Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre first opened it’s doors in 1899. In 1941, due to the Great Depression, it closed its doors. On October 31st, 1967, it reopened with a performance by the New York City Ballet. And now, in 2017, the theatre celebrated the 50th anniversary of its Grand Re-Opening with a one night only show combining dancers from around the world. The following is a handful of the best performances.
The Swan
Liudmila Konovalova (Vienna State Ballet)
Choreography by Mikhail Fokine
Music by Camille Saint-Saëns
This performance was very impressive. Liudmila Konovalova was standing on point for almost the entire dance. Dressed in all white, she was as graceful and beautiful as a swan gliding on water.
Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux
Koto Ishihara (San Francisco Ballet) and Brooklyn Mack (The Washington Ballet)
Choreography by Agrippina Vaganova
Music by Cesare Pugni
This was another incredible number with Brooklyn Mack performing a series of impressive athletic ballet jumps that were met with thunderous applause by the audience.
Caught
Ian Spring (Parsons Dance)
Choreography by David Parsons
Music by Robert Fripp
See a video here.
This is a very innovative piece. Using quick flashes of light, Ian Spring appears to transport around the stage without moving a muscle. Every time the light is on him, he is in a different location holding the same body position. Then, he seems to fly around the stage without ever touching the ground. Each time the light hits him, he is mid-air. The audience is awestruck and erupts in applause at the conclusion!
Millennium Skiva
Todd Burnsed and Nicole Loizides (MOMIX)
Choreography by Moses Pendleton
Music by Brainbug
This piece sticks out immensely from the other acts tonight. Firstly, the music is very electronic and futuristic. Secondly, their outfits are shiny silver outfits that look like space suits. While wearing skis, Todd Burnsed and Nicole Loizides skillfully move to the music in a sleek fashion including leaning forwards and backwards at sharp angles and doing summersaults. It’s a truly artistic number whose only comparison is to a Cirque du Soleil show.
Takademe
Solomon Dumas (Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater)
Choreography by Robert Battle
Music by Sheila Chandra
The song uses vocals in a very percussive manner and the dance is choreographed to match. Solomon Dumas does an excellent job visualizing the speed of the song and also the humor in it. The crowd is absolutely delighted.
Check out the calendar of the Auditorium Theatre for upcoming events!
Quinn Delaney
PlaylistHQ 