Bolshoi Ballet performs Swan Lake | Photo courtesy of Damir Yusupov
The Bolshoi Ballet is returning to Chicago for the first time in sixteen years. The Russian ballet company will perform at the Auditorium Theatre in June 2020, which will be the only Midwest stop on their United States tour.
Kristina Kretova and Artem Ovcharenko | Photo courtesy of the Bolshoi Ballet
The Bolshoi Ballet will perform Yuri Grigorovich’s Swan Lake, set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score. Grigorovich, who served as the Bolshoi’s director and principal choreographer from 1964-1995, originally choreographed Swan Lake for the Bolshoi Ballet in 1969; the choreography was updated in 2001. The production also incorporates choreography from Marius Petipa, Lev Ivanov, and Alexander Gorsky.
The last time the Bolshoi Ballet performed in Chicago was in 2004. The Bolshoi has a long history of performing in Chicago, particularly at the Auditorium Theatre. The company first performed at the Auditorium in 1973 with a program of mixed repertoire called “Stars of the Bolshoi Ballet.” Since then, they have also performed ballet classics including Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet at the theatre.
The Bolshoi Ballet’s Swan Lake will be part of the Auditorium Theatre’s International Dance Series subscription. Individual tickets go on sale October 18, 2019.
For a taste of what Chicago has to look forward to, watch the Bolshoi Ballet perform the famous pas de quatre, “Four Little Swans,” from Swan Lake:
