THE JOFFREY BALLET LAUNCHES ITS 2008-2009
“TIME TO MOVE” SEASON
FEATURING A WORLD PREMIERE BY EDWAARD LIANG,
JEROME ROBBINS’ IN THE NIGHT AND
ROBERT JOFFREY’S POSTCARDS
AT THE AUDITORIUM THEATRE, OCTOBER 15-26, 2008

September 11, 2008 – The Joffrey Ballet proudly kicks off its 2008-2009 Season with a fall program featuring the World Premiere of Age of Innocence by former New York City Ballet soloist Edwaard Liang, Jerome Robbins’ In the Night, and Robert Joffrey’s Postcards, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of his death.  The fall program will take place at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway, in nine performances only, October 15 – 26, 2008.

“This season is an important one for The Joffrey Ballet as we stage one world premiere, one Joffrey premiere, and one company revival. We will honor Jerome Robbins and his vast talent on Broadway and in dance with his exquisite In the Night,” comments Joffrey Ballet Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater.  “We will also honor one of our founders, Robert Joffrey, who is considered internationally to have been a true American maverick in the field of dance. Joffrey’s Postcards will be staged in memory of the 20th anniversary of his death. Concluding this not-to-be-missed program is the highly anticipated world premiere of Age of Innocence by Edwaard Liang with stunning costumes by Chicago’s own Maria Pinto.”

The fall program will open with Postcards choreographed by Joffrey Ballet co-founder Robert Joffrey. A piece for 18 dancers, Postcards was the last choreographed work for the company by Robert Joffrey and is considered one of his best.  It is performed this season in honor of the memory of the company’s Co-Founder.  Set to the music of Erik Satie, the piece resembles a picture postcard from Paris at the turn of the last century, and early notes speak of “hidden meanings—a shared discovery, a suggestion of intimacy, a knowing smile between friends.” This romantic piece is performed for the first time in almost 20 years. 

The program will continue with The Joffrey Premiere of In the Night, choreographed by the world-renowned Jerome Robbins.  With music by Frederick Chopin and costume design by Carole Divet Harding, In the Night was staged for The Joffrey by Anita Paciotti.  Featuring three exquisite pas de deux, the piece explores love in a variety of phases, from young and tender to fiery and falling apart.  In the last movement all three couples meet together for a sweeping dance for six.  In the Night is considered by many to be Jerome Robbins’ most sublime works.

The Fall program will close with the World Premiere of Age of Innocence by Edwaard Liang.  A former soloist for New York City Ballet, Liang is a brilliant new voice in American dance and was named among the “Top 25 to Watch” by Dance Magazine.  His new creation for The Joffrey, featuring 16 dancers (8 couples), is danced to the music of Philip Glass and Thomas Newman, with a costume design by Maria Pinto.  For the new ballet Liang was inspired by the work of Jane Austen and the women of her era, who demonstrated significant grace and strength of spirit in the face of societal repression.  This new work was commissioned by the Joffrey Ballet through a “Prince Charitable Trust Prize.”

Performance Schedule and Pricing for The Joffrey Ballet’s Fall Program:
The performance schedule for The Joffrey Ballet Fall Program, October 15 – 26, is as follows:  Wednesday, October 15  at 7:30 p.m.; Friday, October 17 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, October 19 at 2:00 p.m.; Friday, October 24 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 25 at 2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, October 26 at 2:00 p.m.

Single tickets, priced from $25 to $145, are available for purchase 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.ticketmaster.com.  

The season will continue with The Joffrey Ballet’s magical family favorite, The Nutcracker, December 18 – 28, 2008.  In the Winter of 2009, The Joffrey will present a program including Vaslav Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (reconstructed and staged by Millicent Hodson), as well as Gerald Arpino’s Kettentanz, the Company Premiere of Tom Ruud’s Mobile and George Balanchine’s The Hand of Fate, a pas de deux from Cotillon, February 18 – March 1, 2009.  Closing the 2008-2009 Season will be a repertory program featuring the Company Premiere of Christopher Wheeldon’s Carousel (A Dance), the Company Premiere ofHelgi Tomasson’s Valses Poeticos and Branislava Nijiska’s Les Noces, April 29 – May 10, 2009.

The 2008-2009 season is dubbed “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; United Airlines, the Official & Exclusive Airline of The Joffrey Ballet; and AthletiCo, the Official Provider of Rehabilitation, Fitness and Performance for The Joffrey Ballet.

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