See Chicago Dance, the dance industry's nonprofit service organization, is proud to announce that this June will see the return of its popular annual offering, Chicago Dance Month. Now on its ninth iteration, Chicago Dance Month honors the artists and companies that are eager to get back in front of audiences. Chicago Dance Month is excited to highlight a full slate of live and virtual performances, classes and more from Chicago’s dance community.
“This year’s Chicago Dance Month is my first as See Chicago Dance’s executive director and I could not be more excited,” said See Chicago Dance’s Executive Director Julia Mayer. “It’s been more than a year since many of us have been able to experience dance in-person. Chicago Dance Month offers plenty of opportunities to experience the rich breadth of Chicago dance with live performances all over the city and, for those who aren’t yet comfortable gathering together, there will be virtual offerings as well.”
In addition to the events listed below, See Chicago Dance will spotlight the work of dozens of artists and organizations during this citywide celebration. Chicago Dance Month events and Hot Deal discount offers will be added to future releases and updated at SeeChicagoDance.com.
EVENTS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED INCLUDE*:
Chicago Dance Month Kick-Off Celebration
Navy Pier’s Lake Stage, 600 E. Grand Ave.
Saturday, May 29 • 3 - 4:30 p.m.
FREE
Featuring performances by Aerial Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Mandala Arts, The Seldoms, in addition to an interactive lesson from May I Have This Dance.
Wave Wall Moves
Navy Pier’s Wave Wall Platform, 600 E. Grand Ave.
Saturdays from June 5 –September 4 • 3 - 3:15 p.m.
FREE
Pop-up dance performances and interactive dance classes that will feature a rotating roster of dance companies each Saturday throughout the summer. Featuring performances by Culture Shock Chicago, Dance in the Parks, Desueño Dance, M.A.D.D. Rhythms, Matter Dance Company, Meadows Dance Collective, Sildance/Acrodanza, Winifred Haun & Dancers and more.
Chicago Dance Month “Scavenger Hunt”
McKinley Park, 2210 W. Pershing Rd.
Wednesday, June 9 and Wednesday, June 30 • 4:30 – 6 p.m.
FREE
Audiences take a self-guided tour through the historic McKinley Park with site-specific performances happening throughout the park. Featuring performances by Bellydance by Phaedra, Dancing Petals, Helen Lee/Momentum Sensorium, Ishti Collective, Lawson Dance Theatre, Noumenon Dance Ensemble, Raks Inferno, RE|dance group, Synapse Arts, Yin He Dance and more.
Chicago Takes 10
Virtual Event
Thursday, June 24 • 6 p.m.
FREE
Chicago Takes 10 is a new virtual performance series sponsored by the Walder Foundation to provide support to performing artists and arts organizations who have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Performances by Banks Performance Project, Clinard Dance’s Flamenco Quartet, Star Dixon and Donnetta ‘LilBit’ Jackson, Ambe’r Johnson & Ayanna London and Lee Na-Moo.
*See Chicago Dance will follow all current safety protocols from national, state and local governments. Programs may change due to any updates.
ABOUT JULIA MAYER, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SEE CHICAGO DANCE
Julia Mayer became See Chicago Dance’s executive director in August 2020. Mayer has been involved in and influencing Chicago’s cultural scene in a variety of capacities for more than 20 years, having worked at 3Arts Inc., The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Chicago Humanities Festival, Morrison-Shearer Foundation and Museums In the Park. In addition, she has chaired and served on numerous committees from Links Hall to Chicago Dancemakers Forum to the Chicago Park District. For more than two decades, Mayer has been a choreographer, teacher or consultant at Columbia College, University of Chicago and in Indiana at Valparaiso University and Saint Mary’s College. She has a masters degree in Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a bachelor’s degree in Linguistics from the University of Chicago.
ABOUT SEE CHICAGO DANCE
See Chicago Dance is a nonprofit service organization with the mission to advocate for the dance field and strengthen a diverse range of dance organizations and artists through services and programs that build and engage audiences. Its vision is to fearlessly inspire an ever-growing inclusive community to share in and spread the power of dance in Chicago.
See Chicago Dance is the source for all things dance with the city’s most comprehensive resource for dance information and one of the largest websites in the United States dedicated to the art form. Its two-pronged approach focuses on building audiences while developing a more cohesive dance community.
For audience members, See Chicago Dance offers a dynamic calendar of dance performances and experiences, Hot Deal ticket discounts, professionally written reviews and previews, and listings for more than 200 dance organizations. For dance artists and organizations, See Chicago Dance provides a full range of Programs and Industry Resources to help build audiences, improve skills and foster appreciation of dance.
