November 5, 2008 —The Joffrey Ballet’s 2008-2009 Season continues with the 21st Anniversary of Chicagoland’s most popular family holiday event, Robert Joffrey's production of The Nutcracker, at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 East Congress Parkway, December 18-28, 2008.  This magical production features the full Joffrey Ballet company, augmented by local children's choruses and more than 120 young dancers ages eight to fourteen. 

The Chicago Sinfonietta, the official orchestra of The Joffrey Ballet, under the baton of The Joffrey’s Music Director and Principal Conductor Dr. Leslie B. Dunner, will provide live musical accompaniment of the beloved Tchaikovsky score.  The production features scenic design by Oliver Smith, lighting by Thomas Skelton and a giant puppet designed by Kermit Love.

Robert Joffrey’s uniquely American production of The Nutcracker, based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s early 19th century German tale, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," premiered in 1987, and has become a Chicago holiday favorite since its first performance here in 1996.  This distinctly original production of the holiday chestnut combines classical elegance with thrilling explosive action, set amidst lavish period costumes and spectacular scenery depicting Victorian America in the 1850s.  Snowflakes and flowers dance into our hearts, as toys come joyfully to life amidst familiar characters such as Clara; her mischievous brother, Fritz; the King and Queen of the glorious Land of Snow; the Sugar Plum Fairy; the warring Mice led by the Mouse King; the Nutcracker Prince; and the mysterious Dr. Drosselmeyer and his handsome nephew.  Gerald Arpino, co-Founder and Artistic Director Emeritus of The Joffrey Ballet, choreographed the Land of the Snow scene, which closes Act I, and the Waltz of the Flowers in Act II. 

The Joffrey continues its tradition of being joined on stage by over 120 young dancers from all over the Chicago area, Indiana and Wisconsin.  In addition, young vocalists from the Providence-St. Mel School Choir, the Oak Park and River Forest Children’s Choir, Barrington Children’s Choir, and the Youth Choral Theater of Chicago (formerly known as The Jubilate Children’s Choir), will perform the choral parts from Tchaikovsky's magical "snow scene."  The choirs will also delight audiences with popular seasonal selections in the Auditorium Theatre's main lobby one half-hour prior to curtain and during intermissions at every performance. 

This year, The Joffrey Ballet will partner with American Girl and for the run of The Nutcracker the Auditorium Theatre lobby, which will draw approximately 30,000 visitors, will be transformed into the American Girl Holiday Lobby complete with American Girl banners, doll displays featuring a variety of dolls in ballet apparel, and activity stations for children to participate in from 6:30 p.m. to the 7:30 p.m. curtain time. At the end of the run, American Girl will raffle off one doll to give away.

Prior to the Chicago engagement, The Joffrey Ballet will take a seasonal tour of The Nutcracker to the Michigan Opera House in Detroit, MI and the famed Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Performance Schedule and Pricing for The Nutcracker
The performance schedule for The Joffrey Ballet’s presentation of The Nutcracker, December 18-28, is as follows: Thursday, December 18 at 7:00 p.m.; Friday, December 19 at 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, December 20 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.; Sunday, December 21 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.; Tuesday, December 23 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.; Wednesday, December 24 at 2:00 p.m.; Friday, December 26 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.; Saturday, December 27 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:00 p.m.; and Sunday, December 28 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets, priced from $25-$100, are currently on-sale at The Joffrey Ballet’s official Box Office located in the lobby of 10 E. Randolph Street, as well as the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University box office, all Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by telephone at 312-902-1500, or online at www.joffrey.org.   Please note, the Auditorium Theatre does not allow children under five years of age.  Groups of 10 or more should call 312-386-8899.  There will be special $15 college and graduate student rush tickets available one hour before curtain for any remaining tickets.  Students will need to show a current ID. 

The Joffrey Ballet’s 2008-2009 Season Continues
In February of 2009, The Joffrey Ballet will open its Winter Program with co-founder and Artistic Director Emeritus Gerald Arpino’s Kettentanz.  With music by Johann Strauss and Johann Simon Mayer, this 1971 work pays tribute to Old Vienna and the exuberance and grandeur of its dances.  The program continues with The Joffrey Premiere of Mobile, choreographed by Tom Ruud with music by Aram Kachaturian.  This serene meditation was inspired by the mobiles of famed artist Alexander Calder.  Also on the program will be The Hand of Fate.  Set in a haunted ballroom, this pas de deux from ballet icon George Balanchine’s Cotillon reveals the figure of fate as she visits a young girl’s cotillion.  The program will close with Vaslav Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring), a bizarre story of a sacrificial fertility rite, whichinspired audience members to storm the streets of Paris following its 1913 debut.  Set to the strident, now classic, commissioned Stravinsky score, with scenery and authentic Himalayan costumes by Nikolai Roerich, this ballet was last performed by The Joffrey Ballet in 2003.  The Winter Program will be presented in nine performances at the Auditorium Theatre,February 18-March 1, 2009.

The 2008-2009 Season will conclude in the Spring with a final repertory program. The program will open with Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces (The Wedding), a vibrant depiction of the rituals and revelry of an ancient Russian peasant wedding set to music by Igor Stravinsky for a mix of piano, percussion instruments and vocalists.This work wasfirst presented by the Ballets Russes in 1923 and last performed by The Joffrey Ballet in 2003.  Also on the bill will be the company premiere of Valses Poeticos, choreographed by Helgi Tomasson to the music of Enrique Granados.  Originally created for Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater, this lyrical ballet transforms love letters into dances with intimate pas de deux and solos reflecting the tenderness of a couple’s relationship. The program will close with the Company Premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Carousel (A Dance), asalute to Richard Rodgers first performed by the New York City Ballet in 2002.  Wheeldon’s choreography, set to the "Carousel Waltz" and "If I Loved You" from the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, echoes the circular movement of carnival rides, evoking the gaiety and romance of the scene.  The Spring Program will be presented at the Auditorium Theatre, April 29-May 10, 2009.

The 2008-2009 season is titled “Time To Move! Ten Choreographers, Five Premieres, One Company” to showcase not only the company’s prodigious physical movements and season accomplishments, but also its literal move into, and first year occupying, the new Joffrey Tower, 10 East Randolph Street, at the high profile corner of State and Randolph in downtown Chicago.

The Joffrey Ballet extends special thanks to its 2008-2009 Season Sponsors the Abbott Fund and Huron Consulting Group; and The Nutcracker Program Sponsor, PricewaterhouseCoopers; The Nutcracker Production Sponsor Macy's; The Nutcracker retail partner American Girland The Nutcracker Media PartnerChicago Magazine. Special thanks to United Airlines, the Official & Exclusive Airline of The Joffrey Ballet; AthletiCo, the Official Provider of Rehabilitation, Fitness and Performance for The Joffrey Ballet.

For more information about The Joffrey Ballet please call 312-739-0120 or visit www.joffrey.org.