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Dance News: Chicago’s Harris Theater To Present Exclusive U.S. Presentation of English National Ballet in Akram Khan’s GISELLE

The Exclusive U.S. Presentation Runs From February 28 – March 2, 2019

The Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance will present the exclusive U.S. presentation of Akram Khan’s Giselle, English National Ballet’s 2017 Olivier Award winner, running  for four performances, February 28 – March 2, 2019 at the Harris Theater in Chicago. Britain’s premier touring company, led by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, returns to the U.S. for the first time in three decades with a compelling new take on one of ballet’s most cherished stories. One of the greatest romantic ballets of all time, Giselle is Akram Khan’s first full-length ballet. The iconic story of love, betrayal and redemption has been given a haunting reinterpretation with a newly commissioned score by Vincenzo Lamagna adapted from the original Adolphe Adam work, and performed by Chicago Philharmonic Society.

English National Ballet in Akram Khan’s Giselle © Laurent Liotardo.

Giselle features sets and costumes by Academy Award-winning designer Tim Yip (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), dramaturgy from Ruth Little, and lighting design from Tony Award-winner Mark Henderson.

Akram Khan is one of the most celebrated and respected dance artists today. In just over a decade he has created a body of work that has contributed significantly to the arts in the UK and abroad. His reputation has been built on the success of imaginative, highly accessible and relevant productions such as DESH, iTMOi, Vertical Road, Gnosis and zero degrees.

An instinctive and natural collaborator, Khan has been a magnet to world-class artists from other cultures and disciplines. His previous collaborators include the National Ballet of China, actress Juliette Binoche, ballerina Sylvie Guillem, choreographer/dancer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, singer Kylie Minogue, composer Steve Reich, and many more. Khan has been the recipient of numerous awards throughout his career including the Laurence Olivier Award, the prestigious ISPA (International Society for the Performing Arts) Distinguished Artist Award, the South Bank Sky Arts Award and the Critics' Circle National Dance Award.

English National Ballet is a world-class ballet company, renowned for creative excellence, innovative collaboration, engaging ways of honoring and enhancing traditional ballet, and evolving the art form for future generations. Established in 1950 by former Ballets Russes dancers Anton Dolin and Alicia Markova and impresario Julian Braunsweg, and led by Artistic Director Tamara Rojo since 2012,  it exists to bring ballet to the widest possible audience by touring throughout the UK and around the world. www.ballet.org.uk

English National Ballet in Akram Khan’s Giselle © Laurent Liotardo.

Giselle is co-produced by Manchester International Festival and Sadler’s Wells, London, and supported by the Giselle Production Syndicate and Arts Council England. The Harris Theater’s presentation of English National Ballet is made possible with leadership support from the Harris Family Foundation, Caryn and King Harris; Abby McCormick O’Neil and D. Carroll Joynes; and ITW.

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