The Joffrey Ballet

March 9, 2006 – The Joffrey Ballet will collaborate with the City of Chicago, Department of Cultural Affairs and Millennium Park to present Come Dance With Us, an unprecedented series of free public dance events throughout Millennium Park, including a full-length performance at the Harris Theater for Music & Dance, three concerts with the Grant Park Orchestra at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a boot-stompin’ percussive work in the Crown Fountain, a special late-night SummerDance program, and even a parade featuring characters from The Nutcracker, all taking place June 13 -18, 2006.

In addition to this free public programming, The Joffrey Ballet Women’s Board will present a ticketed black-tie benefit Gala reuniting members of The Joffrey Ballet throughout the decades. The Gala will be held in a tent in Millennium Park Saturday evening, June 17, and is chaired by Maureen Dwyer Smith, Joffrey Ballet Women’s Board Chairman Emeritus, who is also spearheading the entire Come Dance with Us program. Helen Melchior is President of The Joffrey Ballet Women’s Board.

“Chicagoans have embraced The Joffrey Ballet since our move here in 1995, and we are proud to call this culturally-vibrant city our home,” says Jon H. Teeuwissen, Joffrey Ballet Executive Director. “We are pleased to offer Chicagoans and summer visitors free dance programming and hope that thousands will come out and dance with us!”

“Since its opening in 2004, Millennium Park has become a showplace of world-class performing arts for the people of Chicago and its visitors from all over the world. The Joffrey Ballet is an American treasure and we are very pleased to celebrate their 50th Anniversary with an entire week of free activities and performances in Millennium Park,” said Millennium Park Executive Director Helen Doria.

“It’s been our dream to present The Joffrey Ballet with the Grant Park Orchestra since they arrived in Chicago in 1995. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate our season opening and The Joffrey’s Golden Anniversary than by performing together at the magnificent Jay Pritzker Pavilion. Carlos Kalmar and The Grant Park Orchestra will provide world class accompaniment to the spectacular Joffrey dancers,” said Grant Park Music Festival Artistic and General Director James W. Palermo.

Come Dance With Us Highlights

(in chronological order; full day-by-day schedule follows)

Performance at the Harris Theater for Music & Dance

The Joffrey Ballet will present a free, full-length mixed rep performance at the Harris Theater (program and ticketing distribution to be announced).

Tuesday, June 13, 7:30 p.m.

Joffrey Ballet Opens Grant Park Music Festival Season at Pritzker Pavilion

The Joffrey Ballet will perform with the Grant Park Orchestra in three programs at the Pritzker Pavilion, including the Orchestra’s Opening Night, Wednesday evening, June 14.

Grant Park Orchestra, Opening Night – Tchaikovsky’s Fifth and The Joffrey Ballet, Wednesday, June 14, 6:30 p.m.; Romeo & Juliet, Friday, June 16, 6:30 p.m.; Joffrey Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Gala, Saturday, June 17, 7:30 p.m. –Specific concert programming attached.

A Look Back at 50 Years with Joffrey Artistic Staff at the Chicago Cultural Center

Head artistic staff of The Joffrey Ballet will take audience members on a decade-by-decade look at this all-American company, through behind-the-scene stories and a slide presentation of rarely seen performance stills and historic images.

Thursday, June 15, 6 p.m. (exact locale TBA)

South African Gumboot Dance performances in Crown Fountain

Some 15-20 high school students from The Joffrey’s Education and Community Engagement program will perform the South African Gumboot Dance in the Crown Fountain. Dancers will clap and stomp boots in a rhythmic pattern in the water to create a percussive score. The five-minute South African Gumboot Dance was choreographed by Kimosha Murphy (director of the ALYO Children’s Dance Theatre), and will be repeated four times each hour at designated times throughout the weekend.

Friday, June 16, noon & 5 p.m.; Saturday, June 17, 11 a.m. & 3 p.m.; Sunday, June 18, 11 a.m.

Moving with The Joffrey in Wrigley Square

A special Anniversary Slide line dance is being choreographed by a student from The Joffrey’s Advanced Arts Education Program, in tandem with Chicago Public Schools and After School Matters. The program will feature easy instruction and an open invitation for the public to join in!

Friday, June 16, 1 p.m.

Middle School Dance Clubs Perform on Chase Promenade Center

Throughout the weekend of June 16-18, dance performances by members of The Joffrey’s Middle School Dance Clubs group will “break out” on the Chase Promenade, featuring original works the students have choreographed themselves.

Friday, June 16, 2 p.m.; Saturday, June 17, 1 p.m.; and Sunday, June 18, 1 p.m.

Ice Cream Social in Wrigley Square

In tandem with free ice cream sampling, members of The Joffrey Ballet in costume will meet and greet their youngest fans.

Friday, June 16, 3 p.m.

Pre-concert Reunion Cocktail Reception in Tent on Chase Promenade South

Presented by The Joffrey Ballet Women’s Board, a ticketed pre-performance cocktail reception will reunite Joffrey Ballet alumni who have been a part of the company over the past 50 years. Guests will be able to mingle with past dancers who are traveling from all over the country to celebrate this occasion. Cocktail reception information is available by calling (312) 739-0120 ext. 3902.

Friday, June 16, 5 p.m.

Late Nite Latin SummerDance session on Chase Promenade South

A sizzling Late Nite SummerDance session with a Latin theme will begin immediately following the Grant Park Orchestra concert. The program will follow a slightly modified SummerDance format, beginning with a 45-60 minute lesson followed by dancing to a live band.

Friday, June 16, 8:30 p.m.

Yoga, Pilates and Stretch & Move sessions with The Joffrey on the Great Lawn

Millennium Park will continue its popular free summer workout series, featuring yoga and Pilates programs on the Great Lawn, followed by a Stretch & Move class led by instructors from the Joffrey Education and Community Engagement program. Stretch & Move will incorporate basic ballet movements and is intended for all age groups.

Saturday and Sunday, June 17 and 18, beginning at 8 a.m.

Breakfast with the Ballet

Following the Stretch & Move session, breakfast will be served, joined by members of The Joffrey Ballet.

Saturday, June 17, 11 a.m.

The Joffrey Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Gala

Presented by The Joffrey Ballet Women’s Board, a once-in-a-lifetime 50th Anniversary Gala will celebrate the company’s golden achievements, while also reuniting members of The Joffrey Ballet from throughout the decades and around the country. To be held on site at Millennium Park, the black-tie event will begin with a cocktail reception at the Harris Theater rooftop venue at 6 p.m., followed by reserved seating at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion for a collaborative performance by The Joffrey and the Grant Park Music Festival. Immediately following the concert, Gala guests will be escorted to an elaborate tent on the South Promenade for a lavish dinner catered by Blue Plate, and dancing to the sounds of Rich Daniels and the City Lights Orchestra. Gala information is available by calling (312) 739-0120 ext. 3902.

Saturday, June 17, 6 p.m. (cocktails), 7:30 p.m. (concert), 9 p.m. (dinner)

Father’s Day Nutcracker Parade through Park

In honor of Father’s Day, this parade for children and their fathers will wind through the entire park, led by characters from The Joffrey Ballet’s The Nutcracker and beginning at Wrigley Square. Onlookers (including mothers!) will be encouraged to “join in the parade.”

Sunday, June 18, 2 p.m.

The Come Dance with Us summer program bridges The Joffrey Ballet’s two-season 50th Anniversary Celebration, which began in Fall 2005 and continues through Spring 2007. Upcoming Anniversary highlights include the aforementioned World Premiere of Donald Byrd’s new work, Motown Suite, as part of The Joffrey’s Spring Cool Vibrations program, April 26 – May 7, and the first-ever American production of Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, October 4-15. Regarded as one of the world’s finest classical ballet companies, The Joffrey Ballet surely has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1956, when an ambitious group of dancers led by Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino, its Founders and Artistic Directors, toured the country in a borrowed station wagon.

Acclaimed by critics and beloved by audiences, the Grant Park Music Festival is the nation’s only remaining free, municipally-funded, outdoor summer classical music series. Founded by the Chicago Park District in 1935 and co-presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and the Grant Park Orchestral Association since 2001, the Grant Park Music Festival will present 35 concerts between June 14 and August 19, 2006. All Grant Park Music Festival performances are free to the public. Open lawn and pavilion seats are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Season memberships to the Festival are available, which include reserved seating for all concerts. For more information on the Grant Park Music Festival, please call 312-742-7638 or visit www.millenniumpark.org.

Millennium Park is an award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. The result of a unique partnership between the City of Chicago and the philanthropic community, the 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers. Among Millennium Park’s prominent features are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion, the most sophisticated outdoor concert venue of its kind in the United States; the interactive Crown Fountain by Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Gustafson Guthrie Nichols, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor’s hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture. Since its opening in July 2004, Millennium Park has hosted millions of people, making it one of the most popular destinations in Chicago.

Millennium Park is located in the heart of downtown Chicago. It is bordered by Michigan Avenue to the east, Columbus Drive to the west, Randolph Street to the north and Monroe Street to the south. Convenient parking is located in the Millennium Park Garage (entrance on Columbus at Monroe or Randolph) and at the Grant Park North and East Monroe Garages, all located within a short walking distance to Millennium Park. For more information on Millennium Park, please call 312-742-1168 or visit www.millenniumpark.org.

Come Dance With Us is generously sponsored by the Robert R. McCormick Tribune Foundation, The Boeing Company, and Northern Trust. The Gala Performance is generously sponsored by Sydney L. Port.

For more information on The Joffrey Ballet’s 50th Anniversary Come Dance With Us Celebration, please call (312) 386-8905 or visit www.joffrey.com.

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