CHICAGO -- As I rode in from O'Hare International Airport on a foggy Sunday morning, Chicago seemed to rise up from its Midwestern flatlands in some kind of gray Ozian splendor.

Julianne Kepley and Michael Levine are featured in Joffrey Ballet's "Cinderella." Click photo for larger image. If you go to Chicago The Joffrey Ballet. One of America's premier ballet companies, the Joffrey performs three series plus the annual "Nutcracker" at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago in addition to an extensive touring schedule. Information: 1-312-902-1500 or www.joffrey.com. Hubbard Street Dance Company. Hubbard Street performs a fall and a spring series at the Harris Theater in Chicago's Millennium Park in addition to a national touring schedule. Information: 1-866-535-4732 or www.hubbardstreetdance.com. Chicago Shakespeare Theater. Located on Navy Pier, CST has 10 productions on tap this year, including "Twelfth Night," "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Marionette Macbeth." Information: 1-312-595-5600 or www.chicagoshakes.com.

After years of postponing, it was finally time to visit the home of the Sears Tower and so much more, particularly with the performing presence of two companies on the coming Pittsburgh Dance Council season: The Joffrey Ballet (March 2-3) and Hubbard Street Dance Company (Feb. 10).

It turned out to be Indian summer in the Windy City. All of Chicago turned out for the sunshine in Millennium Park, home of the giant bean (a silvery reflective sculpture by Anish Kapoor, officially called "Cloud Gate") and Jaume Plensa's spitting images at the Crown Fountain, a pair of water towers with changing electronic faces and a disappearing drain that made you appear to be walking on water.

The whole waterfront plan was particularly attractive -- Chicago architect and city planner Daniel Burnham's for-the-people vision that gave the residents lakeside beaches, bike and jogging paths, parks and the popular Navy Pier, an entertainment complex that stretches out over Lake Michigan.

But the city is just now discovering the potential of the winding river through its impressive skyline, something that was best seen (even during a rainy outburst) from a wonderful architectural tour by boat.

But winter can be long and harshly cold in Chicago. So it's not surprising that the cultural arts scene has flourished. Besides the dance companies, I was also able to take in a bonus baby of a performance from the Chicago Shakespeare Festival and highly recommend a visit there. "Hamlet" was playing in its burnished Globe-style theater on the Navy Pier.

But because of a performance conflict, I took in "The Two Noble Kinsmen" in the tiny black box theater upstairs, complete with stunning nighttime view of Chicago's skyline through its glass walls.

"Kinsmen" is considered the last of Shakespeare's plays, and it probably shared writing credit with Jacobean dramatist John Fletcher, according to the experts.

Despite editing and the intimacy of the space, this was as robust an interpretation as you'll find.

The handsome cast, definitely star-worthy (but with the requisite Shakespearean chops), was fiercely athletic as they played on David Gordon's ingeniously versatile set.

The Joffrey Ballet, on the other hand, was staging its largest production in 50 years with Sir Frederick Ashton's 1946 ballet, "Cinderella," created for the legendary Margot Fonteyn.

It was reason to celebrate.

Although the company has the largest Ashton repertoire in America, this was a major revival.

It was a dream of Robert Joffrey, who died in 1988, and co-founder Gerald Arpino and the company carried it off with a distinctly American style. Is there a more spirited company around today?

Prokofiev's score, with its dark harmonies and pungent tonalities, usually provides an obstacle for choreographers who play in the happily-ever-after fairy tale realm.

But Ashton embraced the dark shadows that lurk in the original stories, leaving ample room for his own fantastic touch. Similarly, David Walker's scenic design resembled historical pen-and-ink storybook drawings, leaving ample room for his sparkling costumes.

The quick classical footwork was there, but so were angular steps that played upon Prokofiev's rhythms.

Ashton also included, in the British music-hall style, a pair of ugly stepsisters played by men, in this case Christian Holder and Gary Chryst, hallmark Joffrey dancers from the past who returned virtually to steal the show.

Holder used his tall frame to full advantage, and Chryst was ever so fragile, like a pinched Wedgwood figurine.

With their impeccable comic timing, they reminded everyone what a longtime treasure the Joffrey is.

The Joffrey employed nearly all of its 41 dancers plus apprentices, led by Maia Wilkin, a Cinderella who seemed in charge of her own destiny, and a princely Willy Shives, former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal dancer, who was the most sensitive and elegant of partners, even sinking to his knee along with Wilkin at the curtain call.

Even though the Joffrey is a company that loves to travel, Chicago has yet another group on Hubbard Street that is well known on the road.

It was offering a program of in-house works choreographed by members of the ensemble.

Pittsburgh's Cheryl Mann (Point Park University) and the newly arrived Terrence Marling (Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre) were part of a daring ensemble of dancers, moving with the kind of sleek, athletic grace for which Hubbard is known.

Artistic director Jim Vincent seems to be moving the company away from the audience-friendly, jazz-flavored heritage that Lou Conte installed to an edgier contemporary blend not unlike that exhibited at many European companies.

Vincent relied on in-house choreography, something that is paying off for the company. That was reflected in five works, including a pair of strong duets -- "Cor Perdut," Harrison MacEldowney's Middle Eastern-inspired piece, and "Gimme," full of Lucas Crandall's boot-stomping movement.

It was good to see that Prince Credell, one of the major forces in the Alonzo King Dance Company, had joined Hubbard over the summer.

At this performance, he performed a substantial solo in Brian Enos' "Diphthong" and showcased the disarming ease with which he clarifies any choreographic phrasing.

At the end, it was apparent that this trip provided an update on two dance companies that have been absent from Pittsburgh for far too long.

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Correction/Clarification: (Published Nov. 29, 2006) This story, as originally published Nov. 26, 2006, should have said the Joffrey Ballet's Christian Holder performed as an ugly stepsister with Gary Chryst, not Geoffrey Holder.