Dance Organizations
Bellydancing UW was founded in the Spring of 2000 by Kerridwen Mangala and Leena in order to practice the choreographies and technique of their instructor, Mona N’wal. They were soon joined by Radhika, Amy, Yayuk, Courtney, Sabrina, and many other members, who helped create the organization as it stands today.
Bellydancing UW provides instruction for beginning, intermediate, and advanced dancers. Each semester, our organization welcomes 50-70 regular attendees in the beginners’ class, where an experienced club member covers basic technique, which is synthesized into a choreography. Intermediate classes build on this foundation with a greater focus on complete dance pieces, many of which are performed by the club at events on campus and around Madison, including Helen C. House Party, Homecoming, and All Campus Party.
Founded in 1991 Social Life Dance Centers are known for their innovative and highly respected style of social dance instruction in the U.S. and Canada. Social Life Dance Centers bring professional Ballroom and Latin dance instruction to singles, couples and children with personalized private lessons, group classes and practice parties. Our Social Life System is designed to help you reach your goal faster and to have Fun learning. Each program is tailored to you and around your schedule. Whether you are a beginner or experienced dancer, Social Life Dance Centers have something for everyone.
Established in 1985, TAPIT/new works creates, produces and performs original works, collaborating with artists working in the disciplines of theater, tap dance, visual arts and music; brings the arts to audiences of all ages and backgrounds; encourages participation in the arts through outreach; and enriches the lives of individuals and communities.
The Cecchetti Council of America is an organization dedicated to maintaining the standards and method of ballet training established by Cav. Enrico Cecchetti. The organization uses his teaching and writings in a sequence of grades, carefully measured as to degree of difficulty and physical development, and provides a system of accredited examinations to test the student’s proficiency within those grades.
The CCA incorporated as a nonprofit educational association in 1951 and was the first organization in the United States to adapt a uniform system of teaching and examinations. Since that time, it has developed outstanding teachers as well as students who have danced professionally in ballet companies across the world.
The principal objective of the Cecchetti Council of America has always been to raise the quality of ballet teaching. This requires consistent attitudes of self-improvement and professional integrity on the part of each member teacher. The Council provides continuing educational opportunities through publications, refresher courses, and ballet conferences.
The Chicago National Association of Dance Masters is a non-profit association whose purpose is to serve the continuing education and professional development needs of dance teachers. CNADM was originally founded in 1912 to build ties between dance instructors in Chicago, and the organization continues that legacy today with a membership that has broadened to include more than 300 professionals throughout North America.
In furthering its mission to serve the needs of dance teachers, CNADM provides extensive continuing education opportunities for our members and their students, as well as a specialized certification program to recognize excellence in dance instruction. Membership is open to qualified dance instructors.
Bailando Latin Dance Company is a small, independently-owned business, dedicated to providing affordable, quality dance education and creating a Latin dance community in SE, Central, WI and beyond. We host instruction, create dance performances, offer cultural presentations, outreach programs, and event promotion. Our organization has reached out to great causes; among them include programs to help Children with Autism, Milwaukee Father’s Association, and the World Friendship Association. In addition to offering general education dance programming for adults, BLDC is committed to Latin dance programming for children, including those with special needs, as well as dance programming for senior centers/retirement communities. Bailando Latin Dance Company engages in events for community centers, multicultural celebrations, schools, fundraisers, benefits, and other events, both locally and statewide, for people of all ages, and all dance- levels.
Chicago Human Rhythm Project builds community through American tap and contemporary percussive arts in world class, innovative performance, education and outreach programs. Percussive dance is one of the oldest forms of human expression and tap dance is America’s contribution to the evolution of this ancient art. Chicago Human Rhythm Project celebrates the primal impulse to make rhythm and presents programs throughout the year that bring diverse individuals and communities together to share this common experience. CHRP presents four annual performance/education programs at venues around Chicago including The DuSable Museum of African American History, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Millennium Park, the historic Jazz Showcase, the Cindy Pritzker Theater and the Fine Arts Building ! CHRP’s resident performance and education ensemble – BAM! – provides after school arts education classes at three elementary schools including St. Sabina, Paul Revere and Bronzeville Lighthouse. BAM! also performs its acclaimed lecture demonstration – We All Got Rhythm – throughout Chicago which has been seen by more than 60,000 school children over the last five years. We dance together – we create together – we are moving forward – together!
Want to meet new people? Get some exercise? Learn a new skill? The Madison West Coast Swing Club offers all these opportunities and much more. Our nonprofit club provides a chance to socialize while enjoying new dance moves to a variety of music, ranging from rhythm and blues to pop and country. We offer weekly and monthly dances, plus an e-mail list to keep you informed of West Coast Swing dance opportunities locally and in the region. We offer drop-in lessons before weekly dances and an intro for beginners during our monthly dances, plus a variety of lesson series (click on the Dance Lessons tab above) to take you all the way from beginning to advanced.
An incubator of artistic energy. The center of Chicago’s dance history. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the mission and vision of its founder, international dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community. With a primary focus on dance as a critical art form, its programming ensures that children and dance artists have a place to train, work and perform at the highest level of excellence. Under the aegis of The Ruth Page Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization,The Ruth Page Center has for over 43 years committed its resources to a unique combination of artistic programs that impact over 40,000 children and adults. The Center’s mission not only serves artistic development but also community development. There is no other organization like it in Chicago housed within a single entity with this history, commitment and impact. Located just steps from Michigan Avenue’s Magnificent Mile, Chicago’s shopping, dining and cultural mecca, the historic 1927 building in which The Center resides sits on a lovely tree-lined street in the heart of the Gold Coast.
University Ballet of Chicago is a student-run ballet company affiliated with the University of Chicago in Hyde Park. We proudly offer classical ballet training and performance opportunities for dancers of diverse backgrounds and abilities.
UBallet is an expert in storytelling. Our past performances — from the modern Spartacus to the opulent Sleeping Beauty — have been filled with characters delicate and cute, royal and grotesque. We strive to bring stories alive through both classical movement and heartfelt theatricality. Our shows have delighted audiences of all ages and levels of familiarity with dance for more than a decade.
We invite you to attend our free adult ballet classes, which are held in Ida Noyes Hall on the UChicago campus. Twice a year in the fall and late winter, we hold auditions for our semiannual productions. All who audition are cast.