is one of -- if not the -- world's most beloved and popular operas, Lyric Opera of Chicago took a bit of an artistic gamble when they announced that they would be presenting "La Boheme" during their 2024/2025 season for an astounding ten performances. Just to give you some idea of how gargantuan that number of performances is, most individual operas presented by Lyric Opera each season are scheduled for no more than the standard five performances (sometimes that number can go as high as six if it is a specialized work or one that features a highly-coveted new rising star or one who is already established as a superstar in the international opera world). The risk on Lyric's part has paid off quite handsomely with this gorgeous production which feels as fresh and vital as it must have felt immediately upon its premiere in 1896. 4 BIG SPOTLIGHTS
**** Highly Recommended The Joffrey Ballet’s Grainger Academy’s Winning Works, presented annually at the Museum of Contemporary Art, is a performance I await with great anticipation. It’s a chance to see brand new pieces by new choreographers, all ALAANA (African, Latinx, Asian, Arab and Native American) artists, performed by up-and-coming dancers who get a chance to shine. Each piece is preceded by a short video in which the choreographer explains his/her vision, while working with the dancers. This year’s program was absolutely fabulous. 4 BIG Spotlights
**** Recommended It was an absolute pleasure to see Hubbard Street Dance Chicago performing their Season 47: Winter Series at the Harris Theatre. The three-part program (with two intermissions) featured pieces choreographed by Ohad Naharin, FLOCK: Alice Klock & Florian Lochner, James Gregg and Johan Inger. I was in awe of the grace and strength displayed by the entire ensemble. 4 Spotlights!
**** Highly Recommended "Golden Hour" is a demonstration of all that makes the Joffrey such a leader in contemporary ballet. The performance included two recent pieces from the Joffrey repertoire and two world premiere pieces. The Joffrey’s classically trained, incredibly talented dancers execute the most complicated choreography with flawless technique and timing – and they make it look easy! 4 BIG Spotlights
One glorious example of an artist who is clearly comfortable on any stage and having added yet another statistical feat (Donizetti's "The Three Queens") to an already impressive resume, Berwyn's very own favorite diva Sondra Radvanovsky returns to Lyric Opera of Chicago in a very limited engagement to perform, in concert with musical support from the Lyric orchestra, "The Puccini Heroines." 4 SPOTLIGHTS
