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City’s Beloved Summertime Tradition Invites All to Come Together and Dance in Grant Park, at the Taste of Chicago, and in Neighborhoods Citywide

June 15 – September 8 (select dates)

 

CHICAGO—Mayor Brandon Johnson and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) today announced the lineup for Chicago SummerDance, a beloved summertime tradition and cultural gathering hosted in parks across the city and downtown. From June 15 through September 8 (select dates), the free outdoor series offers dance and movement lessons for all skill levels taught by professional instructors, followed by music and social dancing. Again this year, Chicago SummerDance’s neighborhood events will include a variety of creative activities for the whole family in addition to dance lessons and music. Full schedule enclosed and available at ChicagoSummerDance.org.

Showcasing the multicultural traditions of our vibrant city, Chicago SummerDance features more than 30 dance styles, including Salsa, Swing, Cumbia, Line Dancing, Ballet Folklorico, Steppin’, KPOP, and more. At its flagship location in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park, Chicago SummerDance brings an array of live music from a great roster of bands, including Shout Section Big Band (Swing), Funkadesi (Bhangra/Bollywood) and Club Crib (R&B/Steppin’).

This year’s SummerDance programming offers several highlights:

• Chicago SummerDance returns to Taste of Chicago events this year, starting with Rogers Park (June 15) offering Vogue, Hip Hop, Swing and Bhangra lessons.
• Chicago SummerDance downtown in the Spirit of Music Garden will kick off August 8 with the Texas-based psychedelic Cumbia band, Money Chicha with dance instruction from Teatro Tariakuri. Money Chicha’s reverb drenched and percussion-heavy style of music is inspired by the sounds of Peru and Colombia in the 60s and 70s.
• August 17 is Salsa night in Grant Park with physically integrated dance instruction led by Desueño Dance in collaboration with MOMENTA, and live music by the popular Flaco Navaja & the Razor Blades.
• Taste of Chicago Grant Park (Sept 6-8) will bring back an array of styles including Footwork, Hustle and Line Dancing, and introduce for the first time KPOP taught by Chemical X, along with popular Mexican Regional dance styles led by Ballet Folklorico de Chicago.

As in past years, the festival extends into neighborhoods as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks Series. This year engaging programming will be featured in Austin, Calumet Park, West Ridge, North Lawndale and Back of the Yards, as well as at other DCASE events. For many of the neighborhoods, Chicago SummerDance is collaborating with community partners to develop content, including The Firehouse Community Arts Center, Move Me Soul and Front Porch Arts Center, Aao Mil Baithen (a project of the SpaceShift Collective), Free Street Theater and others.

 

2024 Chicago SummerDance Schedule

Subject to change. Updates (including weather-related announcements) will be shared on Facebook, Twitter @SummerDanceChi and ChicagoSummerDance.org

Saturday, June 15 | 11:45am-3:45pm
Chicago SummerDance at Taste of Chicago Rogers Park
Touhy Park, 7348 N. Paulina St.

11:45am – Vogue / Summer Balmain (Texture Dance Studio)
12:45pm – Hip Hop / Tone Wolf (GUS Giordano Dance School)
1:45pm – Swing / May I Have This Dance
2:45pm – Bhangra / Gopi Engineer (Meher Dance)
Music by DJ Nanoos

Wednesday, July 24 | 4:30-7:30pm
Chicago SummerDance in the Parks
Austin Town Hall Park, 5610 W. Lake St.
Theme: Drum Talk: Black Dance Evolution (West African, Steppin, Footwork)

4:30pm – Creative Activities
5:30pm – West African Instruction by Baba Eric and Footwork by Terrayne Ellis
6-7:30pm – Music by DJ Sirprize
Presented in collaboration with Move Me Soul and Front Porch Arts Center

Saturday, July 27 | 11:45am-3:45pm
Chicago SummerDance at Taste of Chicago Marquette Park
Marquette Park, 6743 S. Kedzie Ave.

11:45am – Steppin’ / Shaun Ballentine (Effortless Stepping)
12:45pm – Footwork / Mike D. (Creation Global/ Creative Netwerk)
1:45pm – Afrobeats / Stacy "Jukeboxx" Letrice (Jukeboxx Dance LLC)
2:45pm – Cumbia/ Latin Street
Music by DJ CashEra

Sunday, July 28 | 10am-2pm
Chicago SummerDance at Maxwell Street Market
Maxwell Street between S. Halsted St. and S. Union Ave.

10am – Bachata / May I Have this Dance
11am – Latin Hustle / May I Have this Dance
12pm – West Coast Swing / May I Have this Dance
12:30–2pm – Music and social dancing for West Coast Swing, Hustle,
Bachata and other Latin, Swing & Ballroom styles

Wednesday, July 31 | 4:30-7:30pm
Chicago SummerDance in the Parks
Calumet Park, 9801 S. Avenue G
Theme: Afrobeats & Cumbia

4:30pm – Creative Activities
5:30pm – Instruction by Urbanity Dance Chicago
6-7:30pm – Music by ¡ESSO! Afrojam Funkbeat

Wednesday, August 7 | 4:30-7:30pm
Chicago SummerDance in the Parks
Green Briar Park, 2650 W. Peterson Ave.
Theme: Kathak Dance and Dabkeh Dance

4:30pm – Creative Activities
5:30pm – Kathak Dance and Dabkeh Dance instruction working in tandem with music throughout the evening.
Presented in collaboration with Aao Mil Baithen, a project of SpaceShift Collective.

Thursday, August 8 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave)
Theme: Cumbia

6pm – Instruction by Karla Galvan / Teatro Tariakuri (Cumbia)
7:15pm – Music by Money Chicha (Psychedelic Cumbia)

Friday, August 9 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave)
Theme: R&B, Steppin’

6pm – Instruction by James "Pete" Frazier/ Majestic Gents (Steppin’)
7:15pm – Music by Club Crib (R&B, Steppin)

Saturday, August 10 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave)
Theme: Swing (Lindy Hop/Charleston)

6pm – Instruction by Brennan Bowman / Fizz Swing Dance (Lindy Hop/ Charleston)
7:15pm – Music by Shout Section Big Band (Swing)

Wednesday, August 14 | 4:30-7:30pm
Chicago SummerDance in the Parks
Douglass Park, 1401 S. Sacramento Dr.
Theme: Reggae and Salsa

4:30pm – Creative Activities
5:30pm – Instruction by Chi T (Reggae) and Miguel Mendez (Dance Academy of Salsa)
6-7:30pm – Music by DJ Papa G

Presented in collaboration with Firehouse Community Arts Center and the National Museum of Mexican Arts.

Thursday, August 15 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave)
Theme: Zydeco, 2 Step

6pm – Instruction by Louie Stallone (2-step, Waltz)
7:15pm – Music by Le Travaillant (Zydeco, Cajun)

Friday, August 16 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave)
Theme: Line Dance

6pm – Music by Shon Roka in collaboration with line dance leaders Fre2Dance (Line Dancing)

Saturday, August 17 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave)
Theme: Salsa

6pm – Instruction by Denita/Desueño Dance, Sarah Najera/ MOMENTA
Dance Company (Physically Integrated Salsa)
7:15pm – Music by Flaco Navaja & the Razor Blades (Salsa)

Saturday, August 17 | 11:45am-3:45pm
Chicago SummerDance at Taste of Chicago Pullman
Pullman Park, 11101 S. Cottage Grove Ave.

11:45am – Salsa / Latin Street
12:45pm – Shuffle Dance / Chicago Shufflers
1:45pm – Reggaeton / Latin Street
2:45pm – Open Dance Party / Chicago Shufflers
Music by DJ Momami

Wednesday, August 21 | 4:30-7:30pm
Chicago SummerDance in the Parks
Davis Square Park, 4430 S. Marshfield Ave.
Theme: Cumbia and House

4:30pm – Creative Activities
Prelude to Cumbia Lesson Performance by America Powers
Prelude to House Lesson Performance by Free Street Youth
5:30pm – Instruction provided by Free Street Theater
6-7:30pm – music by DJ Karenoid
EMCEE: America Powers

Presented in collaboration with Free Street Theater and Plant Chicago

Friday, August 23 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave.)
Theme: Afrobeat

6pm – Instruction by Bobbi Ponder (Afro Dance)
7pm – Music by Occidental Brothers (Afrobeat, Soukous)

Saturday, August 24 | 6-9pm
Chicago SummerDance at Spirit of Music Garden
Grant Park, 112 E. Balbo Dr. (Corner of Balbo Dr. and Michigan Ave.)
Theme: House

6pm – Instruction by Tre Daniels / Jus Be Collective
7pm – Music by A Party Called Tribe (House)

Friday, September 6 | 11:45am-3:45pm
Chicago SummerDance at Taste of Chicago
Grant Park (at Buckingham Fountain), 301 S. Columbus Dr.

11:45am – Salsa / Laura Flores (La Mecca Dance)
12:45pm – Hustle / Nino DiGiulio (May I Have This Dance)
1:45pm – Flamenco / Amanda Ramirez
2:45pm – Footwork / Mike D. (Creation Global)
Music by Jo-Z

Saturday, September 7 | 1-4pm
Chicago SummerDance at Taste of Chicago
Grant Park (at Buckingham Fountain), 301 S. Columbus Dr.

1pm – Bachata / Latin Rhythms
2pm. – Bhangra / Ajanta Chakraborty (Bollywood & Culture Groove)
3pm – Afrobeats / Imania Detry (Ayodele Druman Dance)
4pm – Hip Hop / Nathalie (Urbanity Dance Chicago)
Music by DJ Miss Bhalla

Sunday, September 8 | 12-4pm
Chicago SummerDance at Taste of Chicago
Grant Park (at Buckingham Fountain), 301 S. Columbus Dr.

11:45am – Line Dance / Vero Sagredo (Steadfast Dance Center)
12:45pm – KPOP / Chemical X
1:45pm – Regional Mexicano / Ballet Folklorico de Chicago
2:45pm – House / Vero Sagredo (Steadfast Dance Center)
Music by Ranee

 

Accessibility
All programming in the Spirit of Music Garden and Chicago SummerDance in the Parks events will have ASL interpretation. For more information, visit ChicagoSummerDance.org.

 

Night Out in the Parks
Chicago SummerDance in the Parks is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by the Mayor’s Office and Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. The Night Out in the Parks program presents cultural events year-round in neighborhood parks throughout the city. The Chicago Park District in partnership with 100 local artists and organizations, present engaging events and performances that enhance quality of life across Chicago and amplify the artistic and cultural vibrancy in every neighborhood. Through multiple disciplines, which include theater, music, movies, dance, site-specific work, nature programs, and community festivals, the series aims to support Chicago-based artists, facilitate community-based partnerships and programs, cultivate civic engagement, and ensure equity in access to the arts for all Chicagoans. For more information, please visit www.nightoutintheparks.com.

 

Chicago Park District
The Chicago Park District has served Chicago residents for more than 85 years. It is a Gold Medal Award-winning organization, which recognizes excellence in park and recreation management across the nation. For more information about the Chicago Park District’s more than 8,800 acres of parkland, more than 600 parks, 26 miles of lakefront, 12 museums, two world-class conservatories, 16 historic lagoons, over 75 nature areas, thousands of special events, sports and entertainment programs, please visit www.chicagoparkdistrict.com or contact the Chicago Park District at 312/742.PLAY or 312/747.2001 (TTY). Want to share your talent? Volunteer in the parks by calling, 312/742.PLAY. Follow us on Facebook @ChicagoParkDistrict and on Instagram and Twitter @chicagoparks.

 

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) supports artists and cultural organizations, invests in the creative economy, and expands access and participation in the arts throughout Chicago’s 77 neighborhoods. As a collaborative cultural presenter, arts funder, and advocate for creative workers, our programs and events serve Chicagoans and visitors of all ages and backgrounds, downtown and in diverse communities across our city—to strengthen and celebrate Chicago. DCASE produces some of the city’s most iconic festivals, markets, events, and exhibitions at the Chicago Cultural Center, Millennium Park, and in communities across the city—serving a local and global audience of 25 million people. The Department offers cultural grants and resources, manages public art, supports TV and film production and other creative industries, and permits special events throughout Chicago. For details, visit Chicago.gov/DCASE and stay connected via our newsletters and social media.

 

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