Masashi Action Machine. Photo by Wako____________
To see some great dancing sometimes you don't have to go see a professional company. For instance, now through Aug. 24 you can go downtown to the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park where you'll find the 11th annual Chicago SummerDance Series. This unique festival features 33 nights and 10 afternoons of music and dancing for all ages to enjoy.
Chicago SummerDance is formatted into themes featuring world music ensembles on Thursdays; 'popular nights' including jazz, Latin, country and funk on Fridays and Saturdays; and ballroom/big band on Sunday afternoons. Each session starts with a one-hour dance lesson led by professional instructors followed by two hours of live music and dancing on a 4,600-square-foot open-air dance floor.
Attendees of the SummerDance Series include many Chicago locals as well as people from the suburbs, northwest Indiana and Michigan. Carlos Tortlero, program manager for the series, says, 'SummerDance has a die-hard fan base that consistently comes out each and ever night, whether it be Latin, Cajun, swing, folkloric or ballroom. Overall, I think the series has a large connection to the locals.'
That's not to say, however, that many tourists don't also enjoy the music and dancing, although sometimes they may not be expecting it. Tortlero says, 'Many of our out-of-state visitors often appear pleasantly shocked to see such diversity on hand at SummerDance. It appears to be almost an anomaly to them when it's in fact the norm for us.'
New this year to the series are three nights of dance contests for amateur dancers, including salsa on Aug. 10, swing on Aug. 17, and ballroom on Aug. 24. Also new is the Chicago SummerDance 'On The Move' program, which takes dancing into four additional park districts: Athletic Field Park, Humbolt Park Boathouse, Jackson Park 63rd Street Beach and the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Each dance program is free and open to the public. For a schedule of events visit www.ChicagoSummerDance.org, or call the SummerDance Hotline at 312-742-4007.
Also, don't miss these upcoming events:
For one night only, July 12, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago presents Inside/Out at the Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago. The evening offers two shows, at 6:30 and 9 p.m., and features a program of new works choreographed by the main company members of Hubbard Street, joined by artistic associate Lucas Crandall. The suggested donation is $20 ( a steal to see these beautiful and highly trained dancers ) and there are no advance sales. For more information call 312-850-9744.
AMEBA Acrobatic and Aerial Dance presents Red Thread July 12-14 at the Ruth Page Theatre, 1016 N. Dearborn. The program offers a new collection of air-bound contemporary dance works based on the idea of an old Chinese proverb about a stretchy, yet resolute, invisible red thread that connects all human beings. 773-463-4402; $10-$20.
Storytelling and tap dance fuse together in Chicago Tap Theatre's newest creation, The Hourglass in the Stop-Time Chronicles: A Superhero Tap Opera, July 13-29 at the Athenaeum Theatre Studio 1, 2936 N. Southport. Co-created by artistic director Mark Yonally and comic book artist Andrew Pepoy, the show follows The Hourglass, a super-powered heroine who traverses a world of tap dance and cutting-edge music to fight the forces of evil. 312-902-1500; $15-$25.
Margaret Morris Dance presents the world premiere of Laying of Hands, July 13-15 at The Galaxie, 2603 W. Barry. Accompanied by an original score by Johnse Holt and Lloyd Broadnax King, this evening-length work cycles through stillness, hypnotic repetition, violent outbreaks and sumptuous improvisations to explore the emotions of pain, loneliness and healing. 773-321-2006; $15.
The Leopold Group presents Green Eyes, a new kind of musical, July 20-29 at the Theatre Building, 1225 W. Belmont. With choreography by Lizzie Leopold, music and lyrics by Brian Mazzaferri and musical direction and orchestration by Eli Zoller, two dancers, two singers, a five-piece orchestra and a moving video backdrop combine to tell a simple love story that proves love is never simple. 773-327-5252; $20-$30.
Chicago Human Rhythm Project ( CHRP ) presents Rhythm World, July 31-Aug. 5, at Northwestern University, 20 Arts Circle , Evanston. The Tap Slams program, CHRP's version of American Idol for tap dancers, is on July 31 and Aug. 1. The Cutting Contest, an improvisation competition, is on Aug. 2. The Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance program is Aug. 3-5 and features Harold Cromer, Skip Cunningham and Jimmy Slyde, known as the three kings of rhythm. 847-491-7282, $5-$30.
Gus Giordano and the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs present an international celebration of dance, the Jazz Dance World Festival, Aug. 1-4 at the Harris Theatre in Millennium Park, 205 E.Randolph. Each of the four performances feature different programs and include host Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Canada's Les Ballets Jazz de Montreal, Philadelphia's Koresh Dance Company, Italy's Danza Prospettiva Vittorio Biagi, Japan's Masashi Action Machine, Mexico's Cuerpo Etereo Danza Contemporanea and many more. 312-334-7777; $45-$60.
