The Chicago Dancing Festival will mark its 10th anniversary of providing free access to world-class dance performances with its 2016 edition, running August 23–27.
Features of the fest will include a company debut by the Pennsylvania Ballet, an all-male program of “Modern Men” and return engagements of pieces from the festival’s first 10 years, including works by George Balanchine, Alexander Ekman, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Crystal Pite and Lar Lubovitch.
The opening night celebration, August 23 at 7pm at the Auditorium Theatre, will include performances by Stars of American Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Pennsylvania Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet. “Modern Men” will be performed August 24 at 6pm and 8pm at the Museum of Contemporary Art’s Edlis-Neeson Theater, with dancers including Aszure Barton + Artists, Brian Brooks, Joshua Beamish, Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Riener, and Rennie Harris Pure Movement.
An August 25 program, 7:30pm at the Harris Theater, will include dancers from Aszure Barton + Artists, Martha Graham Dance Company, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Joffrey Ballet and Rennie Harris Pure Movement. The closing night at Pritzker Pavilion, August 27 at 7:30pm, will feature Hubbard Street, Joffrey, Pennsylvania Ballet, guest artists of the Royal Ballet and RHPM.
All performances are free and seating is general admission. Shows at the Auditorium, MCA and Harris require reservations, with tickets released oddly in reverse order: for the August 23 program on July 21, the August 24 program on July 20, and August 25 on July 19. Watch chicagodancingfestival.com for details on how to reserve. No reservations are required for the Pritzker Pavilion performance, but pavilion seating is first come, first served.