Chicago Dance Month Returns with Record Applications and Free Events

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The festival kicks off at Navy Pier's Lake Stage, featuring BALLET FOLKLÓRICO DE CHICAGO and M.A.D.D. RHYTHMS.

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See Chicago Dance has announced the full programming lineup for the 13th Annual Chicago Dance Month, Chicago's premier dance festival, returning May 30 through June 27, 2026. The festival activates venues across the city with family-friendly, free performances, interactive dance classes and a new neighborhood-based initiative informed by the direct input of the dance community.

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This year's festival arrives during See Chicago Dance's 20th anniversary year and follows a record-breaking response from the artistic community, with 147 applications-a 36% increase in artist applications compared to last year. The 2026 festival will feature approximately 35 dance artists and companies across 12 events citywide, showcasing the breadth of Chicago's dance ecosystem across genres, cultures and movement traditions.

The festival opens Saturday, May 30 at Navy Pier's Lake Stage with a free public kickoff celebration, featuring performances by Ballet Folklórico de Chicago, Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre, Chicago Korean Dance Company, Hyde Park School of Dance, JYZ Dance, Kelsi Fears Choreography, M.A.D.D. Rhythms and Partners in the Circle.

The festivities continue throughout June with weekly programming at Navy Pier's Ferrara Candy Wave Wall Stage and, for the first time, expanded NeighborhoodMOVES programming, presented in partnership with cultural partners across the city.

"Chicago Dance Month reflects both the extraordinary depth of our dance community and the continued demand from artists to be part of this citywide celebration," said Julia Mayer, Executive Director of See Chicago Dance. "This year's record-breaking response speaks to the vitality of Chicago's dance ecosystem, and NeighborhoodMOVES allows us to meet that energy by expanding where and how audiences can engage with dance across the city."

Chicago Dance Month Kickoff Celebration - Saturday, May 30, 3-5 p.m., Navy Pier's Lake Stage. Opens the festival with performances spanning genres and cultural traditions.

Pier Dance - Wednesdays, June 3-24, 6:30-8 p.m., Navy Pier's Ferrara Candy Wave Wall Stage. Free interactive dance classes followed by a dance party, open to all.

Wave Wall Moves - Saturdays, June 6-27, 4-5 p.m., Navy Pier's Ferrara Candy Wave Wall Stage. Experience two performance groups sharing one stage in a dynamic, hour-long program. Performances feature Contemporary, Hip Hop, Traditional Indian Dance, Bellydance and more.

NEIGHBORHOODMOVES - NEW IN 2026

Experience dance beyond the stage with a new offering: NeighborhoodMOVES, a pilot initiative bringing dance into Chicago neighborhoods through cultural partnerships and community-based programming.

NeighborhoodMOVES programming themes and schedule:

The Dance Network: Community Conversations and Collaborations - Monday, June 8, 6-9 p.m., Collaboraction Theatre at Kimball Arts Center

Dance Exchange: Glocal (Global/Local) Community in Motion - Tuesday, June 16, 6-9 p.m., Instituto Cervantes

CrossCurrents: Where Dance Styles, Ideas, and Artists Meet - Friday, June 26, 6-9 p.m., Logan Center for the Arts. Concludes with the first-ever Chicago Dance Month Wrap Party featuring House DJ and dancer Tre Daniels, aka DJ Salem.

Full programming details are available at SeeChicagoDance.com . All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. Programming is subject to change.

Chicago Dance Month is presented in partnership with Navy Pier, Collaboraction Theatre at Kimball Arts Center, Instituto Cervantes, the Reva & David Logan Center for the Arts and media partners NBC5 Chicago and Telemundo Chicago. Chicago Dance Month is supported in part by general operations grants from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, the Illinois Arts Council, the Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and a technology grant from The Service Club of Chicago.

See Chicago Dance is a nonprofit service organization with the mission to advocate for the dance field and strengthen a diverse range of dance organizations and artists through services and programs that build and engage audiences. Our two-pronged approach focuses on building audiences while developing a more cohesive dance community.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/CHICAGO-DANCE-MONTH-Returns-With-Record-Applications-Free-Citywide-Events-20260513)._