Founded in 2003 by Nancy Laurie and currently under the artistic direction of former Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater member Benoit-Swan Pouffer, Cedar Lake boasts an exceptionally talented ensemble of sixteen dancers from around the world. The company focuses on acquiring and commissioning new works by the world's most sought-after emerging choreographers.

Through their daring, athletic movement and integration of ballet into contemporary and popular dance forms, the dancers of Cedar Lake take audiences on a choreographic journey that explores the infinite possibilities of movement and multimedia. According to The New York Times, "the troupe has drawn a dance-savvy audience and created a team of wonderful performers, adept at picking up different styles and always impressive in their articulation and intensity." For their exclusive Chicago engagement at the Auditorium Theatre, Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet will perform Crystal Pite's "Ten Duets on a Theme of Rescue," Didy Veldman's "frame of view" (sic) and Jo Strømgren's "Sunday, Again."