After a year of online programming, the city’s gradual rollout of COVID-19 vaccines and the teasing promise of summer weather, Chicago’s dance community is once again ready to reimagine the ways we connect with each other. Lucky Plush Productions, a local dance-theater company that is no stranger to adapting to dynamic situations with creativity and style, is at the forefront of this innovation.

Dance is featured prominently in the Auditorium Theatre's upcoming season, which unofficially begins with American Ballet Theatre's "ABT Across America" tour stopping in MIllennium Park July 8. This fall, the theatre reopens its doors with a full slate of dance performances plus music and the popular National Geographic Live lecture series.

Chicago has delicious coffee and a captivating dance scene, but it’s rare to find a combination of the two. Premiering in June, “Café Cortado” is new dance project highlighting the uniqueness of Chicago’s independent coffee shops including PiniPico Brazilian Café and Sputnik Coffee Company.

“Zafiro Flamenco” swaps drama and steamy sensuality for celebratory light-heartedness in Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater's first live, in-person concert since COVID-19 restrictions shut down all public performances a year and a half ago. The festival launches the Ensemble’s postponed 45th anniversary season in a hybrid program June 18-20 at North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie. The Saturday night concert will be both live and live-streamed.

The Joel Hall Dancers and Center (JHDC) presents their summer concert “LEGACY: Phoenix^5” performed June 19 for a live, limited audience at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts. The performance, which will also stream online on July 8, includes works by the House Father—cofounder and artistic director emeritus, Joel Hall—and his Legendary Children: Jacqueline Sinclair (artistic director), William Gill (assistant artistic director), Van Collins (guest choreographer/youth company director) and Merrick Mitchell (guest choreographer/JHDC instructor).

Editor’s note: The 2021 Our Readers Write column is a curated collection of articles and creative writing by various members of the Chicago dance community. We hope to provide our readers with expanded perspectives on both dance writing and the artistic lenses of the contributing authors. Audrey Hartnett, a recent BFA graduate from Columbia College Chicago’s dance department, contributes her thoughts to the ongoing conversation of how we should reevaluate our craft as dancers and dancemakers as we move through this pandemic. —Jordan Kunkel

Adding to the flurry of recent season announcements is Giordano Dance Chicago, who returns to the stage with a full docket of performances. The 2021-22 season, announced Wednesday, includes two mixed rep concerts at the Harris Theater on Oct. 22-23, 2021 and April 1-2, 2022. Additional engagements, with all programming yet to be determined, will take place at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts Feb. 5, 2022 and June 11, 2022 at the Auditorium Theatre.

Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, in residence at Northeastern Illinois University, presents three concerts as part of Zafiro Flamenco 45th Anniversary Festival. The program, performed at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, features the company’s world premiere of “Tangos de Granada,” choreographed by Wendy Clinard, artistic director of Clinard Dance. Two works in the bulerías and martinete (deep song) styles are choreographed by Nino de los Reyes, the first dancer to ever win a Grammy Award.

Summer is a time for young people to commit to a passion with even greater intensity. Every year, a group of promising young dancers, chosen by audition, do just that, spending four weeks learning, training and performing as part of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater’s Summer Dance Intensive (SDI).