TEMPEL LIPIZZANS’ WHITE STALLIONS
CELEBRATE 60TH ANNIVERSARY WITH RETURN OF RENOWNED CLASSICAL DRESSAGE PERFORMANCES
JUNE 17 – SEPTEMBER 2, 2018
Anniversary season commemorates Tempel Lipizzans’ leadership in bringing the classic art of riding to the U.S. with awe-inspiring performances
in Chicago’s backyard all summer long
OLD MILL CREEK, Ill. (May 8, 2018) The Tempel Lipizzans proudly celebrate their 60th anniversary as the world’s largest, privately owned herd of Lipizzan horses known for exquisite performances of equestrian dressage – a live, 90-minute program of synchronized movements, athleticism, and harmony between horse and rider set to classical music. The 2018 Tempel Lipizzans’ summer season kicks-off on Father’s Day, Sunday, June 17 at 1:00 p.m. with performances continuing through September 2 on select Sundays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays at Tempel Farms in Old Mill Creek, IL, just north of Chicago.
This year marks the 60th year since founders Tempel and Esther Smith imported twenty Lipizzans from Piber, Austria in 1958, thereby establishing the herd now known as the Tempel Lipizzans – the first full-scale stud farm in the U.S. Now the largest, privately owned herd of Lipizzans in the world with 76 horses, the organization was one of the first to bring classical dressage to U.S. audiences and has remained a driving force behind the reinvestment in the breed – an endangered domestic animal.
“It was not until I began to lead the Tempel Lipizzans that I came to understand the importance of our organization in the public sphere and my grandparents’ foresight to import this breed and culture to the U.S.,” said Program Director Esther Buonanno. “Though dressage was created to keep horses performing in the imperial courts after their service was no longer necessary on the battleground, their beauty and service is undeniable to the arts and our history even today. These horses in exhibition keep us connected to something deeper and richer than anything else we encounter in our daily lives. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, the Tempel Lipizzans will continue to bring the beauty of these horses to the public and transform audiences with each visit.”
As part of the anniversary season, Tempel Lipizzans will once again present its beloved summer performance series showcasing the art of classical riding. Each live, outdoor performance 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 the 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 modern day dressage competitions performed by the top riders in the sport as well as artistic choreography called the “Pas De Trois,” or ballet for three performed by intermediate-level stallions. This summer’s performance season will also feature a Grand Prix, Long Rein performance – the only location in the United States where such a high level Long Rein can be observed. Following each performance, guests can enjoy a self-guided tour through the stallion stables to meet the equine stars and ask questions of Tempel Lipizzans riders, trainers and working students.
Tempel Lipizzans will also host a 60th Anniversary Gala Celebration on Saturday, July 21 at 5:30 p.m. at the stallion stables at Tempel Farms. The event will honor the foresight of its founders and ongoing mission to bring awareness to the art of classical riding and the Lipizzan breed in the U.S. Tickets are $150 per person and include a special performance by the Tempel Lipizzans followed by food, refreshments, and live music performed by the String Quartet of the Northbrook Symphony. The event will also include a special viewing of never-before-seen footage of Tempel Lipizzans’ original herd as they traveled from Austria to their new home in the U.S. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit www.tempelfarms.com/gala.
Performance Schedule:
- Sundays at 1:00 p.m.: June 17, July 1, Aug. 5, Aug. 12, Aug. 19, and Sep. 2
- Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m.: June 27, July 11, July 18, July 25, Aug. 1, Aug. 15, and Aug. 22
- Saturdays at 6:00 p.m.: June 23, July 7, July 14, and Aug. 25
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. VIP seating featuring complimentary wine and refreshments is also available.
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 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 59 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 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.
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