The Joffrey Ballet Tour: A Dream Come True

Guess where we went last week?



Inspired by my FREE peek at the Chicago skyline (thank you again, Heather), I am determined to find other gratis activities to fill our first summer in the city. Thankfully, the Joffrey Ballet provided an option.



On the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, the public is welcome to tour the Joffrey tower. Located at the corner of State and Randolph, it has been the home of the Joffrey Ballet since 2008. The tower includes rehearsal studios, a black box theatre (pictured above) and the administrative offices. This tour must be a well kept secret. Either that or I'm one of the few crazed fanatics excited enough to jump at the chance to see behind the scenes of this half century old American institution. When we arrived we quickly realized we were the only ones on the tour! At first I wondered if that was awkward, but then we decided to just go with it.


We were ushered through classrooms, a practice space that doubles as a theatre, the dancer's lounge, and the costume room. We learned about the Joffrey's community engagement programs and even got to see some of the students preparing for a performance. The tour lasted about thirty minutes and we were encouraged to ask questions and oooh and ahhh as much as we'd like. 
If you're a fan of Joffrey or like me, you grew up at a ballet barre; I would recommend taking the tour. To make a reservation or for more information, visit the Joffrey's website.
Anyone else out there ever dream of being a ballerina?