Porkchop Introduces Late Night Hours & Industry Night Specials (Chicago,IL)

PORKCHOP INTRODUCES LATE NIGHT HOURS & INDUSTRY NIGHT SPECIALS   It's officially patio season in Chicago. West Loop Porkchop (941 W. Randolph St.) is the ultimate place to eat and party this summer with its open patio, late night hours, and industry night specials. Chicago's flourishing BBQ and whiskey joint is excited to announce its late night deals and special offers for industry professionals. Late night on Randolph Street is the place to be this summer! Porkchop's new hours include staying open late until 2am Tuesday through Saturday, with the full menu available until 1:30am. All dine-in customers can also enjoy half-off ribs from Midnight-2am. In the service industry? Join Porkchop for 50% off Tuesday through Saturday from 10pm-2am. Check out details at http://www.industrynightinsider.com/products/porkchop/ .     About Porkchop Porkchop is a restaurant and bar that dishes out an urban interpretation of a Southern backwoods experience. It is an unapologetically unpretentious neighborhood party spot serving gourmet Southern comfort food and BBQ, and featuring an innovative 'lowbrow' bar program with some of the world's top whiskeys. Porkchop serves brunch, lunch, dinner and late-night on Randolph Street, and provides service for all three meal periods and late into the evening at its Hyde Park location. The music is edgy and eclectic; live music is a steady feature in Hyde Park. Porkchop offers daily drink and food specials and features a sidewalk patio in the summer. Porkchop also features a to-go concept at two locations, offering similarly backwoods inspired BBQ and Southern comfort food, unique from the other two restaurants, and prepared for express service. For more information, visit Porkchop online at www.ChicagoPorkchop.com , like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

TWO ODYSSEYS TAKE FLIGHT AT THE PATRICIA & PHILLIP FROST ART MUSEUM FIU THIS SUMMER (Florida)

TWO ODYSSEYS TAKE FLIGHT AT THE PATRICIA & PHILLIP FROST ART MUSEUM FIU THIS SUMMER  – Artists' Journeys Span Geographic and Personal Expeditions –   Green Machine: The Art of Carlos Luna  (June 13 - Sept. 13) Creole World: Photographs of New Orleans and the Latin Caribbean Sphere   (June 13 - Aug. 23) Carlos Luna and Richard Sexton will attend the opening reception for both exhibitions on Saturday, June 13 (4:00-7:00 p.m.) at Florida International University, 10975 S.W. 17 Street (map & directions ), free and open to the public.   Creole World: Photographs of New Orleans and the Latin Caribbean Sphere Forty years ago his journey began. Photographer/author Richard Sexton left his Atlanta home in 1974 in a Datsun station wagon to explore Latin America and the Caribbean. Many years later his adventure would manifest into a photographic journey capturing the architectural and urban similarities of Latin Caribbean cities throughout the interconnected Creole world: Haiti, Colombia, Argentina, Cuba, Ecuador, Panama and New Orleans.   This traveling exhibition features 50 photographs and was organized by and premiered at the Historic New Orleans Collection in 2014. The accompanying book includes more than 200 photographs, plus essays by Creole scholar Jay D. Edwards and photography historian John H. Lawrence.   "Richard Sexton's photography can be called documentary but his photographic explorations push far beyond the realm of recording the world," said the Director of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum - FIU, Dr. Jordana Pomeroy. "Creole World became a project of passion, immersion, and discovery. Sexton dove into his subject matter and emerged with a body of work that visually ties together Caribbean and South American cultures that share strands of history - some ugly, some beautiful, but always compelling."  The gestation period of this project was long and gradual, 38 years of Sexton's pilgrimages to sites of Creoleness.  In 2006, a return trip to Latin America (Sexton's first visit since his initial sojourn in 1974 when he was 20 years old), the artist's reunion with Latin America sparked the idea for a book of photographic essays mapping the visual, cultural and historical connections shared between New Orleans, Latin America and the Caribbean. The images feature exotic urban locations and neighborhoods that are difficult to travel to and challenging to photograph - due to politics, warfare and natural disasters. Places such as El Chorillo in Panama City; Cuba's Cienfuegos, Trinidad, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba and La Habana; and post-2010 earthquake Haiti's Port-au-Prince, Jacmel and Cap-Haïtien. The book describes these cities as an entire family of cultural cousins with similar Colonial histories. The essays refer to them as places that were founded as New World outposts of Old World empires, forging new identities and cultures from European, West African and indigenous influences - by turns inspired by and in defiance of, and adapted from all of them. Other locales on this visual sojourn include Cartagena de Indias, Quito, Panama City and of course - New Orleans. Richard Sexton lives in New Orleans and is renowned for his books and exhibitions about architectural photography. His work has been published in Smithsonian Magazine, Preservation Magazine, Abitare, Archetype, Harper’s and Photographer’s Forum.He received the 2014 Michael Smith Memorial Award for Documentary Photography from the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities. When asked about how this exhibition could connect to audiences in Miami at the Frost Art Museum - FIU, Richard Sexton says: “Miami is a place of great cultural relevancy now,” said Richard Sexton. “So many Miamians come from the Caribbean and Latin America, and this work is an homage to their Creole world – its sensual architecture, its bold tropical colors and foliage, and vibrant street life. Beautiful, seductive, exotic and irresistible.”     “This immigrant population in Miami knows their Creole world first-hand,” adds Sexton. “They are a critical mass, transforming Miami into a new kind of place – a multi-lingual, multi-cultural polyglot. New Orleans is the historical example of this cultural phenomenon, and Miami is now the contemporary example. Places that are appreciated for their Creole-influenced cuisine, music, culture and architecture. Miami is now part of the Creole World. It’s all about the power of hybridity.” #  #  # More about Richard Sexton and his biography at richardsextonstudio.com .  Read his Creole World blog at creoleworld.tumblr.com.  Watch videos about Creole World  that chronicle Richard Sexton’s travels here.  Sexton will appear at Books & Books in Coral Gables for a book signing on Friday, June 12 at 6:30 p.m. Photos courtesy of The Historic New Orleans Collection. All photos © Richard Sexton. Photo-credits (top-to-bottom): 1.)  Madonna on Caffin Avenue, Lower Ninth Ward; New Orleans; 1994 2.) Scene along Baie du Cap Haitien, Haiti; 2012 3.) Couple crossing the street, Habana Vieja; Havana, Cuba; 2009 4.) Car and facade, Habana Vieja; Havana, Cuba; 2009; 5.) Mixed use townhouse damaged by the 2010 earthquake; Jacmel, Haiti; 2012; © Richard Sexton 6.) Improvised hip-hop lounge, Club Cartagena; Cartagena, Colombia; 2010 Green Machine: The Art of Carlos Luna One of the foremost contemporary Cuban artists, Carlos Luna is part of a generation of artists who embrace their strong Cuban heritage and traditions but have reinvented themselves along the way. This exhibition is organized by guest curator Dr. Barbaro Martinez Ruiz and showcases Luna's cross-pollination of influences from living and working in Cuba until 1991, then in Mexico for 13 years, and now in Miami since 2002. The exhibition spans 5,000 square feet in the museum's Grand Galleries. It features more than 120 artworks, most shown for the first time and some created in new mediums the artist has been experimenting with during the past four years, including:  Jacquard tapestries and works on metal sheets with patina and aluminum leaf, created at Magnolia Editions ;  Talavera ceramic plates created in Puebla, Mexico;  mixed media on paper/on wood; and his large-scale oil on canvas paintings. "Citing Rufino Tamayo and Wifredo Lam as major influences, Carlos Luna tells stories and relates fables that are culturally attuned to shifts in the social and political environments of the three countries where he has lived and created art," said the Director of the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum - FIU, Dr. Jordana Pomeroy, "and the humanity that makes these places so vibrant."  Carlos Luna has worked as an artist during three equal periods of time in Miami, in Puebla, Mexico and Cuba. Luna continues to create his Talavera ceramic pottery at the famed Santa Catarina Studios in Puebla, Mexico. He also works at the Magnolia studios in California where his tapestries are designed and produced. The title Green Machine alludes to the importance of the rain forest known as El Monte, a sacred space in the Afro-Cuban tradition one must enter to find meaning. The machine represents the mechanism that perpetuates life's continuity. Combined, these ideas represent the artist leaving behind his rural past and his contemplative journey into the present moment. "The best artist is the one who makes his art a science," adds Luna. "And the best scientist is the one who makes an art of his science." The towering centerpiece of the exhibition, El Gran Mambo, is a massive six-panel painting chronicling the artist's own story. "El Gran Mambo tells the story of my journey through three countries," says Luna, adding that music passionately fuels his creative process while he’s painting. "The musicality and rhythm of El Gran Mambo are powerful elements of this centerpiece."  Luna also cites as his artistic influences the musical masters Benny More and Ismael Rivero. According to guest curator Barbaro Martinez Ruiz, the exhibition at the Frost Art Museum -FIU draws upon Cuba's rich, oft-forgotten rural culture and popular wisdom, plus  Afro-Cuban religious traditions. The work itself teems with edgy political commentaries, delivering a verbal-visual punch to map his journey with proverbs,  riddles and graffiti-like scrawls. Adds Carlos Luna: "The United States is a country with immigrants from everywhere, and this gives me the opportunity to be in contact with the world." This exhibition is made possible with the support of Bacardi North America, Siempre Viva Art Foundation, and the Israel, Rose, Henry and Robert Wiener Charitable Foundation in Honor of Dr. Carol Damian. #  #  # - To read more about Carlos Luna and his biography, please visit carlosluna.com . - Watch a recent video about Carlos Luna's artwork here . Photos courtesy of Carlos Luna studio. Photo-credits (top-to-bottom): 1.)  Bailaora, 2015 Jacquard tapestry - 101 x 85 inches Publisher, Magnolia Editions   2.) Round Plate, 2015 Talavera Ceramics - 17 inches diameter Produced by Talavera Santa Catarina   3.) Dreamer, 2015 Jacquard tapestry - 93 x 72 inches Publisher, Magnolia Editions   4.) El Gran Mambo / The Great Mambo, 2008 Oil on canvas - 144 x 192 inches (6 pieces 72 x 64 inches) CCG Art Collection   5.) Grr-Miauu, 2012 Mixed media on paper on wood - 38 x 48 inches Private collection 6.) Catalina's Mirror, 2015 Jacquard Tapestry - 81 x 71 inches Publisher, Magnolia Editions       The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum at Florida International University opened its current 46,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art building in November 2008. Admission to the Museum is always free. The Frost is an American Alliance of Museums accredited museum and Smithsonian Affiliate, and is located at 10975 SW 17th Street, across from the Blue Garage and adjacent to the Wertheim Performing Arts Center on the Modesto A. Maidique Campus. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. Closed on Mondays and most legal holidays. For more information, please visit thefrost.fiu.edu or call 305-348-2890. (twitter.com/frostartmuseum   facebook.com/frostartmuseum)   The Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum - FIU receives ongoing support from: The Steven and Dorothea Green Endowment; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture; the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Mayor and the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners; Agustin Venero and the Venero Family; The Miami Herald; and the Members & Friends of The Frost Art Museum.

 

TONI PATISSERIE OFFERS GOURMET PIQUE-NIQUE BOXES TO GO! (Chicago,IL)

TONI PATISSERIE OFFERS GOURMET PIQUE-NIQUE BOXES TO GO   International Picnic Day is on Thursday, June 18th, and what better way to celebrate than with a Parisian-style pique-nique in the park? Toni Patisserie and Café is pleased to be offering pique-nique lunch and dinner boxes just in time for summer events in the city. Pick up a fresh, gourmet meal ideal for a lunch date in the park or an outdoor concert with friends. Pique-nique boxes include:   One Entrée: o   Baguette Sandwich- Le Bretone (Ham and Gruyere) Pomme et Brie (Apple) Le Végétarien (Hummus and Veggies) La Dinde (Turkey with Avocado spread) Pan Bagnat (Tuna) Le Boeuf (Roast Beef) Caprese o   Entrée Salad- Nicoise (Classic ingredients) Méditeranéenne (greens, tomatoes, onions, olives, feta cheese) o   Savory Galette- Tomate et Basilic (with Parmesan) One Side: o   Chips, Fruit Cup, or Mixed Green Salad One Dessert: o   Brownie, Chocolate Chip Cookie, 2 Macarons, or 2 Shortbread Cookies Toni Patisserie and Café is conveniently located adjacent to Millennium Park. Pique-nique boxes may be pre-ordered for lunch or dinner. The café also offers a great selection of alcoholic beverages to go, including six different beers to red wines and chilled white wines. For more information or to place an order, call Toni Patisserie at 312-726-2020.   About Toni Patisserie and Café Toni Patisserie is a French-inspired café serving breakfast and lunch items, coffee, handcrafted sweets, savories, and more. Acclaimed Pastry Chef Toni Marie Cox opened Toni Patisserie in Hinsdale in 1994, and opened the second location in Chicago in 2011. Toni uses only the finest ingredients, from the freshly baked, locally sourced bread to the seasonal fruits. Catering and custom orders are also available. The sweet art of celebration is brought to life at Toni Patisserie in a warm, inviting atmosphere.   Toni Patisserie has two locations: 65 E. Washington Street, Chicago and 51 S. Washington Street, Hinsdale. For more information, visit Toni online at www.ToniPatisserie.com , like the page on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

Angel Faces Retreat – Truly A Soft Place To Fall, A Solid Foundation For Growth

  For young girls with severe and permanent disfigurement from burns or other traumatic injuries, the cruelty of the world can be almost unbearable. The stares, name-calling, teasing and cruelty of others create a sort of living hell for this special group of survivors. Lesia Cartelli knows this is true, because she lived through it herself. Her desire to heal from a serious burn injury over 50% of her face and body at the age of nine in a natural gas explosion encouraged her to create Angel Faces® for girls who suffer similar disfiguring burns and other traumatic injuries.

Angel Faces® is a national, not-for-profit organization, headquartered in Encinitas, California, whose mission is to provide healing retreats and ongoing support for adolescent girls and young women with severe and permanent disfigurement from burn/trauma injuries to achieve their optimum potential and develop meaningful relationships for themselves, their families, and their communities.

This year, the retreat for adolescent girls with severe disfigurements will be held in Wolfeboro, NH from June 21-28, with a Level 2 Retreat being added for Leadership and Mentorship training, to include Emotional Intelligence, at Brewster Academy for women ages 19-29. The girls attending this retreat are flown in from cities all around the nation.

During the multi-day intensive retreat, survivors hear first-hand from Cartelli and others who have endured serious traumatic injuries and the long road to recovery. The young girls work closely with licensed therapists to share and explore ways to facilitate emotional healing and meet others with similar struggles. They learn new tools that will help them increase their self-esteem, decrease their depressive symptoms, and have a better quality of life. Most important of all, they are given hope that they can create the life they desire through empowerment.

"The retreat is only one small component,” Cartelli explains. "We see the power in the program when the girls go back home. We receive calls, cards and emails from the parents and medical centers about how confident and content their daughter or patient is since she has returned -- she joined a sports or academic team at school or now is going to prom, or interviewing for a first job, ending their social death.”

The unique retreats and aftercare programs focus on the healing process within a holistic framework of mind, heart, and spirit. In addition to art therapy and private, corrective-cosmetic sessions, the program provides licensed therapists to help the girls through their loss and trauma issues, and provides the girls with strategies to handle staring and teasing. The goal of Angel Faces® is to offer a physical, spiritual, and emotional transformation so each girl walks away with a new confidence and a hopeful outlook toward the future with the skills to be excited about their life.

In addition to being a renowned, in-demand speaker and the founder/CEO of Angel Faces®, Lesia Cartelli now adds author to her vast range of talents, having just released her new book, Heart of Fire (Carlyle Publishing). In her authentic open voice, Lesia delivers hope and inspiration to those who are struggling with pain, emotional or physical, and demonstrates how to discover blessings and gifts within any type of challenge. For anyone who has been through hard times and seeks inspiration and hope, this heart-warming, often humorous, book is a must read.  
 
For more information on the retreat or to donate to this worthy cause, please visit the Angel Faces® website at www.angelfaces.com, or purchase Lesia's book at www.lesiacartelli.com  










 

Maxwell Street Market hosts the “World’s Largest Father’s Day Garage Sale” on Sunday, June 21 (Chicago,IL)

           

MAXWELL STREET MARKET IS A CHICAGO TRADITION, STEEPED IN HISTORY AND STOCKED WITH BARGAINS—AND SERIOUS EATS

Open-air flea market offers eclectic mix of merchandise—from tools to tires, fresh produce, furniture, clothing, rare finds and collectibles—and some of the best Mexican/Latin street food in Chicago

For about 100 years, Maxwell Street was one of Chicago’s most unconventional business—and residential—districts. About a mile long and located in the shadow of downtown skyscrapers, it was a place where businesses grew selling anything from shoestrings to expensive clothes. Today, that tradition continues in the market’s current location in the South Loop (800 S. Desplaines St.), featuring bargains and bargaining with an international flavor, year round on Sundays, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. Maxwell Street Market offers an eclectic mix of merchandise—from tools to tires, plus fresh produce, furniture, clothing, rare finds and collectibles—and some of the best Mexican and Latin street food in Chicago. A few examples of the market’s many food vendors include: Rubi’s Tacos, La Paz Tacos, Green House, Manolo’s, Birrias Tacos and Bro-N-Laws BBQ.
This summer and fall, many FREE special events will make the market a must-see destination. The “World’s Largest Father’s Day Garage Sale” on Sunday, June 21, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m. will give Chicagoans a chance to buy—and sell—gently used clothing, household items, furniture and more in a massive summer yard sale. (Interested sellers should contact Maxwell Street Market at 312.745.7038 no later than June 12 during these office hours: Wednesday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. 10 ft. x 10 ft. spaces are limited to availability, for $20.) And throughout the summer and fall, Maxwell Street will offer live music on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month (Blues, Jazz, R&B and more), DJs on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, dancing—and even workouts. Following is the schedule of upcoming events.

Sunday, June 7, 11 a.m.
Lori Lewis and The Maxwell Street Blues Band 

Sunday, June 14, noon
DJ Milk featuring Gene Hunt

Sunday, June 21, 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.
“World’s Largest Father’s Day Garage Sale”
Offering Chicagoans a chance to buy—and sell—gently used clothing, household items, furniture and more; featuring Maxwell Street House Band at noon

Sunday, June 28, noon
DJ Mark Fuller Flava

Sunday, July 5, noon
Maxwell Street House Band

Sunday, July 12, noon
DJ Ron Troup

Sunday, July 19, 11 a.m.
The Maxwell Street Blues Band

Sunday, July 26, noon
Get Fit with Monique Bailey and DJ Jay Imani

Sunday, August 2, noon
Simone Green & The Treatment Band

Sunday, August 9, noon
Thomas Sisters Line Dancing Demonstration

Sunday, August 16, noon
DJ Craig Elliot & The Spin Doctors

Sunday, August 23, noon
Maxwell Street House Band

Sunday, August 30, noon
DJ Czarina

Maxwell Street Market is operated by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE). Located at 800 S. Desplaines St., the market is open year round on Sundays, 7 a.m – 3 p.m. Metered street parking is available. The market is also located near CTA bus and “L” lines; plan your trip at transitchicago.com. For the latest news and events, visit maxwellstreetmarket.us, like us on Facebook (Maxwell Street Market) and follow us on Twitter and Instagram, @ChicagoDCASE #MaxwellStreet.
Like markets? DCASE also operates the Chicago Farmers Markets, May–October, bringing over 70 vendors selling fresh fruits, vegetables, plants and flowers to neighborhoods throughout the city. For details, including market locations and dates, visit chicagofarmersmarkets.us.

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors.

Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, 78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602 United States

Step to the Beat - Chicago SummerDance Announces 2015 Schedule (Chicago,IL)

19^TH ANNUAL CHICAGO SUMMERDANCE – JUMP, SWING & STEP TO THE BEAT
DOWNTOWN AND IN THE PARKS

Friday – Sunday, June 26 –September 13, 2015
Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park

Thursdays, July 9 – September 3, 2015
Five Neighborhood Parks Throughout the City

The largest annual outdoor live music and dance series in the United States Chicago SummerDance invites fanciful feet to flock to the Spirit of Music Garden as it blossoms into a unique, urban dance space all summer long. With interactive dance lessons spanning diverse genres of dance, a dynamic  DJ series celebrating house music, and the kick-off of the World Music Festival Chicago 2015, the line-up includes something for everybody to enjoy. Chicago SummerDance takes place in Grant Park’s Spirit of Music Garden (601 South Michigan Avenue) Friday and Saturday evenings, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon from 4 to 7 p.m. between June 26 and September 13.
Presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), SummerDance brings people of all ages and skill levels together on a 4,900-square-foot, open-air dance floor made of 100% recycled material. The series offers free, introductory one-hour dance lessons by professional instructors followed by music and dancing. The diverse lineup showcases various traditional and modern dance styles from all corners of the globe.

SummerDance highlights include legendary radio personality DJ Herb Kent on Saturday, June 27 who will be spinning Chicago Steppin’ sets. On Friday, August 21, the popular Chicago underground art series Salonathon: Smooth Moves with Jyldo leads an interactive dance session featuring smooth moves and soft grooves for all ages, while DJ Danny LeRoy provides a creamy soundtrack of soft rock, smooth jamz, Hip-Hop and R&B classics. On Friday, August 28, the Fabulous Ladies of Fitness host a Retro Cardio Dance Party. Dancers will be led through a comedic cardio dance routine to a blend of ’70s lite rock, ’80s and ’90s R&B/Hip-Hop and hits of the last decade.
Additionally, throughout the summer, a DJ series will be presented in conjunction with the Move Your Body: The Evolution of House Music exhibition on view at the Chicago Cultural Center through August 16. Marshall Jefferson will appear at SummerDance on July 19, DJ Pierre and PHUTURE on July 17 and Derrick Carter on August 22.
The weekend of September 11-13, Chicago SummerDance kicks-off the World Music Festival Chicago 2015 with a lineup that includes a performance of Bollywood Dhamaka! presented by the Kalapriya Center for Indian Performing Arts. Inspired by the Big Indian Wedding, Komal Shah teaches Bollywood moves to music provided by DJ Sunny Singh. These events will follow the Chicago SummerDance format with dance lessons and music. The World Music Festival runs Friday, September 11 – Sunday, September 22. The complete schedule will be available at a later date at worldmusicfestivalchicago.org.
Chicagoans can also enjoy SummerDance in the Parks every Thursday, July 9 – September 3, presented at five different neighborhood parks throughout the city including the Humboldt Park Boathouse and Washington Park Refectory. SummerDance in the Parks is presented as part of an ongoing collaboration between the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Chicago Park District. Arts programming in the city’s neighborhoods advances the goals of the Chicago Cultural Plan and the Night Out in the Parks initiative. For more information about these initiatives, visit nightoutintheparks.com and chicagoculturalplan.org.
Updates and announcements (including weather-related announcements) will be shared on Facebook and on Twitter @SummerDanceChi. For more information, visit chicagosummerdance.org or call the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events at 312.744.3316.
Chicago SummerDance Schedule
Except where noted, Chicago SummerDance takes place each Friday and Saturday evening – dance lessons begin at 6 p.m. with live music and dancing from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; and every Sunday afternoon – dance lessons begin at 4 p.m. with live music from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Below is the complete 2015 schedule. 
Friday, June 26
Mambo Express (Latin Big Band Mambo)
Mixed Motion Art (Mambo, Cha-Cha)
Saturday, June 27
DJ Herb Kent (Chicago Steppin’)
Majestic Gents (Chicago Steppin')
Sunday, June 28
Steve Anthony Orchestra (Ballroom)
Kasper Dance Studio (Cha-Cha)
Friday, July 3
DJ Eric “ET” Taylor (Chicago Steppin’)
Dawud and Lura Shareef (Chicago Steppin’)
Saturday, July 4
Naborí (Salsa)
Dance Academy of Salsa (Mambo, Cha-Cha)
Sunday, July 5
Redwood Tango Ensemble (Modern, Piazzolla
and Nuevo Tango from San Francisco)
American Tango Institute (Argentine Tango)
Friday, July 10
*Marshall Jefferson, 6 – 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 11
Plena Libre (Puerto Rican Plena and Bomba)
AfriCaribe (Plena and Bomba)
Sunday, July 12
Tangata Ensemble (Tango & Milonga)
Tango 21 (Argentine Tango)
Friday, July 17
*DJ Pierre & PHUTURE, 6 – 9 p.m.
Saturday, July 18
Papo Santiago y Orquesta Infraverde (Afro-Caribbean, Latin Jazz and Salsa)
Chicago Dance (Salsa)
Sunday, July 19
Golden Horse Ranch Band
(Country and Square Dance)
Annie Coleman (Square & Contra Dancing, Line Dancing, Polka, Waltz)
Friday, July 24
Joel Paterson and the Modern Sounds
(‘30s and ‘40s Swing)
Dance Center Chicago (East Coast Swing)
Saturday, July 25
La Dynastia Freddy Kenton, Jr. y Su Orquesta (Salsa, Merengue, Bachata, Reggaeton)
Latin Street Dance Academy (Bachata, Merengue)
Sunday, July 26
DJ Lawrence Peters (Country)
The Galaxie (Country Line Dancing)
Friday, August 7
Sons of Susan
(Jazz, Blues, Swing, Western Swing and Hokum)
Big City Swing (‘20s Charleston )
Saturday, August 8
Afinca’o (Salsa, Mambo)
May I Have This Dance (Salsa, Cha-Cha)
Sunday, August 9
Megitza (Polish and Carpathian Folk Music)
Ethnic Dance Chicago (Polish, Carpathian Basin and Romani folk dances)
Friday, August 14
The Fat Babies (‘20s and ‘30s Jazz and Swing)
Big City Swing (East Coast Swing)
Saturday, August 15
Orquesta Charangueo (Afro-Cuban Jazz, Chachachá, Cuban Son and Mambo)
Arthur Murray Dance Center (Salsa)
Sunday, August 16
Weepin’ Willows (Patsy Cline Cover Band)
Jeffrey Cannon and Nicolle Wood
(Country Two-Step, Western Swing)
Friday, August 21
Salonathon:  Smooth Moves with Jyldo
Saturday, August 22
*Derrick Carter, 6 – 9 p.m.
Sunday, August 23
Steve Cooper Orchestra (Ballroom)
Fred Astaire Dance Studio (Rumba, Bolero)
Friday, August 28
Fabulous Ladies of Fitness –
Retro Cardio Dance Party
Saturday, August 29
Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater
40th Anniversary Celebration with guest Flamenco musicians
La Tiranta y El Chiriboga
(Rumba, Nuevo Flamenco)
Irma Suárez Ruíz of Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater (Flamenco Rumba)
Sunday, August 30
Teddy Lee Orchestra (Ballroom)
Tommye Giacchino (Waltz and Fox-Trot)
Friday, September 4
Lake Shore Syncopators (Prohibition Jazz)
Margot Toppen and Riley Wimes, Jr. (Jitterbug)
Saturday, September 5
Los Vicios de Papá Sound System (Cumbia, Ska, Reggae, Punk, Rock en Español)
Latin Rhythms - Academy of Dance and Performance (Cumbia)
Sunday, September 6
Cajun Vagabonds (Cajun)
Louie Stallone and Monica Vachlon
(Cajun Two-Step & Waltz)
Friday, September 11
Planeta Azul
(Forró, Batucada, Musica Popular Brasileira)
Passistas Samba Dance Group
(Samba, Axé, Samba-reggae, Dança toada)
Saturday, September 12
Dos Santos Anti-Beat Orquesta
(Pan-Latin American Cumbia)
Latin Rhythms - Academy of Dance and Performance (Cumbia)
Sunday, September 13
DJ Sunny Singh (Bollywood)
Kalapriya Artist & Dancer, Komal Shah (Bollywood)
*DJ Series in conjunction with Move Your Body: The Evolution of House Music at the Chicago Cultural Center
SummerDance in the Parks Schedule
Every Thursday, July 9 – September 3, the Chicago Park District hosts free SummerDance in the Parks at five neighborhood parks throughout the city. Dance lessons begin at 6 p.m., with live music and dancing from 7 to 9 p.m. Below is the complete 2015 schedule.
Thursday, July 9
Humboldt Park Boathouse
Plena Libre (Puerto Rican and Bomba)
AfriCaribe (Plena and Bomba)
Thursday, July 16
Austin Town Hall Park
National Steppers Society (Chicago Steppin’)
Ken Watkins (Chicago Steppin’)
Thursday, July 23
Ping Tom Memorial Park
Petra van Nuis Quintet
(‘20s, 30s, and ‘40s Classic Swing
Dancing with Class (East Coast Swing)
Thursday, July 30
Washington Park Refectory
DJ Calvin (Chicago Steppin’)
Majestic Gents (Chicago Steppin’)
Thursday, August 6
Portage Park
Carparcho y Su Super Combo (Salsa)
May I Have This Dance (Salsa)
Thursday, August 13
Humboldt Park Boathouse
Rica Obsesion (Salsa)
Dance Academy of Salsa (Salsa)
Thursday, August 20
Austin Town Hall
DJ Dwight Burr (Salsa, Bachata and Tropical Rhythms)
Latin Street Dance Academy (Salsa, Bachata)
Thursday, August 27
Washington Park Refectory
DJ Mellow Khris (Chicago Steppin’)
Dawud and Lura Shareef (Chicago Steppin’)
Thursday, September 3
Ping Tom Memorial Park
El Caobo
(Latin DJ – Salsa, Mambo, and Bachata)
Dance Academy of Salsa
(Salsa, Mambo, Cha-Cha)


Chicago SummerDance is presented by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Additional support provided by the Chicago Park District, Chicago Transit Authority, Chicago Police Department – 1st District, 42nd Ward Aldermanic Office, Ald. Brendan Reilly, Chicago Department of Transportation and the Department of Fleet and Facility Management.
Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park
The Spirit of Music Garden in Grant Park was developed and landscaped especially for Chicago SummerDance and received a Gold Award from the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association. The Chicago Park District worked with Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Department of General Services and the Mayor's Office of Special Events to create a garden that fulfilled program needs as well as a destination garden. Using a combination of annuals and perennials to create the spectacular splash of color throughout the summer, the garden’s layout incorporates a geometric design that pulls the visitor into the center of the garden. Classic-looking wooden umbrellas, tables, and chairs circle the center of the garden, allowing visitors to sit and enjoy their surroundings. A variety of food and drinks are available for purchase at the SummerDance Grill. Outside alcohol is strictly prohibited at all Summer Dance events.
Chicago SummerDance Dance Floor
The open-air dance floor for Chicago SummerDance was designed by Chicago artist Dan Peterman out of recycled plastic. Titled Chicago Ground Cover, the floor was first installed in 1997 at the original Chicago SummerDance site in Grant Park along Michigan Avenue at Washington Street (now Millennium Park). Originally 2,500 square feet, it was first expanded to 3,500 square feet in 1999, and was then expanded to 4,600 square feet in 2008. In 2011, it was renovated and further expanded to 4,900 square-feet to accommodate the increasing number of SummerDance visitors.
ChicagoSummerDance is presented as part of the Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, supported by Mayor Rahm Emanuel.  Arts programming in neighborhoods across the city advances the goals of the Chicago Park District and the Chicago Cultural Plan.  Now in its third year, the 2015 Night Out in the Parks series will host more than 1,000 events and programs at more than 250 neighborhood parks throughout the city, making community parks safe havens and hubs of activity.  Projects will vary from traditional performances and concerts, to movies, peace rallies, community workshops, nature based programs, dance pieces, festivals, and more. The Chicago Park District has partnered with more than 80 arts and community organizations to expand and produce this successful initiative.
The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE) is dedicated to enriching Chicago’s artistic vitality and cultural vibrancy. This includes fostering the development of Chicago’s non-profit arts sector, independent working artists and for-profit arts businesses; providing a framework to guide the City’s future cultural and economic growth, via the 2012 Chicago Cultural Plan; marketing the City’s cultural assets to a worldwide audience; and presenting high-quality, free and affordable cultural programs for residents and visitors.