Auditorium Theatre 2019-2020 American Ballet Theatre

18 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2019-20 | March 10 - May 5, 2020 When you think of the word “shark,” do you hear the opening notes from the theme song from Jaws ? Maybe it’s the image of one sleek, shiny dorsal fin poking out of the waves on an episode of Baywatch or the rows and rows of sharp, pointy teeth that you might have witnessed at an aquarium (the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is home to sandbar, bonnethead, and many other varieties). Sharks are frequently misrepresented in media as scary predators out for human blood. In actuality, we’re much more of a threat to sharks than they are to us. More than 100 million sharks are killed every year, according to National Geographic, primarily so their fins can be used in shark fin soup (and others are accidentally caught in nets intended to catch other types of fish). Of the 500 different species of shark, 143 are categorized as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature — including great whites, hammerheads, and whale sharks, to name just a few. Photojournalist Brian Skerry, who speaks at the Auditorium on May 5 as part of the National Geographic Live Series, has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater — devoting a significant chunk of those hours to observing and photographing sharks in order to help challenge misconceptions about these animals. He’s also the author of the National Geographic book Shark. SHARKS! BRIAN SKERRY