Join the Joffrey Ballet for a night of cocktails, auctions, dinner and dancing as the Women’s Board hosts a wonderful extravaganza that highlights the Joffrey Ballet’s finest. The annual black-tie event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University (50 East Congress Parkway). Following the cocktail reception, guests will turn their attention to the stage for the Joffrey Ballet’s first ever live auction. The featured item is a once-in-a-lifetime luxury trip to Thailand and Bhutan, courtesy of Amanresorts, by way of tickets from United Airlines. After the auction, guests will enjoy a private program featuring selections from Artistic Director Ashley C. Wheater. Along with Joffrey masterpieces of the season, the crowd-favorite Exelon Strobel Touring Troupe will return to the stage while showcasing for the first time new choreography from Creative Force, the Joffrey Ballet’s Choreographers of Color award winners. Creative Force is a new program designed in collaboration with the Sara Lee Foundation. These gifted dancers are a vital component of The Joffrey Ballet’s education and community outreach. After the performance, guests will be transported to Chicago’s historic Palmer House where they will enjoy cocktails, dinner and dancing to music by The City Lights Orchestra. The hotel’s State, Grand and Red Lacquer Rooms will be transformed for the evening by the wonderful décor of Event Creative. Tickets for this event are priced at $600 each while tables range from $6,000 to $25,000. For more information and ticket or donation inquiries, please contact 312.386.8921 or gala@joffrey.org. The Joffrey would like to thank the event’s incredible co-chairs Wendy L. Chronister and Courtney A. Thompson. Last year’s gala raised $1.3 million in general operating funds for the Joffrey. This year, the Joffrey hopes to reach that same benchmark. The 2011 Spring Gala presenting sponsor is Harris Private Bank. Other sponsors include All State, Amanresorts and Tiffany & Co. CS Magazine is the media partner. Tiffany & Co. hosted The Joffrey Ballet’s 2011 Spring Gala Kickoff Party on Monday, February 21, 2011. Ten percent of the sales that evening were donated to The Joffrey Ballet. The Joffrey Ballet has become one of the world's most revered and recognizable arts organizations in America and one of the top ballet companies in the world. Classically trained to the highest standards, The Joffrey Ballet expresses a unique, inclusive perspective on dance, proudly reflecting the diversity of America with its company, audiences, and repertoire. Robert Joffrey and Gerald Arpino's uniquely American vision of dance first took form in 1956 and together they created a uniquely American company of dancers for whom they choreographed original and socially relevant ballets. The Joffrey Ballet has since been hailed as “America’s Ballet Company of Firsts.” The Joffrey Ballet’s long list of “firsts” includes first dance company to perform at the White House at Jacqueline Kennedy’s invitation, first to appear on television, first American company to visit Russia, first classical dance company to go multi-media, first to commission a rock ‘n roll Ballet (Billboards) and first and only dance company to appear on the cover of Time Magazine. The company’s commitment to accessibility is met through the most extensive touring schedule of any dance company in history, an innovative and highly effective education program and collaborations with myriad other visual and performing arts organizations.The Joffrey has had former residencies in New York and Los Angeles, but in 1995, The Joffrey Ballet made Chicago its permanent home and is currently the resident ballet company of the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University. The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under internationally renowned Artistic Director, Ashley C. Wheater, in a brilliant new state-of-the-art facility, Joffrey Tower, located in Chicago’s prestigious art district at the corner State and Randolph.
Location: Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University 50 East Congress Parkway