Witness the sport of dressage LIVE in Chicago’s backyard
Tempel Farms, 17000 W Wadsworth Rd, Wadsworth, IL,
just north of Chicago
The Tempel Lipizzans’ return for a 35th season to present a LIVE, awe-inspiring 90-minute program of synchronized movements, athleticism and harmony between horse and rider set to classical music. The outdoor program follows the horses’ training progression from newest foals, frolicking around the arena, to the precise power of young stallions, to the refined grand finale of “Quadrille: Ballet of the White Stallions,” in which four highly trained adult horses perform difficult, dance-like movements in exquisite unison. Performance highlights also include the gravity-defying, military-style “Airs Above the Ground” leaps of “The Capriole,” “The Courbette,” and “The Levade” in which few breeds outside of Lipizzan are able to perform. The Lipizzans will also demonstrate a “Tribute to the Olympic Sport of Dressage,” a musical freestyle as one would see in the Summer Olympics performed by the top riders in the sport, including this year’s “Pas De Trois,” or ballet for three performed by intermediate-level stallions. Women make history at Tempel this year with the first woman to perform the long rein segment: 20-year-old Chelyn Firenz of Sauk Rapids, Minnesota. The first woman to perform the Airs Above the Ground movement “Courbette” is Emily Riccio-Robbins of Charleston, Illinois. Check out Tempel Farm's main site here.Ditch the bustling city for the gorgeous countryside of Old Mill Creek. Evening performances include 2 FREE glasses of wine per person. Click HERE to see the full summer matinee and evening performance schedule.
The Tempel Lipizzans’ matinee performance on July 3rd celebrates the American soldiers who saved the breed in WWII. Featuring a military-style grand finale of “The Quadrille: The Battle of the White Stallions,” The Tempel Lipizzans performances take the Olympic sport of dressage (as seen at the Summer Games in Rio) and packages it into a live, awe-inspiring 90-minute program of synchronized movements between horse and rider set to classical music (plus Star Wars & Amy Winehouse) that the whole family can enjoy. Tempel Lipizzan performances run through September 11.
Lipizzan performing a capriole.
Photo by Jeff Goldberg
Discounted tickets for children and military vets!
Program Director Esther Buonanno with Quadrille Team at Devon.
John Borys Photography
IMPRESSIVE ‘BALLET’ OF
TEMPEL LIPIZZANS
WHITE STALLIONS TO DELIGHT AUDIENCES
NOW Through SEPT. 11, 2016
Witness the sport of dressage LIVE in Chicago’s backyard before the Summer Olympics
Tempel Lipizzan’s stallions return for a 29th summer to present the classic equestrian sport of dressage, a live, awe-inspiring 90-minute program of synchronized movements, athleticism and harmony between horse and rider set to classical music. The 2016 Tempel Lipizzans summer season runs through Sept. 11 on select Sundays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at Tempel Farms in Old Mill Creek, IL, just north of Chicago.
The live, outdoor program follows the horses’ training progression from newest foals, frolicking around the arena, to the precise power of young stallions, to the refined grand finale of “Quadrille: Ballet of the White Stallions,” in which four highly trained adult horses perform difficult, dance-like movements in exquisite unison. Performance highlights also include the gravity-defying, military-style “Airs Above the Ground” leaps of “The Capriole,” “The Courbette,” and “The Levade” in which few breeds outside of Lipizzan are able to perform. In honor of Rio 2016, the Lipizzans will also demonstrate a “Tribute to the Olympic Sport of Dressage,” a musical freestyle as one would see in the upcoming Summer Olympics. This year’s “The Pas de Deux,” or ballet for two performed by intermediate-level stallions, will be set to the sounds of Star Wars: Episode IV.
Following each performance, guests are invited to enjoy a self-guided tour through the stallion stable to meet the equine stars and ask questions of Tempel Lipizzan riders, trainers and working students. On July 29th and 30th, famed Olympic Trainer and Chief Rider of the Spanish Riding School, Andreas Hausberger comes to Tempel Farms to coach the team and local dressage professionals and visitors will have the chance to participate in a Q&A with the trainer.
Lipizzan Mare and Foal.
Photo by Jeff Goldberg
Evening performances create the ideal date night out with the show at sunset and two complimentary glasses of wine per ticket; Tempel Farms’ outdoor café opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. on performance Sundays and Wednesdays, and at 4:30 p.m. on performance Saturdays for dinner and drinks.
Sunset Quadrille at Tempel Farms.
John Borys Photography
Performance Schedule
Sundays at 1 p.m.: June 19, July 3, July 10, July 24, July 31, Aug. 7, Aug. 21, Aug. 28, Sep. 4, and Sep. 11
Wednesdays at 1p.m.: June 29, July 6, July 20, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 17, Aug. 24 and Sept. 7
Saturdays at 6 p.m.: June 25, July 16 and Aug. 13
Tempel Farms is located in northern Lake County, Ill., a 50-minute drive from Chicago or Milwaukee, near Great America. In case of inclement weather, performances are held indoors. Parking is free.
Tickets:
Advance tickets start at $27 with discounts for children under 15, active military personal and veterans. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.tempelfarms.com or call (847) 244-5330.
About Tempel Lipizzans
In 1958, Chicago industrialist Tempel Smith and his wife, Esther, began a year of highly sensitive negotiations with the Austrian government to import 20 Lipizzans to America. Tempel Farms soon became home to the largest privately owned herd of Lipizzans in the world. Over the past 57 years, there have been more than 900 foals born at Tempel Farms, which remains one of only a few places in the world where rare Lipizzan horses are bred, trained and perform on the same property. In 1997, the owners were awarded the Officers Cross from the Austrian Government for their careful preservation of Austrian culture in the United States.
Tempel Lipizzan performing at the White House lawn
Tempel Lipizzans have been featured in six presidential inaugurals and the 1976 Bicentennial Celebration in Washington, D.C., ridden by President Ronald Reagan and Morocco’s King Hassan II, and called to a command performance for the Carter family on the White House lawn. It was also Tempel Lipizzans that, in 1985, pulled the casket of The Unknown Soldier of the Vietnam War at Arlington National Cemetery.
Lipizzan horses are stunningly gorgeous, and a weekend trip to Tempel Farms has long been on our bucket list of close getaways. We're hoping this will be the year we check them out in person so we can bring you an in depth review and photo filled recap. In the mean time, here is their performance schedule for summer 2014 and all the details so you can plan a family visit and experience these rare and majestic dancing horses yourselves.
*Approx Distance: 50-minute drive from Chicago or Milwaukee, near Great America.
Best known for seemingly gravity-defying leaps that have prompted many to describe their breed as the equine equivalent to Mikhail Baryshnikov, the Tempel Lipizzans perform their internationally-acclaimed “Ballet of the White Stallions” all summer. Performances are scheduled for 6 - 8 p.m. on select Saturday evenings, and 1 - 3 p.m. on select Sundays and Wednesdays, through Sep. 13. All shows take place at Tempel Farms in rural Old Mill Creek, Ill., where the rare Lipizzan horses are bred, trained and perform.
Set to classical music, Tempel Lipizzan performances follow the horses’ training from the basic movements of the youngest stallions, through “high school” dressage – rhythmic, choreographed dance steps on the ground – and the dramatic Pegasus-like “Airs Above the Ground” for which the breed is famed. Lipizzans are one of very few breeds that possess the combination of physical power, athleticism and suppleness to perform these airborne moves.
An early breed established in Europe many centuries ago, these powerful horses were originally trained for medieval battle maneuvers for royal armies. Their graceful moves were refined to a form of entertainment during the late Renaissance in the royal courts of Europe. Today, two places in the world are most closely associated with classical Lipizzan performance, the famed Spanish Riding School in Vienna, Austria, and Tempel Farms in Chicago’s far north suburbs. Here, the dancing stallions continue to entertain and delight audiences ranging from local horse lovers and history buffs, to urban families seeking a countryside getaway, and international tourists.
Following each performance, guests are invited to enjoy a self-guided tour through the stallion stable, visit the yearlings in the pasture, and ask questions of Tempel Lipizzan rider-trainers. Tempel Farms’ outdoor café opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. on performance Sundays and Wednesdays, and at 4:30 p.m. on performance Saturdays for dinner and drinks.
Tempel Farms is located in northern Lake County, Ill., a 50-minute drive from Chicago or Milwaukee, near Great America. Remaining Saturday evening performances are scheduled for July 19, August 16 and September 13. Matinee shows will be held on July 13, July 23, July 27, Aug. 3, Aug. 6, Aug. 10, Aug. 20, Aug. 24, Sep. 3 and Sep. 7. Tickets purchased in advance are $25 for adults, $20 for active military and veterans, and $15 for children under the age of 15. Tickets purchased at the gate are $30 for adults and $20 for children and active military/veterans.
In case of inclement weather, performances are held indoors. Parking is free. To purchase tickets online or for more information, visit www.tempelfarms.com or call (847) 623-7272.
The Tempel Lipizzans began in 1958 when the late Tempel and Esther Smith imported 20 Lipizzans from the Austrian stud farm in Piber and started what became the largest privately owned herd of Lipizzans in the world. Their prestigious appearances include several Presidential Inaugurals and special exhibitions at the White House, the U.S. Capitol, the Taste of Chicago, Ravinia Festival, Arlington Racecourse and Madison Square Garden. In 1997, the President of Austria presented the Smith family with the Officer’s cross, Grand Declaration of Honour for Service to the Republic of Austria, in recognition of their “careful management of a cultural institution with such close ties to Austria.” Tempel Farms is the only place in the United States where these rare white horses are bred, trained and perform on the same property.
