#ChicagoSummerDance The largest annual outdoor live music and dancing series in the United States will culminate with an all day-long celebration August 26th at Chicago’s town square, Millennium Park! The day will include interactive “citizen dancer” options such as circle dance lessons and the amateur Most Versatile Dancer Contest®, complimented with performances from some of the City’s most inspiring professional troupes, crews and companies at the Wrigley Square “Dance Village” and Jay Pritzker Pavilion. The night will crescendo as professionals, amateurs, and patrons alike can all enjoy a house DJ dance party at Cloud Gate. The event is FREE and is the FIRST of an annual Chicago dance celebration! FULL SCHEDULE: Dance Village at Wrigley Square 12–6pm In collaboration with Audience Architects and SeeChicagoDance, the Dance Village will highlight various dance companies with short performances and lessons! Click the link for the full list of companies and times! SummerDance-Off Competition Finale at Cloud Gate Stage 12–3pm Finalists from the steppin’ and footwork neighborhood competitions will battle on the dance floor. The winners will perform at Millennium Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion as part of the Mainstage Show later that evening. The steppin’ competition begins at noon until1:30pm, followed by the footwork competition at 1:30pm until 3pm. Paul Collins, Circle Dance Lesson on the Great Lawn, Jay Pritzker Pavilion 3–4pm This circle dance lesson, led and DJed by Paul Collins on the Great Lawn of the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, will encompass Central and Eastern European folk dances and will be a family-friendly, all-ages experience. SummerDance Competition at the Cloud Gate Stage 4–6pm The Most Versatile Dancer Contest® is an all-style dance competition with May I Have This Dance. This is an amateur dance contest where couples must prove that they know the most dance styles by dancing whatever the emcee announces for 20 to 30 seconds song clips. To stay alive they should be able to dance at least 3 basic steps, the correct timing, and clear characteristics of each dance. The winners will be selected after the last couple(s) are tapped out and/or have the most cards left. For more information, or to enter the contest, click here: Mainstage Show at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion 6:30pm Five professional local dance companies have been commissioned to make new works for this event. Featured companies, all making their Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage debut are Chicago Dance Crash, Red Clay Dance Company, The Era Footwork Crew, BraveSoul Movement and Move Me Soul. The evening will also include spotlight dances by the two winners of the SummerDance-Off competitions. House DJ Dance Party at Cloud Gate Stage 8–9:30pm After the show, the audience will be led back out to the Cloud Gate Stage where house Dj Kenny Ray will spin music alongside voguers and other local dancers, while attendees dance in front of Cloud Gate. In an effort to spread dancing throughout the city, SummerDance Chicago is the city’s premier dance festival, bringing communities together in a unique, urban dance space all summer long. Chicagoans can take part in dancing and live music every Friday-Sunday, June 23-September 10, in the Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park and on Thursdays and Saturdays, July 13-September 14 in neighborhood parks throughout the city.