Leap Into Spring With the Joffrey Ballet

The acclaimed dance troupe kisses the cold goodbye with its winter program

The Joffrey Ballet, the celebrated Chicago-based dance company, has put together a meaningful and memorable lineup of works for its Winter Program, which kicks off on Wednesday, Feb. 18. Included in the anticipated series are performances of "Le Sacre du Printemps" ("The Rite of Spring") by Vaslav Nijinsky in commemoration of the Ballet Russe centennial, as well as the Joffrey premiere of Tomm Ruud's "Mobile," George Balanchine's "Hand of Fate" and "Kettentanz," a piece by the late Gerald Arpino, The Joffrey Ballet's co-founder. 

The program opens with "Kettentanz," which was choreographed by Arpino in 1971. With music by Johann Strauss and Johann Simon Mayer, the piece pays tribute to the graceful dances of Old Vienna. "Mobile," a meditative dance inspired by the work of artist Alexander Calder, continues the performance. Next up is ballet legend Balanchine's "Hand of Fate," a pas de deux set in a haunted ballroom. The finale of the Winter Program is the staging of Nijinsky's "Le Sacre du Printemps" in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Serge Diaghilev's famed Ballet Russe, for which the landmark ballet was commissioned.

The nine-performance program runs through Sunday, March 1 at the Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. Tickets range from $25 to $145, and can be purchased through Ticketmaster at 312-902-1500 or its Web site.

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