Posted 3 days ago
7 MIN READ -- The Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) will present its two signature festivals, Stomping Grounds and the 35th Anniversary Rhythm World, as well as its annual Gala! Jubalee honoring Jumaane Taylor, Nora Daley and Alderman Michelle Harris which will support the Mayfair Arts Center capital campaign.
sTOMPING gROUNDS: a FREE CITYWIDE CELEBRATION OF PERCUSSIVE dANCE
Stomping Grounds will return May 4 - June 1 by uniting many of Chicago’s most accomplished percussive dance companies for a series of performances, classes and conversations across the city. Audiences will experience the rich cultural traditions of foot drumming through free, dynamic performances and classes, celebrating the universal language of rhythm at three, premiere community venues:
- May 4, 5pm: Irish American Heritage Center
Featuring the Trinity Irish Dancers with Stone Soup Rhythms, Najwa Dance Corps, and Collaborative Institute of Cultural Arts! Irish, Tap, African, Mexican and Indigenous traditions are represented and shared. This performance is preceded by a free class in Irish dancing for all ages, an indoor farmers’ market and traditional Irish pub food. - May 25, 5pm: National Museum of Mexican Art
Enjoy a rhythmic celebration blending tap, Indo-Arabic flamenco, Mexican Folkloric, West African dances and Irish drumming from Collaborative Institute of Cultural Arts, Stone Soup Rhythms, Najwa Dance Corps, the Stomping Grounds debut of Surabhi Ensemble and Irish Bodhran virtuoso, Mike Austin. This performance is preceded by a free class in Mexican Folkloric dance for all ages. - June 1, 5pm: Logan Center for the Arts
This year’s grand finale unites Najwa Dance Corps, Stone Soup Rhythms, Collaborative Institute of Cultural Arts, and Surabhi Ensemble debuting cross-cultural collaborations for an evening of innovative footwork and rhythmic storytelling.
*Partner companies performing (Trinity Irish Dancers with Stone Soup Rhythms, Surabhi Ensemble, Najwa Dance Corps, and Collaborative Institute of Cultural Arts)
RHYTHYM WORLD FESTIVAL: 35 YEARS OF TAP DANCE EXCELLENCE
From July 9th to the 20th, CHRP’s Rhythm World Festival celebrates its 35th anniversary as America’s longest-running and most comprehensive festival of American tap dance. This year’s event features two weeks of multi-venue concerts and extensive education programs featuring many of the world’s most celebrated teachers and performers including the world premiere of Sarah Savelli’s “Fly me to the Moon: A Centennial Celebration of Oscar Peterson.”
*Photo credit J. Allice Jackson Photography
The festival will include FREE performances at iconic venues such as:
- July 9: Juba! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance Opening Night FREE Jazz Showcase
Join the opening night of Rhythm World with Jumaane Taylor and the Jazz Hoofing Quintet, plus leaders of the old and new schools as they "shed" in the standard way of tap and jazz music. - July 13: Juba! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance 2 FREE DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center
Rhythm World 35 concerts continue as CHRP welcomes the top
professional soloists from the east coast and heartland, Jason Janas, Christina Carminucci and Shannon Kamisnski alongside Chicago legends Mr. Taps, Jimmy Payne Jr., and Reggio McLaughlin as well as Lane Alexander, Jumaane Taylor, Keyana Latimer and the Brent Griffin, Jr. Quartet. This will be a masterful evening of individualism in tap with a jazz quartet: a perfect blend in this field. - July 15: Student Showcase FREE
Studebaker Theater
Often an audience favorite, young artists from around the world
share their rhythms, passion and in many cases, blistering technical Prowess. Previous performers included MacArthur “Genius” Michelle Dorrance, Jazz at Lincoln Center soloist, Jared Grimes and CHRP’s Artistic Director Jumaane Taylor. The Student Showcase is a window into the future of tap. - July 16: Gala! Jubalee $75 - $500, Sponsorships $1,000 - $25,000
Studebaker Theater
The Gala! Jubalee, CHRP’s annual fundraiser, honors Jumaane Taylor, Nora Daley, and Alderman Michelle Harris for their Exceptional Contributions to Performance, Arts Education, and Community. The evening starts with a pre-performance buffet reception with passed hors d'oeuvres and libations followed by the JUBA! Awards and gala concert in the Studebaker Theater. The performance is followed by a dessert and dancing after-party! Proceeds will support the expansion of CHRP’s Mayfair Arts Center and its art education program, We All Got Rhythm education program. The goal of this year’s Gala! Jubalee is to raise $500,000 to match a capital grant from the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development. - July 18: Juba! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance, Grand Finale FREE
Studebaker Theater
Experience the Rhythm World 35 Finale! CHRP presents its annual festival finale at the historic Studebaker Theater, featuring top soloists from across the country. Witness three generations of tap artists - from coastal rhythms to Midwest grooves - orchestrating masterpieces on stage and a special world premier of the one-act, “Fly Me To The Moon” by Sarah Savelli honoring the Oscar Peterson Centennial.
*Photo credit Kyle Flubacker
GALA! JUBALEE A NIGHT OF DANCE AND CELEBRATION
July 16th, CHRP will host their annual Gala! Jubalee, a celebratory evening honoring 35 years of innovation and American tap. The gala will feature special performances, the presentation of the JUBA! Awards, and appearances by many of the artists who have shaped CHRP’s legacy including the First Lady of American Tap, Dianne “Lady Di” Walker, virtuoso of the first order, Sam Weber and global tap guru, Derick Grant. Jubalee 2025 will seek to raise $500,000 to support the renovation and expansion of its community cultural center, the Mayfair Arts Center which recently received an $800,000 grant from the City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development.
This year’s awardees are being honored for their Extraordinary Contributions to:
- Jumaane Taylor: Performance For his landmark work, Supreme Love, and extraordinary, inexhaustible “improvography” that reveals true genius
- Nora Daley: Arts Education For her commitment to the arts through service at the Illinois Arts Council and arts education by continuing the work of her mother, Maggie Daley, through After School Matters
- Alderman Michelle Harris: Community Service For her lifetime of tireless service to the residents of the 8th Ward and the entire City of Chicago through economic development, public safety, health and wellness . . . and the arts.
TICKETS AND REGISTRATION
Tickets, registration and sponsorships for Stomping Grounds, Rhythm World, and Gala Jubalee are available at chicagotap.org. For more information about upcoming events, please contact Derek Layne: DLayne@chicagotap.org or visit www.chicagotap.org.
