As summer turns to fall, Chicago’s dance season is spinning into high gear. From the Joffrey Ballet’s U.S. premiere of Liam Scarlett’s “Carmen” to Chicago Repertory Ballet’s reimagining of “Romeo and Juliet,” dance-lovers can find plenty to delight in, including the museum show “The Joffrey + Ballet in the U.S” at Chicago’s Wrightwood 659.
Thrilling performances are not confined to the city’s most-prominent venues; there are also more casual chances to catch a smattering of Chicago dance companies. Chicago Live, which takes place for free Sept. 20-21 on Navy Pier, will feature performances by groups like Muntu Dance Theatre, South Chicago Dance Theatre and the Joel Hall Dancers.
Plus, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts will play host to the Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival Sept. 26-27, featuring boundary-pushing choreographers like Nejla Yatkin and The Seldoms.
Below are six recommended dance performances happening this fall in Chicago. Send us an email and tell us which shows you’re itching to see at arts@wbez.org.
Joffrey opens anniversary season with U.S. premiere of “Carmen,” then heads to the Harris
Where: Lyric Opera House
When: Sept. 18-28
Chicago’s Joffrey Ballet will open its 70th-anniversary season with the U.S. premiere of Liam Scarlett’s “Carmen,” based on the tragic Bizet opera. This version is set in a cigarette factory in 1930s Spain and, according to Joffrey Artistic Director Ashley Wheater, “really focuses on Carmen, the woman.”
“It’s really her story,” Wheater said. The show follows Joffrey’s successful run of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” which closed out last season and became the highest-selling non-“Nutcracker” production in the company’s history. The previous record-holder was “Frankenstein,” which was also designed by Scarlett, the British dancemaker who died in 2021 at the age of 35. Wheater said the show is “technically demanding” and requires the entire company to be “dancing full out at their max.”
After “Carmen,” Joffrey will appear Nov 6-9 at the Harris Theater for a program dubbed “Matters of the Heart.” The lineup includes the world premiere of a Chicago-set love story, designed by dancemaker Chanel DaSilva called “Wabash & You” and a tribute to Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “Broken Wings.” 20 N. Wacker Drive, tickets from $36.
Tchaikovsky’s score powers the classic “Swan Lake” by visiting Grand Kyiv Ballet
Where: Harris Theater
When: Oct. 1
Ukrainian dancer Oleksandr Stoianov founded the Grand Kyiv Ballet in 2014. After Russia invaded his native Crimea that year, Stoianov wanted to provide a company for Ukrainian dancers, many of whom had long joined Russian companies.
Then, following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Stoianov and his wife, Kateryna Kukhar, fled their home and have been based in the U.S. since. Today, their company includes dancers from around the world, Stoianov told a Boston TV station this year. Most recently, the company has been on a global tour of their production of “Swan Lake,” a classic ballet that is notably powered by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s famous score.
The Kyiv company will bring the classic ballet to Chicago’s Harris Theater for one night in October. Stoianov told the TV station that in this version of “Swan Lake,” there’s a happy ending — and he’s hopeful the same will be true for Ukraine. 205 E. Randolph St., tickets from $52.
Choreographer Micaela Taylor brings new work to town with Visceral
Where: Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago
When: Oct. 3-5
Chicago’s Visceral Dance Company’s fall lineup features a new piece from the esteemed choreographer Micaela Taylor, marking the first time her work has been shown in the Midwest, according to Visceral’s founder and artistic director Nick Pupillo.
Trained in hip-hop and ballet, Taylor has created her own genre of dance called “expand practice,” which incorporates exaggerated facial expressions, gestures and athletic theatricality.
In recent years, Taylor — who was among Dance Magazine’s “25 to watch” in 2019 — has been commissioned by companies like the Paris Opera Ballet and English National Ballet.
Pupillo said Taylor’s new work is deeply emotive and “comes from a very guttural place.” Featuring 12 dancers, the dance is tentatively titled “If You.”
“It’s very intimate, it’s very raw, and I think, an unexpected journey from start to finish,” Pupillo said. Visceral’s fall program will also include two works designed by Pupillo and “Ruff Celts” by the Irish dancemaker Marguerite Donlon. 220 E. Chicago Ave., ticket from $25.
“Romeo and Juliet” gets reimagined in this world premiere from Chicago Repertory Ballet
Where: Ruth Page Center for the Arts
When: Nov. 7-16
Since its founding in 2011, Chicago Repertory Ballet has focused on blending contemporary and classical ballet, often through original story dances. In this world premiere, the company turns “Romeo and Juliet” on its head. Instead of focusing on the famed star-crossed lovers, founder and artistic director Wade Schaaf trains his eye on “The Capulets,” diving deep into Juliet’s family’s drama and struggles. Oh, and Lady Capulet’s secret affair with Tybalt — her antagonist nephew.
The show, which will include a new original score from Chicago musician Matty Mattsson, is not the company’s first time reimagining the Bard. In 2016, Schaaf adapted “Macbeth” for a ballet set in modern day. 1016 N. Dearborn St., tickets from $39.
Hubbard Street returns to Steppenwolf with more Bob Fosse choreography
Where: Steppenwolf Theatre Company
When: Nov. 14-23
After becoming the first concert dance company in the world authorized to add Bob Fosse’s famed choreography to its repertory, Chicago’s Hubbard Street Dance is back with more from the legendary dancemaker this fall. Fosse’s “Percussion IV,” which was originally created for his Broadway show “Dancin’”, will be part of Hubbard Street’s fall series at Steppenwolf Theatre Company.
Fosse was raised on Chicago’s North Side and honed his dance skills as part of the dancing teen duo, the Riff Brothers, along with Charles Grass. Before his death in 1987, Fosse rose to acclaim for his choreography in Broadway shows like “Chicago,” “Pippin” and “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”
Hubbard Street’s upcoming program also includes “Black Milk” by the Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin and a remount of Swedish dancemaker Johan Inger’s “IMPASSE.” The contemporary dance company will also continue its collaboration with resident artist Aszure Barton, who has designed “A Duo” for two. 1650 N. Halsted St., tickets from $20.
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater celebrates 50 years in Chicago
Where: The Auditorium
When: Nov. 15
Founded in 1975 by Libby Komaiko, Chicago’s Ensemble Español is celebrating 50 years with a show infused with the rhythms of Spain, featuring flamenco, folklore, bolero, contemporary and classical dance.
Komaiko founded the company as a way of promoting and preserving the traditions of Spanish dance and showcasing the breadth of the repertoire across classical, folkloric and flamenco styles. Following her death in 2019, the company has been led by Irma Suárez Ruiz, who began dancing with Komaiko in 1979.
On Nov. 14, the company will also hold an educational performance at The Auditorium for high school students. The performance, “Tales of Spain,” is meant to combine music, culture and education, according to the company. 50 E. Ida B Wells Drive, tickets from $35.
Courtney Kueppers is an arts and culture reporter at WBEZ.