The rhythm is gonna get you at Grant Park.
By LESLIE KORENGOLD From the June 2006 Issue
The Longest Day On the one day when day and night have equal time, find your own harmony.
Life’s a Picnic in June Six delicious sites for your next picnic.
Crossing the Line The Newbery Award comes to a Michigan novelist.
No Room for the Inn? A proposed hotel in Indiana Dunes State Park prompts LAKE to ask for your opinion.
Lake Magazine covers the hottest information on the Lake Michigan area.
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What are you in the mood for tonight? Something with a little Cajun or Latin kick to it? How about something classic and timeless that always hits the spot. We’re not talking food here, we’re talking music. Whether you’re a good dancer who loves to trip the light fantastic, or you spend most of the time on the dance floor just tripping, Chicago SummerDance is the place to be this summer to hear live world-class music and learn how to shake your groove thing.
The next best thing to dancin’ in the street? Getting your groove on under the stars at Grant Park.
At SummerDance, professional dancers are on hand to teach you the steps, after which a live band plays so you can do the hustle, waltz, box step and tango into the night. SummerDance sizzles every weekend from June 15 through August 27. Thursday through Saturday, the hours are 6-9:30 p.m., 4-7 p.m. on Sundays. The booty-shaking takes place in Grant Park at, appropriately enough, the Spirit of Music sculpture and garden, 601 S. Michigan Ave.
“The best part is that it attracts such a diverse group of people from all ethnic backgrounds, dancers, music lovers, single people, and couples,” says Carlos Tortolero, manager of the popular dance-fest for the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs. And it’s free.
Now in its 10th year, SummerDance is “here to stay,” Tortolero says. “Ten years is a benchmark for city festivals.” This big outdoor prom has become such a draw that, Tortolero says, this year the open-air dance floor has been expanded to 5,800 square feet, from 3,500. Chicago artist Dan Peterman, who created the original floor out of recycled plastic, added more recycled materials to the original floor to provide more room to boogie.
On Thursday nights, dance and musical influences from around the globe are the feature, while Friday and Saturday nights are “Popular Nights,” with anything from Zydeco to Latin to swing to disco. Sundays focus on big band and ballroom music and dance. (Band and dance teacher lineups were not available at press time, but you can be sure they will rock your socks off.)
Food and beverages can be purchased at the festival and seating is available for those who just can’t boogie no more. So grab your partner, shake your groove thing, and get jiggy with it.
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