It is us BUT is everyone having landmark birthdays this year:  The Sound of Music is 60 years old, the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in NY  celebrates 100 years, its Elvis’s 90th birthday, Bob Marley’s 80th, Jane Austens 250th Birthday, Grease 45th etc.  and the latest one is the Joffrey Ballet, who are 70th this year. To celebrate this Season, they are having a major Exhibition at Wrightwood 659 in Chicago 

The exhibition offers an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the history and legacy of the acclaimed company and Robert Joffrey through a rich selection of archival materials. The exhibition features newly digitized rare film, including the original performance of the groundbreaking ballet Astarte (1967) and footage of Anna Sokolow’s Opus 65 (1965); a wide array of Joffrey Ballet costumes, props, pointe shoes, posters, and correspondence spanning the decades; and Robert Joffrey’s high school report card where he declares his intention to be a dancer and join a ballet company—instead, he would start one.

Joffrey’s vision for a ballet company started from who he was—from an immigrant family without the typical social or physical stature expected in traditional forms of ballet. His company included a spectrum of bodies and presented a range of dances—from 20th century classics by Vaslav Nijinsky and Kurt Jooss to the topical pieces of his co-founder Gerald Arpino to Frederic Ashton, Twyla Tharp, and William Forsythe’s new ballet choreography. Joffrey died in 1988 of AIDS at the age of 59. The Joffrey Ballet became known across the country for its eclectic repertory, traveling to small towns and major cities across the U.S. and the world. To do so required entrepreneurship in addition to perseverance. 

The Joffrey + Ballet in the U.S. tells the story of what made the Joffrey a unique force in the world of dance, . demonstrating how the company’s inner workings and history led to it redefining and constructing the future of ballet in the U.S. Launching its 70th Anniversary season – and 30th year as a Chicago-based company – this fall, The Joffrey Ballet continues to thrive under The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE and President and CEO Greg Cameron