Ballet Chicago

Mission

Profile

Board of Directors

Artistic Direction

Staff

Ballet Chicago is dedicated to enriching the quality of life of its students, its audience members, and the many underserved groups in the Chicago area. These goals are accomplished through excellence in dance instruction, presentation, and education. From its beginnings as a performing company to its current role as a classical training institution with a pre-professional performing company, Ballet Chicago remains steadfast in its commitment to the cultural vitality of the city of Chicago.

Ballet Chicago is composed of four major components that interconnect to offer valuable services to its students, its audience and the community.

The development of new artists is essential to the future of the performing arts. Ballet Chicago fulfills this purpose by providing a comprehensive training program that provides the artistic and technical skills necessary to pursue a successful career in dance. The School of Ballet Chicago's curriculum is based on the ballet technique established by George Balanchine who revolutionized the art form by expanding and streamlining the fundamentals of classical ballet.

Because Ballet Chicago believes that performing experience is a critical component in the student's artistic and technical development, the Ballet Chicago Studio Company was established in 1997. Composed of the advanced-level students from the School of Ballet Chicago, the Studio Company is a pre-professional dance program that replicates a professional dance company experience. The students perform a professional repertoire in theatrical venues throughout metropolitan Chicago. The performances include the holiday classic The Nutcracker and The Spring Repertory, which showcases the works of George Balanchine, Artistic Director Daniel Duell and other choreographers.

Acquired by license from the George Balanchine Trust, The Balanchine Repertory Project allows our students the opportunity to perform the repertoire of George Balanchine, the 20th century's most influential classical choreographer. Mr. Balanchine founded the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet, and is regarded as one of the most significant artistic influences in the world of ballet. A prolific artist, Mr. Balanchine created more than 400 ballets during his lifetime, some 150 of which are performed regularly by ballet companies all over the world.

The Community Outreach & Educational Program services a broad range of diverse groups within metropolitan Chicago. Audiences range in age from pre-school children to senior citizens and hail from the inner-city neighborhoods of Chicago to the outlying suburbs of Lake Forest, Geneva and Gary, Indiana. Each year, approximately 13,000 people in metropolitan Chicago experience our programs and performance offerings which include in-school residences, lecture demonstrations, on-site senior nursing home visits, full-scale public performances, and specially designed children's programs.

Balanchine photo: Tanaquil LeClerq
Contributing Photography - Susan Aurinko, Mark Niekrasz and Daniel Duell
All choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust