What if trading a larger, more dance-saturated city like New York or Los Angeles in favor of a smaller one allowed you access to better funding, more choreographic opportunities and quicker name recognition—not to mention a lower cost of living?

Ask almost anyone in the know and they’ll tell you, as far as tap dance goes, that Chicago’s the place to be. The scene is teeming with extraordinary hoofers who are steeped in experimentation and individual artistry. Dancers seamlessly intermingle with Chicago’s top-shelf musicians at storied jazz clubs across the city. “Chicago is ‘The Second […]

Before the theater industry vanished overnight, I was a dancer in the Broadway company of Chicago. When Broadway shuttered on March 12, I filed for unemployment and fled New York City. Today, when the Broadway League announced that Broadway would remain closed through May of 2021, I was still 2,000 miles from home, sitting in […]

Memorial Day is notoriously one of Chicago’s bloodiest weekends. Last year, 36 people were shot and seven died that weekend. In 2017 and 2016, the number of shootings was even higher. When Garley “GiGi Tonyé” Briggs, a dance teacher and Chicago native, started noticing this pattern, she was preparing her second annual Memorial Day workshop […]

You could call it island-hopping, but it’s not exactly a vacation. After choreographing last season’s Come From Away, and winning a Tony nomination, Kelly Devine zipped from frosty Newfoundland to the Caribbean beach resort that is the setting for Escape to Margaritaville. In the fall, she was shuttling between them, before they start this month: […]

If you still don’t know what you’re going to be for Halloween, don’t panic just yet. Dance Magazine has your back. Whether you’re heading to a party, dressing up for technique class or doing some good ol’ trick-or-treating, there are countless costume options that take inspiration from modern, ballet and Broadway. (Chances are you already have the […]

Recreate Chita Rivera’s look in Chicago with sexy black and white styles. Transform into Giselle with these feminine, delicate classic looks. Wear white, flowing skirts to embody the iconic and joyful energy of Revelations.