The Joffrey Ballet opens inaugural season at the Lyric Opera House with "Home: A Celebration"

The Joffrey Ballet opens its inaugural season at the Lyric Opera House and marks its return to live performances with Home: a Celebration beginning Wednesday, October 13 through Sunday, October 24. This triumphant mixed repertory program spotlights original works by today’s rising stars Chanel DaSilva, Joffrey Rehearsal Director Nicolas Blanc, and Joffrey Artist Yoshihisa Arai, plus a remount of a beloved ballet classic choreographed by Joffrey co-founder, the late Gerald Arpino. Home: a Celebration is presented in ten performances only.

“On behalf of everyone at the Joffrey, we cannot wait to see audiences at our new home, the Lyric Opera House, for a return to live performances,” said Ashley Wheater MBE, The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Directorof The Joffrey Ballet. “Our opening program is a true reflection of the legacy and talent that has been cultivated within Joffrey family, with magnificent works that speak to the complexities of our times. This is a program that was curated specifically with Chicago in mind, a gift for the city that means so much to the Joffrey.”

“A year away from the stage has given all of us a new perspective on the power and necessity of the arts,” added Greg Cameron, President and CEO of the Joffrey. “Our upcoming season is about hope, renewal, and joy, and there is no better place to celebrate those themes than amongst a live audience at Lyric Opera House. We are finally ‘Home.’”

Soon after Home, the Joffrey will celebrate the return of Christopher Wheeldon’s magical production of The Nutcracker, December 4–26, 2021, followed by the Joffrey remount of Yuri Possokhov’s family-friendly, humorous version of Don Quixote February 16–27, 2022. Closing the season in spectacular fashion is the world-premiere adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men by choreographer Cathy Marston (featuring an original composition by Academy Award®-nominated composer Thomas Newman), and the Joffrey premiere of Serenadeby dance pioneer George Balanchine, April 27–May 8, 2022.

All performances take place at the historic Lyric Opera House in downtown Chicago at 20 North Upper Wacker Drive. (For tickets/more info, visit joffrey.org)