Sarah Olson, originally from Charleston, WV, began her dance training with the School of the Charleston Ballet under Kim Pauley. Ms. Olson continued her training at Butler University in Indianapolis, IN, graduating magna cum laude with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a minor in Political Science. Upon moving to Chicago, Sarah has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Nomi Dance, Inaside Chicago Dance, LEVELdance, as well as a guest artist for Chicago Dance Crash, the Schaumburg Dance Ensemble, and Thodos Dance Chicago’s New Dances Concert. She has had the pleasure of performing choreography by Wade Schaaf, Randy Duncan, Nick Pupillo, Eddy Ocampo, Autumn Eckman, Lizzie MacKenzie, Paul Christiano, August Tye, and many others. Ms. Olson has choreographed for Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival, Nomi Dance, Dance Chicago, RASA Dance Chicago, Dance Chance, and Chicago Freelance Dance. Sarah began dancing with Chicago Repertory Ballet in 2013 and began serving as the company’s Ballet Mistress in 2015. She would like to thank her friends and family for their continued support.
2016 GALA | Celebrate!
Many thank you’s to everyone who attended our October 22nd Gala at the Menomonee Club. The dancers gave a beautiful performance, the event was well attended, and some amazing support was raised for the company – THANK YOU! ENJOY THESE PICS FROM THE EVENT!
2016 Season
MACBETH
Choreography: Wade Schaaf
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Costume Design: Nathan Rohrer
World Premiere: March 4th 2016, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts, (Chicago IL)
This full length ballet is CRB’s ballet adaptation of William Shakespeare’s original work of the same title. This ballet explores Shakespeare’s characters in a contemporary world built by Schaaf with projections by designer John Pobojewski. Enjoy all the drama, passion and political intrigue of this full length ballet.
2015 Season
Bolero
Choreography: Wade Schaaf
Lighting Design: David Goodman-Edberg
Costume Design: Nathan Rohrer
World Premiere: March 13th 2015, The Biograph Theater (Chicago, IL)
Bolero is a fun, flirtatious tribute to all things love. This contemporary dance features four moving walls that bring us in to various vignettes of affection and amorous fun!
2015 Season
Dancer, Net
Choreography: Wade Schaaf
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Costume Design: Nathan Rohrer
CRB Premiere: March 13th 2015, The Biograph Theater (Chicago IL)
This is one of a trio of solos titled “Dancer, Net”. This solo is a shot wordless story of a baby bird breaking free from its shell and learning to fly.
2015 Season
Still Life
Choreography: Tenley Dickey
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Costume Design: Tenley Dickey
CRB Premiere: March 13th 2015 The Biograph Theater, (Chicago IL)
Still Life is a beautiful contemporary dancer for 7 dancers. Set to the music of Franz Schubert this dance is a luscious exploration of relationship, movement and the beautify of music.
2015 Season
Wasteland
Choreography: Wade Schaaf
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Costume Design: Wade Schaaf
World Premiere: March 13th (2015) The Biograph Theater, Chicago IL
Wasteland is a work exploring movement as a concept in addition to texture and imagination. Using the theater form of Butoh as a jumping off point this work is explorative and suggests a dystopian wasteland.
2015 Season
Lullaby
Choreography: Lucas Crandall
Lighting Design: Sarah Lackner
Costume Design: Nathan Rohrer
CRB Premiere: March 13th (2015), The Biograph Theater (Chicago, IL)
Choreographed to Bach’s famed Goldberg Variations, this contemporary dance work is a luscious dance for 5 people with a whimsical, etherial quality.
2014 season
The Four Seasons
Choreography: Wade Schaaf
Lighting Design: Julie Ballard
Costume Design: Branimira
World Premiere: May 9th 2014, The Biograph Theater (Chicago, IL)
The Four Seasons is a one act ballet exploring the human experience as translated through the gorgeous (reimagined) score by Vivaldi. The Four Seasons is a contemporary ballet which explores love, affection, hardship, joy and change.
2013 Season
Le Scare du Printemps
(The Rite of Spring)
Choreographer: Wade Schaaf
Lighting Designer: Amanda Clegg Lyon
Costume Designer: Nathan Rohrer
Set Designer: Nathan Rohrer
World Premiere: June 21st, 2013 – The Vittum Theater (Chicago, IL)
This futuristic look at the original narrative shows a society of people in a time after civilization as we know it has fallen, and what lies deep inside man. Schaaf uses the original libretto to take a gritty view at just what humans are capable of.