Salsa.
No, not the kind in the half-eaten burrito bowl on my desk… We’re talking dance!
April is about halfway done, but the dancing isn’t! Whether you’re the girl from Black Swan, a John Travolta-Uma Thurman from Pulp Fiction type or a super clumsy foot crusher, we’re here to tell you why Chicago Dance Month is just plain awesome. Alright, where to begin? I guess we’ll start with something we all know, dancing is about as entertaining as it gets. Have you ever tried to frown and dance at the same time? Honestly I doubt it, because you’re probably having too much fun to even think about taking that frown for a test run… So to make a long experiment short, you can’t.
This takes us to the next step, either you’re reading this because you’re an amazing dancer and you found the title amusing, or you’re like me and you have the worst white-boy rhythm known to man. Regardless of your catalyst to this post the point doesn’t change…dancing tickles your fancy in some fashion. Like I said, I have the worst white-boy rhythm in the world but I crush it at weddings. I’m a wedding dancer. Life of the party and just there for a good time.
For those like me in the latter category, fret not; Chicago Dance Month means dance classes galore. Kids and adults alike can take part in the incredibly diverse offering of lessons available throughout the city. Most of these are either really cheap or FREE, and different levels are available with various degrees of depth and complexity.
Not for you? No worries, I’m going to be hanging at the free Thank Dance It’s Friday (TDIF) event at Pritzker Park.
“Genie, that sounds cool… but what is it?”
I thought you’d never ask! Basically, this is a place where you go to boogie down however you see fit. They throw on some tunes, and everyone jams. People are free to come and go as they please, so come by after work and see if you can pick me out of the crowd (hint: The logo on our page is actually my self-portrait)
Okay so most of us aren’t pro dancers, I think we’ve established that by now. That’s where the best part of Chicago Dance Month kicks in; you’re able to see professional dancers at all times of day, every day. There’s ballet, dance concerts, student performances, and cultural shows at an incredibly large variety of venues. No matter your time schedule, there’s definitely going to be something going on for you to check out.
You can view all of the events here
And yeah, there’s salsa too.