Father Time will have to do the Quick Step to catch up with Chicago dance in 2016. Major venues promise calendars full of exciting dance to inspire, entertain, and stimulate. An overview of what’s coming in the next few months will help you plan ahead, but first take a look at what’s waiting right on the doorstep of the new year.

Children are the true barometer of theatrical success. This past Sunday, the happy high-pitched cacaphony of children’s voices filled the sold-out 867-seat North Shore Center for the Performing Arts before the curtain went up on Salt Creek Ballet’s final 2015 performance of “The Nutcracker.” But when the lights dimmed, and the familiar trumpet theme of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker overture beguiled their ears and marched straight for their hearts, the curtain rose on a magical world that beckoned them in and held their hushed attention for two hours of spun confection.  

Hubbard Street’s winter series was about the dancers, their splendor as an ensemble maturing with each season, their strengths as individual artists a delight to behold. This past weekend saw both the main company and Hubbard Street 2 in a program of four works, the whole of which demonstrated the expressive range and stylistic flexibility that is a hallmark of this company’s eclectic repertoire. 

The Nutcracker ballet comes in all shapes and sizes. This past weekend saw opening nights of two Chicago Nutcrackers that have each played an important role in Chicago dance history, creating holiday traditions and setting the standard for its production. The Joffrey Ballet celebrates the final season and 28th consecutive year of founding director, Robert Joffrey’s 1987 Nutcracker, while the Ruth Page Civic Ballet observes the 50th anniversary of Miss Page’s 1965 production, which  ran annually at McCormick place until 1997. 

Growing up in Kansas, tapper Mark Yonally found his niche as a dancer by jamming with jazz musicians. His love for embodying live jazz music would become the foundation of Chicago Tap Theatre (CTT), a 13-year old tap company committed to original music and storytelling – a departure from traditional perceptions of tap dance. Where many tap companies view the form as a genre of music, opting for plain costumes and plotless soundscapes, Yonally is more interested in positioning tap as a choreographic form, using stagecraft and live music with tap dance to tell contemporary stories.