Auditorium Theatre 2021-2022, Issue 3, Alvin Ailey

Dear friends, For more than 130 years, the Auditorium Theatre has been bringing artists and audiences together to celebrate the transformative power of the performing arts. Thank you for joining us and being part of that legacy. Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) has designated 2022 as the “Year of Chicago Dance.” Here at the Auditorium we are proud to celebrate that and play our part as one of the city’s largest presenters of dance artists from across the city, country and around the world. There’s no better representative of what dance can mean for an audience than the beloved and iconic Alvin Ailey Dance American Dance Theatre. We are grateful that this legendary “Cultural Ambassador to the World” has been entertaining and engaging audiences here at the Auditorium for fifty years! This engagement is especially important as we join the company in celebrating Robert Battle’s ten years as Artistic Director. Battle has built on the legacy of this beloved company expanding programs, and bringing new audiences to share in the excellence of Alvin Ailey. Chicago audiences have the additional opportunity to celebrate as Vernard Gilmore celebrates 25 years dancing with this legendary company. But the Auditorium is about more than dance. Our historic landmark stage is the home to live music, theater, spoken word and some of the leading voices of our time in all disciplines. In addition, we serve as the home for countless moments of celebration and community. Just last month, we hosted a special naturalization ceremony where more than 400 people from 82 countries became United States citizens. Imagine being welcomed into this country on this magnificent stage. And that’s just part of what happens here. We kicked off 2022 with the 17 th anniversary of one of our inspiring signature productions, Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah . We welcomed back Chicago’s own Trinity Irish Dance Company. We experienced the vibrancy of Mexico from the internationally renowned Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández as they celebrate their 70 th anniversary tour. And we learned about the largest predatory dinosaur yet discovered with a thrilling and fascinating presentation by National Geographic Explorer and Paleontologist Nazir Ibrahim. We’re just getting started. In the weeks and months ahead, we hope you will join us again to experience the magic of live performance. Ballet Hispánico will present Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Doña Perón , its first-ever full-length work, an explosive portrait of Eva Peron. In April, we are honored to host a special engagement with Hamilton ’s Tony Award-winning Broadway icon, Renée Elise Goldsberry. Renée performs a high-energy spiritual journey reminiscent of a good old-fashioned revival singing pop, soul, and Broadway classics. The last in our three-event series of National Geographic will be Social by Nature with biologist- turned-photographer Ronan Donovan, as he talks about the similarities we humans share with other social mammals in the animal kingdom and what we can learn from them. We hope you will return to the Auditorium in June, when we close out our season by highlighting more incredible dance from Giordano Dance Chicago. Whether you are visiting the Auditorium for the first time with friends and family, or have been here too many times to count, we can’t do what we do without your support. As we bring artists, audiences and communities together for the unique experience of seeing something live on stage, thank you for being part of the Auditorium family. ENJOY THE PERFORMANCE! Rich Regan Ann Nash Chief Executive Officer, Auditorium Theatre Chair, Auditorium Theatre Board of Directors Covers: Auditorium Theatre, photo by Arturo Gonzalez. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, photo by Dario Calmese. National Geographic Live’s Wild Hope, photo by Ami Vitale. | Inset: Photo by Julia Nash Photography.