Hubbard Street's DreamTix Makes Free Dance Tickets A Reality For 1,300+ Chicago Public School Students

Hubbard Street launches 

DreamTix ticket access program 

serving over 1,300 Chicago Public School students during its Spring Series performances 

Hubbard Street Board Chair Sara Albrecht and Kathryn Humphreys, the company’s Director of Youth, Education and Community programs, are proud to announce the successful launch of Hubbard Street’s new ticket access for Chicago Public School students and guardians, DreamTix, during its Spring Series performances March 16–19 at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance.

Over 1,300 CPS students, teachers, and guardians received free tickets to Hubbard Street’s Spring Series from 63 Chicago Public Schools. City of Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel, welcomed the DreamTix patrons at the opening night performance on Thursday, March 16 and Kathryn Humphreys, Hubbard Street Director of Youth, Education, and Community Programs held an Educator’s Night in conjunction with the launch of DreamTix to announce the School and Community programming for the 2017-2018 school year.

In the fall of 2016, the organizers of the Chicago Dancing Festival announced that the festival was permanently coming to a close, after ten years of offering free dance performances that reached nearly 200,000 attendees. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago recognized this as an opportunity for our organization to fill the void being left by the festivals closure, particularly for young audiences throughout Chicago. DreamTix was piloted during Hubbard Street’s Season 39 Fall Series. During the pilot, DreamTix was offered to all CPS schools that Hubbard Street partners with via our Youth, Education, and Community Programs. The pilot program proved to be a success, with over 150 attendees from 10 schools. During Hubbard Street’s Spring Series DreamTix officially launched offering over 400 tickets per performance, open to all CPS students.

Over the course of a year, Hubbard Street expects to serve over 6,400 patrons through the DreamTix program. Hubbard Street will continue to offer DreamTix during the Season 39 Summer Series at the Harris Theater June 8–11, 2017.

Says Board Chair Sara Albrecht: “We are very excited to be able to engage with a new and wider audience through DreamTix to provide additional arts experiences to Chicago Public School students.”

Says Kathryn Humphreys: "DreamTix allows us to connect students and families across Chicago to our performance programs year-round. We're excited to add this much needed access to professional dance to our nationally recognized roster of dance education initiatives, reaching an additional 6,000 students annually."

The full list of schools that received DreamTix for the Spring Series includes Hamline Elementary School, James Ward Elementary School, Lincoln Park High School, Spry Community Links High School, McAuliffe Elementary School, Belding Elementary, Coonley Elementary, Alice L. Barnard Elementary School, Nathan S. Davis Elementary School, Columbia Explorers Academy, Avalon Park Elementary School, George Rogers Clark Elementary School, Carnegie Elementary School, Von Steuben Metropolitan High School, Murphy Elementary School, Hitch Elementary School, Parker Community Academy, Jamieson Elementary School, Shields Middle School, Faraday Elementary School, Foreman High School, DuBois Elementary School, Hubbard High School, Curie Metropolitan High School for the Performing Arts, Talcott Fine Arts and Museum Academy, Vaughn Occupational High School, Pilsen Academy, King Academy of Social Justice, McCormick Elementary School, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School, Solorio Academy High School, Lloyd Elementary School, Leif Ericson Scholastic Academy, Inter-American Magnet School, Owen Scholastic Academy, Daniel Hale Williams Academy, William H. Ryder Math & Science Specialty School, Telpochcalli Elementary School, Johnson School of Excellence, Calmeca Academy of Fine Arts and Dual Language, Gage Park High School, Ogden International High School, Rosario Castellanos Elementary School, Ravenswood Elementary School, Dr. Jorge Prieto Math and Science Academy, John W. Gary Elementary School, Sawyer Elementary School, Ruggles Elementary School, J.N. Thorp Elementary School, William H. Brown School of Technology, Mariano Azuela Elementary School, Doolittle Elementary School, Carrie Jacobs Bond Elementary School, Michele Clark Academic Preparatory Magnet High School, Murray Language Academy, John A. Walsh Elementary, Farragut Career Academy, Lindblom Math and Science Academy, Richardson Middle School and Sutherland Elementary School.  

About Hubbard Street
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s core purpose is to bring artists, art and audiences together to enrich, engage, educate, transform and change lives through the experience of dance. Celebrating Season 39 in 2016–17, under the artistic leadership of Glenn Edgerton, Hubbard Street continues to innovate, supporting ascendant creative talent while presenting repertory by internationally recognized living artists. Hubbard Street has grown through the establishment of multiple platforms alongside the Lou Conte Dance Studio — now in its fifth decade of providing a wide range of public classes and pre-professional training — while extensive Youth, Education, Community, Adaptive Dance and Family Programs keep the organization deeply connected to its hometown. Visit hubbardstreetdance.com for artist profiles, touring schedules, and much more.

Chicago Dancing Festival-Free Family Friendly Fun 8/20-25

IN JUST 2 WEEKS –

CHICAGO DANCING FESTIVAL

KICKS OFF 6^TH SEASON OF FREE DANCE EVENTS

·       80 Chicagoans take the stage in BOLERO CHICAGO

·       Students from AFTER SCHOOL MATTERS perform a World Premiere tribute to Maggie Daley

·       6 Days of events offer FOUR PERFORMANCES, a day of DANCE FILMS and an interactive SOCIAL DANCE LESSON

August 20 – 25, 2012

The final program line-up is set for the annual Chicago Dancing Festival, taking place at venues across downtown Chicago August 20–25.  The Festival, co-produced by renowned choreographer/Chicago native Lar Lubovitch and esteemed Chicago dancer Jay Franke, enters its sixth season, expanded this year to six consecutive days of dance events that are all completely free.

“The Chicago Dancing Festival continues to grow as one of the country’s most amazing dance showcases, bringing the best dancers and choreography from around the world to our stages,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “The Festival enriches life throughout the city and in our neighborhoods, and shines a global spotlight on the wonderful culture that Chicago has to offer.”

Highlights of the 2012 Chicago Dancing Festival (CDF) include the premiere of Bolero Chicago, choreographed by New York-based innovator Larry Keigwin and starring 80 non-dancer members of the Chicago public.  Created over a two-week residency and set to Maurice Ravel’s iconic “Bolero,” Bolero Chicago uses movement generated by the cast members themselves to exemplify Chicago’s unique culture and style.  Another highlight is the Festival debut of After School Matters’ Hip Hop Culture Dance Ensemble performingTouch of Soul, a new work by contemporary choreographer Nicholas Leichter, commissioned by the Festival to honor the memory and legacy of beloved arts champion and former Chicago First Lady, Maggie Daley.  Additionally, local troupe Giordano Dance Chicago makes its Festival debut with Two Become Three, a humorous duet about the arc of romance by contemporary Swedish choreographer Alexander Ekman, also a Festival commission.

Three different performance showcases featuring top ballet and modern dance professionals from Chicago and across the country, a look at Chicago’s ever-evolving dance community in an informative lecture-demonstration, a day-long screening of dance films that feature collaborations between dance artists, filmmakers and musicians, and an interactive social dancing lesson all complete the week’s offerings.  The Festival culminates with it signature Grand Finale on the stunning outdoor stage of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

CHICAGO DANCING FESTIVAL 2012 SCHEDULE

Monday, August 20, 7:00 pm – “Chicago Dancing”

Harris Theater for Music and Dance, 205 E. Randolph Drive

·        After School Matters Hip Hop Culture Dance Ensemble, Touch of Soul, a new work by Nicholas Leichter (CDF commission)

·        Bolero Chicago by Larry Keigwin (Chicago Premiere)

·        Giordano Dance Chicago, Two Become Three by Alexander Ekman (CDF commission)

·        Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Scarlatti by Twyla Tharp

·        The Joffrey Ballet, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated by William Forsythe

Tuesday, August 21 – “Dancing Movies”

Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Avenue

Curated by Sarah Best  

·      12 – 8 pm (concurrent in the MCA lobby) – All is Not Lost (2012), a dance-film collaboration between Grammy® Award-winning pop band OK Go, Pilobolus Dance Theatreand director Trish Sie, places band members and Pilobulus dancers in a playful and surreal human kaleidoscope.

·     ** 12 pm and 5:45 pm – Fanfare for Marching Band (2012), directed by Daniele Wilmouth with choreography by Chicago’s own Peter Carpenter and starring circus punk marching band Mucca Pazza, this fantasy short follows the adventures of a ragtag musical militia.   

**Check out our original Mucca Pazza live show shots and new album review right here.**

·      12:15 pm and 4 pm – Feature-length documentary First Position (2011), directed by Bess Kargman, follows six talented ballet hopefuls through preparation and competition in one of the most prestigious youth ballet competitions in the world, the Youth America Grand Prix.

**Check out our original Joffrey Ballet Nutcracker Kids Video Interviews and footage here**

·      2 pm and 6 pm – Academy Award®-nominated documentary PINA (2011), made by Wim Wenders in collaboration with the dancers of the Tanztheater Wuppertal, captures the emotional intensity and unique aesthetic of German post-modern dance pioneer Pina Bausch.

Wednesday, August 22, 7:30 pm – “Dancing East & West of Chicago”

Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Parkway

·        Ballet Arizona, Rubies by George Balanchine

·        Brian Brooks Moving Company, Descent by Brian Brooks (Chicago Premiere)

·        Martha Graham Dance Company, Chronicle by Martha Graham

·        Pacific Northwest Ballet guest artists Lesley Bausch and Seth Orza, Afternoon of a Faun by Jerome Robbins

·        Stars of San Francisco Ballet Sofiane Sylve and Vito Mazzeo, The Sleeping Beauty (pas de deux) by Marius Petipa

Thursday, August 23, 6 pm – “Dancing Under the Stars”

Grant Park, Spirit of Music Garden, 601 S. Michigan Avenue

·        Chicago Dancing Festival partners with SummerDance Chicago for an evening of participatory dancing as people of all ages and skill levels come together on a 4,900 square-foot, open-air dance floor for an introductory one-hour dance lesson, followed by music and dancing.  This evening begins with a Polka Dance lesson by Paul Collins followed by dancing to the beats of Joe Walega and the Happy Hearts Orchestra with instruction from Ethnic Dance Chicago.

Friday, August 24, 6 pm – “Chicago Now”

Museum of Contemporary Art, 220 E. Chicago Avenue

• A discussion on the current state of dance in Chicago will be moderated by journalist and former dancer Zac Whittenburg, featuring a panel of distinguished Chicago dance leaders, including Lane Alexander (Chicago Human Rhythm Project), Ron De Jesús (Ron De Jesús Dance), Carrie Hanson (The Seldoms) and Julie Nakagawa(DanceWorks Chicago).  The program will include brief performances by The Seldoms, Ron De Jesús Dance and FootworKINGz. 

Saturday, August 25, 7:30 pm – “Celebration of Dance”

Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park

·        After School Matters Hip Hop Culture Dance Ensemble, Touch of Soul by Nicholas Leichter

·        Bolero Chicago by Larry Keigwin

·        Houston Ballet, Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes by Mark Morris (performed with live music)

·        Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Tabula Rasa (first movement) by Ohad Naharin

·        Martha Graham Dance Company, Steps in the Street (excerpt from Chronicle) by Martha Graham

·        Stars of New York City Ballet Ana Sophia Scheller and Gonzalo Garcia, Don Quixote (pas de deux) by Marius Petipa

·        Stars of San Francisco Ballet Sofiane Sylve and Vito Mazzeo, Continuum (pas de deux) by Christopher Wheeldon

All programs are subject to change.

Ticket Information

All events are free but tickets for the indoor performance showcases (Harris Theater, Auditorium Theatre and MCA) are reserved in advance.  Tickets for these shows became available July 17 and “sold out” within hours, however wait-lines begin at each venue one hour prior to the performance and tickets unclaimed within 15 minutes of the curtain time will be released to those in the wait-line.  No tickets are needed for the “Dancing Movies” screenings at the MCA, the “Dancing Under the Stars” program at Grant Park, or the outdoor “Celebration of Dance” finale performance at the Pritzker Pavilion.  Anyone unable to attend one of the indoor performance showcases is encouraged to take part in one of these three non-ticketed events.

Prima Parti

Following the performance of “Chicago Dancing” at the Harris Theater will be the “Prima Parti” opening night after-party.  Tickets are $200 per person and can be purchased by emailing primaparti@chicagodancingfestival.com or by calling 773-609-CDF5 (2335).  “Prima Parti” attendees will enjoy VIP seating for the performance followed by cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and the chance to mingle with the professional artists in the Harris Theater Rooftop Tent.

About the Chicago Dancing Festival

The Chicago Dancing Festival was founded in 2006 to elevate awareness of dance in Chicago, to increase accessibility to the art form and to provide inspiration for local artists.  Its mission is to present a wide variety of excellent dance, enrich the lives of the people of Chicago, and provide increased accessibility to the art form, thereby helping create a new audience.  Its vision is to raise the national and international profile of dance in the city, furthering Chicago as a national and international dance destination. 

Past seasons have attracted new and returning audiences of thousands with the highest quality offerings in ballet and modern dance from companies from all across the nation and outside of the United States.  Since its inaugural event, more than 40 different companies have performed for 50,000+ audience members — growing from an audience of 8,500 in 2006 to more than 18,000 in 2011 — all with free admission. 

Lar Lubovitch (Founder, Artistic Director) is one of America's most versatile and highly acclaimed choreographers and founded the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company 44 years ago.  In the years since, he has choreographed more than 100 dances for his New York-based company, which has performed in nearly all 50 American states as well as in more than 30 foreign countries.  Born in Chicago, Lubovitch was educated at the University of Iowa and the Juilliard School in New York.

Jay Franke (Founder, Artistic Director) first danced with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company in 2005.  Franke began his formal training at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Dallas, Texas.  In 1993, he was selected as a Finalist for Presidential Scholar in the Arts and accepted into the Juilliard School.  Upon receiving his B.F.A. in Dance from the Juilliard School, Franke went to work with the Twyla Tharp Dance Company, “THARP!”.  Franke has since danced with The 58 Group, Lyric Opera Ballet Chicago, and most recently Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

The Chicago Dancing Festival is grateful for its 2012 supporters, including:  InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile, Official Hotel Partner; Chicago Sun-Times, Exclusive Media Sponsor; Museum of Contemporary Art; Harris Theater for Music and Dance; City of Chicago, Millennium Park; The Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University; Jamie and Rob Taylor; David Herro and Jay Franke; UBS; Illinois Arts Council; National Endowment for the Arts; Art Works; The Elizabeth F. Cheney Foundation; The Elizabeth Morse Charitable Trust; The Chicago Community Trust; The Sun-Times Foundation; The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation through The MacArthur Fund for Arts and Culture.

For more information, please visit Chicago Dancing Festival.