Michel Rodriguez and Benjamin Wardell of The Cambrians
Dancers and dance companies of all styles and sizes call Chicago home, while the city also hosts touring companies from around the globe. After all, what other city can boast a mayor with ballet training!?
How to begin:
The best thing to do, to start, is to get in class and online. Audience Architects is Chicago’s dance service organization, and you will want to join their email list, as well as checking out their website SeeChicagoDance. SeeChicagoDance aggregates information about ticket discounts, classes, performances, funding opportunities, and community engagement events. But don’t just get involved digitally, show up! Volunteer at an event, take a company class, or attend a community convening. These Audience Architects hosted events are the perfect way to begin building a network of wonderful, artistic, engaged, Chicagoans. Also, get tuned into the Chicago Artists’ Resource (CAR). CAR is a wonderful website with constantly updated information about jobs, residencies, and much more. And lastly, join the "Happy (?) Chicago Dancer" Facebook group and Chicago Dance Community Facebook group for posts about classes, auditions, and subbing opportunities.
Where to train:
Of course, this list is only the beginning. In addition to these studios, I always recommend finding company classes (which aren’t usually listed on dance studio websites). Company classes are often smaller and cheaper. They are advertised on company Facebook pages and websites.
- American Rhythm Center
- Visceral Dance Center
- Lou Conte Dance Studio
- Ruth Page Dance Center
- Joffrey Ballet – Adult Open Division
- Dovetail Studios
- Old Town School of Folk Music
- Joel Hall Dance Center
- Extensions Dance Center
- Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center
Where to rehearse:
While all of the studios listed above will rent space hourly, there are additional spaces listed below. Many dance companies seek partnerships with the Chicago Park District or the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) for both rehearsal and performance space.
- Outerspace Studios
- Menomonee Club for Boys and Girls, Drucker Center
- Dfbrl8r Performance Art Gallery
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago (in Jiri Kylian's Falling Angels); photo by Todd Rosenberg
How dancers get performing gigs:
While most Chicago companies do hold formal auditions (advertised on their Facebook page and website), the dancers that are most often hired have also been in company class for weeks beforehand and have created relationships with the choreographers and directors. Going to classes regularly is a great way to be seen and to check out different dancemakers. But make sure to introduce yourself! Don’t let dance class etiquette keep you from introducing yourself to the teacher, or even to classmates that you admire. These short conversations, before and after class, are networking gold!
Opportunities for emerging choreographers:
– Dance Chance is a great place to start. Think, an open mic but for choreographers.
– The month-long Dance Chicago festival (October/November) is also a great starting point – lots of different levels and styles and a fully produced show.
– The Chicago Moving Company often produces a summer festival called D49, Dance for $9.99. It is billed as “fresh works by Chicago’s underproduced contemporary dance artists.”
– OuterSpace studio runs a works-in-progress program called “Research Projects” (advertised on their Facebook page).
Leopold Group, photo by Matt Caruso
Festivals:
- Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival
- Dance Chicago Festival
- Chicago Dancing Festival
- Dance for Life Chicago
- Dance in the Parks
Venues where out of town artists perform and organizations that present them:
- Harris Theater for Music and Dance
- Lyric Opera of Chicago
- Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University
- Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago
- Links Hall
- Museum of Contemporary Art
- Mana Contemporary Chicago
- Athenaeum Theater
Opportunities to teach dance, the amount of work in the area, and ages and settings for teaching:
The greater Chicago-land area is filled with dance studios, and many professional dancers pay their rent by teaching at these suburban studios (ages 2-18; ballet, hip hop, jazz, tap, modern, and more). But make sure you have a car! People who teach in the suburbs must factor in the time and money (car, parking, gas) required to get back and forth each week. These jobs are often posted on CAR or on the "Happy (?) Chicago Dancer" Facebook group.
Additionally, there are teaching opportunities through the Chicago Public Schools After School Matters program. These programs are often facilitated through partnerships with professional Chicago dance companies (Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Joffrey Ballet, Striding Lion Performance Group, etc) and positions are advertised on their websites.
Also check out:
Local colleges and universities with undergraduate and graduate programs:
- Northwestern University (just north of the city in Evanston)
- Columbia College Chicago
- Loyola University
- University of Chicago (no major, but a robust extracurricular dance scene)
The Seldoms; photo by Jeff Sciortino
Chicago-based artists who have been featured on Life as a Modern Dancer:
Final thoughts:
Chicago is a wonderful city, and its dance community is even more so. Be present, both in-person and online. Don’t only show up when you need something, someone to buy a ticket or to make a donation. Support other artists whenever and however you can (usher at a show, donate $5 to a Kickstarter, share a Facebook post). Get to class often. See lots of shows and bring non-dancer friends with you – because getting that great dance job won’t be so great if we’ve stopped cultivating new audiences!
—————
Lizzie Leopold is a Chicago dancer, dancemaker, and dance scholar. She is the Artistic Director of a small modern dance company, the Leopold Group (www.leopoldgroup.org), and is a PhD Candidate at Northwestern University in theater/dance.
Life as a Modern Dancer 
Leave a comment