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Photographer and filmmaker Ami Vitale shares her personal odyssey — from documenting the heartbreaking realities of war to witnessing the inspiring power of an individual to make a difference. Hear her awe-inspiring stories of the reintroduction of northern white rhinos and giant pandas to the wild, as well as Kenya’s first indigenous-owned and run elephant sanctuary. Join us as she shares the incredible images and adventures that have transformed her into a celebrated global storyteller, photographer, and filmmaker.

Photo by Ami Vitale.

Meet Spinosaurus, the largest predatory dinosaur yet discovered — larger than T. rex — and hear the incredible story of how this prehistoric giant was almost lost to science, before being uncovered again with the help of paleontologist Nizar Ibrahim. With amazing video recreating the lost world of the Cretaceous-era Sahara, Ibrahim tells the story of Spinosaurus’ discovery, loss, and rediscovery, and explains what — other than its size — makes this ancient monster unique.

Rendering by Davide Bonadonna.

What’s a human? We are, at our core, social mammals. We build relationships, communicate, reproduce, establish territories, and adapt to shrinking resources. Chimpanzees, wolves, and gorillas are among the most charismatic of the social mammals we know — besides ourselves. We identify with them as species, groups, and even as named individuals. They’re also under threat. Join biologist-turned-photographer Ronan Donovan as he talks about the incredible similarities we humans share with other social mammals in the animal kingdom, and what we can learn from them.

Photo by Ronan Donovan.

“Style, flair, and bravura are never lacking” (Chicago Tribune) when this world-renowned company returns to the Auditorium with its fiery blend of flamenco, folkloric, traditional, and contemporary styles. Celebrating their 45th anniversary season titled “Zafiro Flamenco (Sapphire Flamenco): New Era, New Works, New Legacies,” the Chicago-based company brings the spirit of España to this one-night-only performance. Featuring passionate dancers, live flamenco music, and vibrant costumes, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater “never [fails] to demonstrate a grand theatricality, precision-tooled technique, and flamenco-based fire” (Chicago Tonight).

In residence at Northeastern Illinois University.

Photo by Dean Paul.

Reimagining contemporary dance by uniting modern, classical, American, and African-American traditions, this remarkable company, celebrating its 25th anniversary, makes its full-evening debut on the Auditorium Theatre’s historic stage. WTTW says “Deeply Rooted dancers set the stage on fire. The dancers are striking, with superb technique and an emotional heat ideally fitted to the choreography.” The program features works by nationally renowned choreographers including the world premiere of an untitled work dedicated to Quincy Jones by Deeply Rooted’s Artistic Director Nicole Clarke-Springer.

Photo by Michelle Reid.

Chicago’s own boundary-pushing, genre-defying Irish dance company brings its “unique blend of traditional and innovative Irish dance and live music” (See Chicago Dance) back to the Auditorium for its third appearance in the “Made in Chicago” Dance Series. With a focus on the company’s powerful women dancers and its ability to incorporate “the many cultural influences which accompany the interwoven histories” (Chicago Tribune) of various dance styles, Trinity Irish Dance Company “sweeps you away and entices you with mesmerizing footwork that seems unreal” (Chicago Stage Standard).

Photo by Chelsea Hoy.

For 59 seasons, Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) has served as “a prime example of a company that can simultaneously revel in the past and the present” (Chicago Tribune). Considered “jazz dance royalty” (Chicago Tribune), the electrifying performers of America’s original jazz dance company “invariably run on high-octane fuel and generate a similarly high-powered response from their audience” (Chicago Tonight). The high-energy company heats up the Auditorium Theatre stage with an evening not to be missed!

Photo by Kristie Kahns.

“Watching Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater can change your life. If that sounds like a slogan it’s truth in advertising” (The New York Times). For over 60 years, Ailey has been “doing what few major dance organizations do: It is keeping pace with the times, and the conversation” (The Washington Post). The ground-breaking, forward-thinking company returns to Chicago as a Visiting Resident Company with programs of new and classic works, each one concluding with founder Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations, the “Ailey gift that somehow keeps on giving” (The New York Times).

Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

“The Manhattan company — committed to exploring the Latino experience through movement — is flourishing” (Los Angeles Times). Ballet Hispánico returns to Chicago with a new full-length work by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa based on the life of Eva Perón. Led by Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, who founded Chicago’s legendary Luna Negra Dance Theater, this innovative company has been celebrating and exploring Latinx cultures through innovative dance performances for over 50 years. “Ballet Hispánico is an example of what makes our country beautiful. It is about the stories of people from various perspectives and points of view, and their life experiences” (Broadway World).

Photo by Paula Lobo.

Russia’s most inventive ballet company — and an Auditorium Theatre Visiting Resident Company — returns to Chicago with company founder Boris Eifman’s reimagined Russian Hamlet. Eifman’s “extravagantly theatrical ballets” are “driven by powerful, boldly drawn emotions” (Toronto Star), performed expertly by “ravishing dancers who are highly accomplished technicians and artists” (Los Angeles Times). Eifman explores the full spectrum of human emotions in this story ballet that serves as “a catalyst for re-examining the soul-crushing alienation of unbridled ambition” (Chicago Tribune).

Photo by Natalia Voronova.

“Watching Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater can change your life. If that sounds like a slogan it’s truth in advertising” (The New York Times). For over 60 years, Ailey has been “doing what few major dance organizations do: It is keeping pace with the times, and the conversation” (The Washington Post). The ground-breaking, forward-thinking company returns to Chicago as a Visiting Resident Company with programs of new and classic works, each one concluding with founder Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations, the “Ailey gift that somehow keeps on giving” (The New York Times).

Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

“The Manhattan company — committed to exploring the Latino experience through movement — is flourishing” (Los Angeles Times). Ballet Hispánico returns to Chicago with a new full-length work by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa based on the life of Eva Perón. Led by Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, who founded Chicago’s legendary Luna Negra Dance Theater, this innovative company has been celebrating and exploring Latinx cultures through innovative dance performances for over 50 years. “Ballet Hispánico is an example of what makes our country beautiful. It is about the stories of people from various perspectives and points of view, and their life experiences” (Broadway World).

Photo by Paula Lobo.

Russia’s most inventive ballet company — and an Auditorium Theatre Visiting Resident Company — returns to Chicago with company founder Boris Eifman’s reimagined Russian Hamlet. Eifman’s “extravagantly theatrical ballets” are “driven by powerful, boldly drawn emotions” (Toronto Star), performed expertly by “ravishing dancers who are highly accomplished technicians and artists” (Los Angeles Times). Eifman explores the full spectrum of human emotions in this story ballet that serves as “a catalyst for re-examining the soul-crushing alienation of unbridled ambition” (Chicago Tribune).

Photo by Natalia Voronova.

“Watching Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater can change your life. If that sounds like a slogan it’s truth in advertising” (The New York Times). For over 60 years, Ailey has been “doing what few major dance organizations do: It is keeping pace with the times, and the conversation” (The Washington Post). The ground-breaking, forward-thinking company returns to Chicago as a Visiting Resident Company with programs of new and classic works, each one concluding with founder Alvin Ailey’s masterpiece Revelations, the “Ailey gift that somehow keeps on giving” (The New York Times).

Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

“The Manhattan company — committed to exploring the Latino experience through movement — is flourishing” (Los Angeles Times). Ballet Hispánico returns to Chicago with a new full-length work by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa based on the life of Eva Perón. Led by Artistic Director and CEO Eduardo Vilaro, who founded Chicago’s legendary Luna Negra Dance Theater, this innovative company has been celebrating and exploring Latinx cultures through innovative dance performances for over 50 years. “Ballet Hispánico is an example of what makes our country beautiful. It is about the stories of people from various perspectives and points of view, and their life experiences” (Broadway World).

Photo by Paula Lobo.

Russia’s most inventive ballet company — and an Auditorium Theatre Visiting Resident Company — returns to Chicago with company founder Boris Eifman’s reimagined Russian Hamlet. Eifman’s “extravagantly theatrical ballets” are “driven by powerful, boldly drawn emotions” (Toronto Star), performed expertly by “ravishing dancers who are highly accomplished technicians and artists” (Los Angeles Times). Eifman explores the full spectrum of human emotions in this story ballet that serves as “a catalyst for re-examining the soul-crushing alienation of unbridled ambition” (Chicago Tribune).

Photo by Natalia Voronova.