The festival, to be held from September 17 to October 12 in four separate venues, will feature more than 35 groups from the Chicago Metro area representing all forms of dance, from folkloric to contemporary, from Mexico to Argentina, Spain and the Caribbean.
The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago proudly presents the first ever Chicago Latino Dance Festival, a four-week celebration of the rich variety and versatility of Iberoamerican dance and of Chicago’s thriving dance scene. 37 Chicago-area groups will participate, representing such disciplines and regions as Puerto Rican bomba and plena, Brazilian samba, flamenco, Belizean punta, Haitian traditional, Chilean cueca, indigenous dances from the Quechua, Purepecha and Zapotec nations, tango and contemporary dance, among others.
The festival will be held from September 17 to October 12 in four separate venues: the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E 60th St. (Sunday, September 17); Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Auditorium, 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. (Saturday, September 23); the Global Peace Picnic’s ¡Súbelo! Stage part of the World Music Festival, Humboldt Park Boathouse, 1301 N. Sacramento Avenue (Saturday, September 30); and the Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center, 4048 W. Armitage Ave. (Thursday, October 12). Admission to all four days of the festival is FREE, however you are encouraged to reserve your spot in advance.
“There is no doubt that Chicago is a city of festivals. There is one for every neighborhood, for every artistic expression. And yet there are some gaps. The Chicago Latino Dance Festival was created to address one of those gaps: a showcase for the many styles of dance you will find in Latin America and Spain. Most of the groups performing in our Festival work at a community level. Others represent countries that sometimes are left out of our conversations about Latin America. They all deserve a spotlight of their own. Just like with our film festival, we invite audiences to join us in this colorful journey throughout the Latino diaspora,” said Pepe Vargas, Executive Director of the International Latino Cultural Center.
“The Chicago Latino Dance Festival provides an opportunity to experience and expose traditions that are critical to the culture and identity of so many communities that exist within Chicago. We also want to elevate and raise the profiles of the artists and traditions of these countries while fostering cross-cultural exchange and providing a cultural outlet for artists outside of their communities. We hope to turn this Festival into an annual event,” added Mateo Mulcahy, Deputy Executive Director of the International Latino Cultural Center.
The full calendar of events follows. For full artist and group bios and ticket information, visit latinoculturalcenter.org/.
The Chicago Latino Dance Festival is partially supported by a CityArts Project grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events. The September 17 program is sponsored by the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts.
CHICAGO LATINO DANCE FESTIVAL CALENDAR
Acts listed in order of appearance.
Sunday, September 17
The Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts
915 E 60th St.
2 pm – 8 pm (with an intermission)
Ensemble Español (Spain)
Eduardo Villalba and Fernanda Ghi (Argentina/Tango)
Grupo Folclórico Viva Panamá (Panamá)
Unidos por Guilá (Mexican/Oaxacan)
Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (Modern/Chicago)
Clinard Dance (Spain/Chicago)
Danza Joskua (Mexican/Indigenous/Michoacán)
Chicago International Salsa Congress featuring eight groups and couples (Chicago/Pan-Latino)
Patiperros Dance Group (Chile)
Victor Alexander/Hedwig Dances (Modern/Cuban/Chicago)
Saturday, September 23
Old Town School of Folk Music, Maurer Auditorium
4544 N. Lincoln Ave.
Noon-2:55 pm
Iré Elese Abure (Cuba)
Kichwa Runa (Ecuador/Indigenous)
Ballet Folklórico de Chicago (Mexican)
Dill’s Dance Group (Brazil)
Tierra Colombiana (Colombia)
Corazón Boliviano (Bolivia)
Casa de la Cultura Guatemalteca (Guatemala)
Grupo TUWAMARI (Ecuador)
Saturday, September 30
Global Peace Picnic’s ¡Súbelo! Stage
Part of the World Music Festival
Humboldt Park Boathouse
1301 N. Sacramento Avenue
1-6 pm
Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago w/Mariachi Perla de Mexico (Mexico) Samba 1 Brazilian Dance Group w/Chicago Samba (Brazil)
Center of Peruvian Arts w/SolAndino (Peru)
Bomberxs D’Cora (Puerto Rico)
Tamboula Ethnic Dance Company (Haiti)
Laruni Hati Garifuna Dance Group (Belize)
Thursday, October 12
Segundo Ruiz Belvis Cultural Center
4048 W. Armitage Ave.
7:30pm – 9:30 pm
AfriCaribe (Puerto Rico)
Raíces de mi Tierra (Colombia)
Latin Street Dancing featuring Latin Street Melao’ Salsa Team, Latin Street Cubanacan and Latin Street Melao Junior (Chicago/Pan-Latino)
Tata Cepeda (Puerto Rico)
ABOUT THE ILCC
The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago is a Pan-Latino, nonprofit, multidisciplinary arts organization dedicated to developing, promoting, and increasing awareness of Latino cultures among Latinos and other communities by presenting a wide variety of art forms and education including film, music, dance, visual arts, comedy, theater, culinary arts and more.
The Center prides itself for its outstanding multidisciplinary local and international cultural programming which spans Latin America, Spain, Portugal, and the United States.
Born out of the Chicago Latino Film Festival, The International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago also produces other programs, including the Chicago Latino Music Series (formerly known as the Latino Music Festival), which is celebrating its 17th edition this year; Film in the Parks, also in its 17th season; the monthly Reel Film Club, already in its 14th year; and many others. All in all, the audience has grown from 500 people in 1985 for the first Chicago Latino Film Festival to more than 70,000 (Latinos and non-Latinos) who enjoy the year-round multidisciplinary cross-cultural exchanges offered by the Center.
