Joffrey Ballet's "Home: a Celebration" Opens Inaugural Season at Lyric Opera House
The Joffrey Ballet opens its inaugural season at the Lyric Opera House and marks its return to live performances with Home: a Celebration, a triumphant mixed repertory program that spotlights original works by today's rising stars Chanel DaSilva, Joffrey Rehearsal Director Nicolas Blanc, and Joffrey Artist Yoshihisa Arai, plus a remount of a beloved ballet classic choreographed by Joffrey co-founder, the late Gerald Arpino. Home: a Celebration is presented in ten performances only, October 13-24 at Lyric Opera House, 20 North Wacker Drive, Chicago.
"On behalf of everyone at the Joffrey, we cannot wait to see audiences at our new home, the Lyric Opera House, for a return to live performances," said Ashley Wheater MBE, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director of The Joffrey Ballet. "Our opening program is a true reflection of the legacy and talent that has been cultivated within Joffrey family, with magnificent works that speak to the complexities of our times. This is a program that was curated specifically with Chicago in mind, a gift for the city that means so much to the Joffrey."
"A year away from the stage has given all of us a new perspective on the power and necessity of the arts," added Greg Cameron, President and CEO of the Joffrey. "Our upcoming season is about hope, renewal, and joy, and there is no better place to celebrate those themes than amongst a live audience at Lyric Opera House. We are finally 'Home.'"
Birthday Variations, choreographed by Joffrey co-founder Gerald Arpino with music by Giuseppe Verdi, was commissioned in 1986 by Becky D'Angelo as a birthday present to her husband Dino, who owned Chicago's Civic Opera House (now the Lyric Opera House) and loved Verdi's music. This lively and melodic ballet is considered one of Arpino's most popular creations.