The Dance Theatre of Harlem was formed by Arthur Mitchell and Karel Shook in 1968, an inspired response to the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Three years later, in 1971, the company made its Chicago debut at the city’s famed Auditorium Theater. I remember it well, the excitement that greeted the fledgling classical company. DTH, as it came to be known, was soon an annual high point in the city’s dance landscape. And here they are, 55 years after that first engagment at the Auditorium, still coming. For their visit in October, repertory includes the company’s celebrated version of Stravinsky’s Firebird, with sets and costumes by Geoffrey Holder, re-created by his son, the artist Leo Holder. George Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations upholds the company’s stylistic connection to the New York City Ballet. And Return, choreographed in 1999 by DTH artistic director Robert Garland, rounds out the program. It’s just one night, so don’t dawdle getting your tickets. —Laura Jacobs