05/27/2026
ONSTAGE AT RUTH PAGE
Join Chicago Repertory Ballet for an exhilarating Spring Series that celebrates repertory, reinvention, and bold new voices. Anchoring the program is the remounting of Founding Artistic Director Wade Schaafâs The Rite of Spring, set to Igor Stravinskyâs watershed score.
CRB has not performed this ballet since its striking 2021 presentation on Crickett Hill, and we are thrilled to bring this monumental work to the stage at the Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Drawing inspiration from the Ballets Russes era while infusing it with CRBâs contemporary classical sensibility, Schaafâs Rite is visceral, ritualistic, and theatrically charged â a work that honors tradition while boldly reinterpreting it for todayâs audiences.
The program also features a world premiere by choreographer Yanis Eric Pikieris. Known for his sweeping physicality and intricate musicality, Pikieris crafts movement that is both architecturally precise and emotionally expansive. His choreography demands virtuosity while revealing the humanity of each dancer â an arresting combination that has quickly distinguished his voice.
Also on the program is a world premiere by Founding Artistic Director Wade Schaaf. Schaafâs work has been described as âmusically sophisticated and dramatically immediate,â blending structural rigor with an unflinching theatrical instinct. This new creation continues his exploration of contemporary classical form, pushing the companyâs artists both technically and expressively.
This limited three-performance engagement promises urgency, innovation, and the powerful theatricality that defines Chicago Repertory Ballet.
Friday, May 29 7:30pm
Saturday, May 30 7:30pm
Sunday, May 30 2:00pm