Auditorium Theatre 2019-2020 American Ballet Theatre

March 10 - May 5, 2020 | AUDITORIUM THEATRE 2019-20 | 19 Learn more about real sharks and other marine life with Brian Skerry at the National Geographic Live Speaker Series — Ocean Soul on May 5, 2020. “When I swam with my first shark in 1982, few divers were actually hoping to actually see sharks on their dives,” Skerry wrote in National Geographic in 2013. “And when an animal is viewed as dangerous or bad, eliminating them invites little objection.” Sharks are actually incredibly important to our oceans — as top predators, they help prevent the spread of diseases among fish by eating sicker and slower fish; they help balance fish populations in coral reefs; and they’re very valuable to tourism industries around the world, with snorkeling, diving, and boating trips organized around viewing the animals, bringing in millions of dollars every year. So how did we get here? Why are we so afraid of sharks, and what shaped our perceptions of howwe think about thesemisunderstood animals? These sharks in popular culture might have played a role… The Shark From Jaws Duunnn dunnn… duuuunnnn duun… duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnn dunnnn! Peter Benchley’s 1974 novel about a great white shark that terrorizes a sleepy beach town was a huge success, and Steven Spielberg’s 1975 adaptation was the highest-grossing film in history when it was released. People were so scared of sharks after the movie came out that beach attendance dropped noticeably that summer. In reality, the statistical likelihood of being attacked by a shark is approximately 1 in 3,748,067, according to the University of Florida. Benchley felt so responsible for creating such a bad impression of sharks that he later became a shark activist, advocating for their protection. “Knowing what I know now, I could never write that book today,” Benchley said. “Sharks don’t target human beings, and they certainly don’t hold grudges.” Various scary sharks from the SyFy Channel’s original movies Maybe you caught Sharknado or Sharktopus on late-night TV. Rest assured — these sharks aren’t real and they can’t hurt you. Enough said! The sharks from Shark Tank Just kidding, the investors on this reality television show aren’t real sharks. But they might eat you alive if you walk in without your business idea fully prepared! Bruce from Finding Nemo “Fish are friends, not food!” Bruce from Finding Nemo (named after the mechanical shark from Jaws ) sure looked scary, but he attempted to challenge the stereotypes that many people have about sharks with this mantra: “I am a nice shark, not a mindless eating machine. If I am to change this image, I am first to change myself.” Bruce nearly gave into a few temptations, sure, but ultimately he and his shark pals Chum and Anchor made peace with the movie’s main fishy characters, Marlin and Dory.