Displaying items by tag: Chicago Repertory Ballet

 Chicago Repertory Ballet (CRB) is proud to present an exhilarating Spring Series that celebrates reinvention and bold new voices with two World Premieres and the revival of Founding Artistic Director Wade Schaaf's The Rite of Spring, set to Igor Stravinsky's watershed score. Since its establishment in 2011, CRB has championed blending classical ballet with contemporary dance, adding its singular voice to Chicago's rich dance landscape through original, genre-bending works. Following boundary-breaking choreographic works including adaptations of The Four Seasons, Bolero, Macbeth, and most recently, the critically acclaimed Romeo and Juliet spinoff, The Capulets, the Spring Series continues CRB's exploration of contemporary classical form. CRB 2026 Spring Series takes place one weekend only, May 29 to 31, 2026, at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, 1016 North Dearborn Street. Tickets are available at www.crbdance.com or by calling 872-588-0430.

Schaaf said, "We are excited to build on Chicago Repertory Ballet's recent success with The Capulets with a spring program that sits squarely at the intersection of ballet's past and our vision of what ballet can be. Our refreshed adaptation of The Rite of Spring – a Ballet Russe era ballet that was so revolutionary in its time that it caused riots – will be modernized again for today's audiences. The two World Premiere works Beyond the Blue Line and Pulse: ILTJ1101 boldly capture the innovations of ballet today – including inspirations from technology and outer space – making the Spring Series 2026 a thrilling exploration of what our company does best."

The evening opens with Pikieris's striking World Premiere contemporary ballet, Beyond the Blue Line. Evoking vastness, possibility, and quiet mystery, Beyond the Blue Line draws its inspiration from the horizon line where sea meets sky. Beyond the Blue Line invites audiences on a journey into openness, curiosity, and discovery, guiding us past the visible horizon and into the imaginative space that lies beyond. Known for his sweeping physicality and intricate musicality, Pikieris crafts movement both architecturally precise and emotionally expansive, demanding virtuosity while revealing the humanity of each dancer.

The program continues with the World Premiere of Schaaf's Pulse: ILTJ1101, a high-voltage fusion of neo-classical ballet and relentless techno soundscapes, propelled forward by futuristic lighting that turns the stage into a living circuit of energy. Inspired by the phenomenon of stellar radio pulses – where a collapsed star draws matter from a companion and releases it as powerful bursts of radiation – this work translates cosmic physics into visceral human motion. Dancers drive through virtuosic technical vocabulary with precision and force, their movement charged by an undercurrent of rhythmic intensity. Partnering becomes a study in exchange: weight, momentum, and energy pass from body to body as if transmitted along an invisible current. As light and sound converge with movement, Pulse: ILTJ1101 invites audiences into a futuristic landscape where classical form meets raw kinetic power; an electrifying exploration of how energy fuels motion, connection, and creation.

The evening concludes with Schaaf's crowd-pleasing The Rite of Spring, a visceral reimagining of one of the most iconic works in dance history in which a tribe selects one individual each year to perform a sacrificial rite, and must dance until death. Schaaf's production originally premiered in 2013 at The Vittum Theater and was later reworked for an outdoor performance on Crickett Hill in 2021, where the natural environment intensified its primal themes and communal tension. Now, Schaaf revisits and reshapes the 2021 version as a site-specific staging for The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, allowing the space to heighten the audience's immersion in the ritual. Driven by pounding rhythms and the relentless momentum of Stravinsky's score, the ballet highlights how group dynamics can make for fatal outcomes - an idea which remains as salient today as it was at the ballet's premiere over one hundred years ago.

ABOUT THE CHOREOGRAPHERS

Yanis Eric Pikieris is a native of Miami, Florida and began his dance training with his parents, Marielena Mencia and Yanis Pikieris, at Miami Youth Ballet. He also trained at Miami City Ballet School and with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride at Charlotte Ballet Academy. As an apprentice with Charlotte Ballet, Pikieris performed in several company productions, including Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux's The Nutcracker and Peter Pan, Alonzo King's Chants, and George Balanchine's Tarantella. Pikieris joined Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami in 2016 as an inaugural member of the company where he has since been featured in works by George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Vicente Nebrada, Septime Webre, and Ivonice Satie, among others. As a choreographer, he has created several original works for Dimensions Dance Theatre of Miami's main stage series at The Moss Center; as well as two commissions for their sister company, Ballet Vero Beach; and a world premiere collaboration with Miami-based Illuminarts and Philadelphia-based Variant 6. In 2022, Pikieris choreographed a work for National Water Dance, encouraging ongoing engagement between dance and the environment. Pikieris is now one of Dimensions Dance Theatre's Artists in Residence and is a two-time recipient of the (DMC) Dance Miami Choreographers' Program award.

Wade Schaaf (They/Them) is a Chicago native and graduated cum laude from Northern Illinois University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theater Arts, with an emphasis in dance performance. Throughout their professional career, Schaaf danced with several distinguished companies including Ohio Ballet, State Street Ballet Santa Barbara, The Omaha Theater Ballet, Thodos Dance Chicago, and River North Chicago Dance Company. During their time on stage, Schaaf had the opportunity to work with an array of renowned choreographers such as Septime Webre, Stephen Mills, Frank Chaves, Laurie Stallings, and Tony Award-winning choreographer Ann Reinking. Notable roles in Schaaf's performance career include Tybalt in Robin Welch's Romeo and Juliet, the Snow King in Welch's The Nutcracker, and Jonathan in Kennet Oberly's Dracula. Schaaf also originated the role of Mayor Carter Harrison in The White City, a collaboration between Thodos Dance Chicago and Ann Reinking. After retiring from performing, Mx. Schaaf founded Chicago Repertory Ballet in November 2011. The company debuted to critical acclaim, receiving the headline review "A Bright Debut for Chicago Repertory Ballet" (Sid Smith, The Chicago Tribune). Since then, Wade has choreographed numerous acclaimed works including The Rite of Spring, The Four Seasons, Bolero, and full-length ballet adaptations of Shakespeare's Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet (The Capulets). Under Schaaf's leadership, CRB continues to pursue a bold vision: challenging conventional definitions of ballet in both form and structure to create dance that defies labels. Beyond the studio, Mx. Schaaf is passionate about visual art, health, and wellness. 

ABOUT CHICAGO REPERTORY BALLET

Founded in 2011, Chicago Repertory Ballet is dedicated to presenting artistically daring and visually striking works that engage, inspire, and challenge audiences. The company has established itself as a vital part of Chicago's arts community, earning praise for its commitment to innovation and excellence in dance. For more information about The Capulets and Chicago Repertory Ballet, visit www.crbdance.com.

I’ll cut right to the chase and say THE CAPULETS by Chicago Repertory Ballet may be the finest dance show I’ve seen since I saw the Joffrey dance Christopher Wheeldon’s iconic adaptation of Nutcracker.

I had the delight of speaking both before & after the show with Wade Schaaf, founder and Artistic Director of Chicago Repertory Ballet and choreographer of THE CAPULETS [and looking, just BTW, perfectly splendid in an Elizabethan-themed doublet!]. schaaf wears many hats – a true Renaissance man! I wish I could have seen them dance, and I’m thankful they founded this company when they retired and sustained it ever since (that goes on my Thanksgiving list!). They told me this ballet has been dwelling in their head for years; they were thrilled that it was coming to life tonight in its world premiere.

The dancers’ visual illustration of the tale integrated superbly with the auditory portrayal of Matty Mattsson's captivating musical score. Together they portrayed the story begun by Shakespeare so long ago and now extended by Wade Schaaf. Is THE CAPULETS then the backstory to ROMEO & JULIET? I think not – nothing so simple nor so disconnected. THE CAPULETS is a completely new tale, only borrowing characters from the Bard’s iconic play. [I might even characterize it as fanfiction, though some would see this as trivializing a rich and vibrant independent work.]

Zach Minnich and John Pobojewski fashioned ingenious digital sets that drew us in without sacrificing an inch of the dancers’ floor space and were further enhanced by David Goodman-Edberg’s creative lighting. Liviu Pasare’s videography was also masterly, though some of the projected text was difficult to read quickly, distracting my attention from the dance, which was telling the story quite efficaciously on its own.

 Nathan R. Rohrer brilliantly fashioned costumes that were nearly monochromatic – chiefly black but using splashes of red (e.g. a cloak’s lining) to highlight the major characters. On the whole, the Artistic Team created a vessel for the passionate patterns and movements of the dance and the music’s unrestrained exuberance.

We all know the Capulet family from Shakespeare’s celebrated original story, and THE CAPULETS begins similarly, with a playful duel between Mercutio (Nathaniel Urie) and Benvolio (Molly Gemechak), escalating into a brawl until Prince Escalus (Phillip Ollenberg) breaks it up. Add one more laurel to Wade Schaaf’s creative repertoire: the stage fighting was eloquent and authentic (reminiscent of my beloved Babes with Blades), while even the fiercest combat retained the contours of ballet.

In THE CAPULETS Schaaf realigns the love and partnering depicted by Shakespeare. We see Romeo (P.J. Spagnoletti) and Juliet (Tessa Castellano) fall in love at the Capulet’s ball, but they are peripheral characters. Rather, Schaaf presents a poignant tryst between Lord Capulet (Rosario Guillen) and Paris (Skyler Newcom), thereby fulfilling my long yearning for a male-male pas de deux, where both dancers may perform lifts and throws – Bravo! Bravamissio Renaissance queers!

The lead couple of THE CAPULETS is Lady Capulet and Tybalt. Miriam-Rose LeDuc danced Lady Capulet with passion and pathos, and her pas de trois with Lord Capulet and Paris was sensational. Schaaf’s choreography was very generous, showcasing all participating dancers while including wonderful solos for each.

I always have a favorite character and, as I so often do, I’ve left the best for last: Jackson Ferreira. This Brazilian native began dancing relatively late – not until age 16 – but has more than made up for any lost time. In solos and pas de deux he was magnificent, yet with the company he did not attenuate the other dancers, as may occur with exceptional dancers [though I must admit that I personally couldn’t tear my eyes from him!]. But please don’t suppose my admiration for this one artist undermines my veneration for the other dancers and the company as a whole.

Nothing is perfect, not even THE CAPULETS. I would plead for some alteration of the text projected Stage Left in Act II – I had difficulty reading it, thus stealing my attention from the dancers for several crucial seconds… and the dancers were already telling the story. Or maybe the text could be projected above the stage…. And my companion and I both found the final scene discordant. Why burden a terrific story with a happy ending?

Through November 16th at Ruth Page Center for the Arts. For more information or tickets, visit https://www.chicagorepertoryballet.com/thecapulets.