There are much better dance studios in Chicago that will actually teach you how to dance…read more I am finishing up a package deal that was ridiculously expensive. You will not learn how to dance properly and the staff are much more interested in selling to new students rather than actually teaching current students

My now-wife and I took lessons with Elivia and Jeremiah before our wedding. I had low hopes for…read moremyself, but after doing the package here, we really pleasantly surprised those who knew us!

Fantastic patient and kind teacher! Safety and cleanliness is a priority. Good warm up, excellent…read moreinstruction. Fun lesson tailored to your personal fitness and strength. Highly recommend LOAPT.

I've been going to LOAPT for several months now, starting with pole journey as a complete beginner,…read moreand am now doing her Pole Tricks classes. I love everything about the school...Sonia is a very knowledgeable and caring instructor. I felt right at home and her classes are always so much fun! I also like that it's more of an intimate setting with just a few students in each class. She makes sure to give each of us our own personal "homework" to work on so we can improve our skills for the next time. Her new studio space is gorgeous too, and there's plenty of parking around. I would highly recommend! :)

Juanita was great in helping us prepare for our first dance on a short timeline. We took our first…read morelesson three weeks before the wedding day and thanks to  Juanita, we came out of our sessions with a song and choreography that best fit our skillset and personalities. She listened to our vision and comforts and helped design a dance that was memorable and fun. We really enjoyed our lessons with Juanita and would recommend to any couple who is interested in brushing up their skills before the big day!

Ballroom Dance Chicago is a MUST for your first dance. We learned custom choreography in 7…read more45-minute lessons that made our first dance unforgettable - all of our guests were blown away! I was honestly shocked at what we accomplished in that amount of time (neither of us have major dancing experience). Our first dance was one of my favorite parts of the wedding day and the lessons made for incredibly fun date nights. Angela was our teacher and she was fantastic to work with. Their multiple locations and online scheduling are also extremely convenient. The owner, Matt, goes above and beyond as well. I cannot recommend this company enough!!

I really enjoyed the performance of Booms Day that I attended at The Ruth Page Center for the Arts…read more The performance itself was high-energy and the smaller size of the theatre meant there isn't a bad seat in the house. Seating is first-come, first-served; however, it was not difficult to nab seats that were close to the stage. I enjoyed looking at the nostalgia photos and some of the other artwork displayed around the space during the intermission as well.

I love this theater! It's small and quaint. The staff is so nice and the location is great -…read morelocated in the heart of the Gold Coast. This little neighborhood theater offers big performances. Because of the theater size, all seats are fantastic. Don't think you're just going to get little shows that no one cares about. I have seen big numbers and small. They have all been very impressive. I always look forward to an evening at The Ruth Page Center For The Arts!

Even though I knew this Nutcracker ballet version had been revised to occur in the 1930s Chicago…read moreworld fair, I was unprepared for the lack of fantasy and beauty and elegance that is central to the theme of Nutcracker. The entire set was cheap card tables and chipped furniture, a nutcracker doll that was barely visible and with little explanation as to why it changed hands among the performers- who danced in raggedy clothing, maybe one actual tutu for five minutes(?). There was very little actual ballet that I could ascertain, leaving me with impression that a lot of the performers were on holiday. It's really unfortunate that something so beautiful could be made into a somewhat depressing and largely incoherent show. So many people who come to see this I'm sure would normally be inspired to come back for a different show, but this performance so much missed the mark for what should be an upbeat holiday, I'm not inclined to take the risk

We saw Midsummer Night's Dream by the Joffrey Ballet at the Lyric Opera and, no, this is not a…read moreversion of the William Shakespeare play, but choreographed by Alexander Ekman. We also saw this when it premiered in 2018. It is a celebration of the summer solstice and Scandinavian traditions. In my opinion it is a mashup of Midsommar and Cirque du Soleil if you substitute the acrobats and contortionists with dancers and Swedish elders being pushed off a cliff with lifelike mannequins thrown from a floating table. It opens with a man in bed being woken by his alarm on Friday, June 21 and a woman greets him with hay? straw? And they join into a crazy scene of people throwing hay? straw? with the hay soaring in graceful arcs across the stage. There are frenzied dances, a large dining table that soars into the sky, and comedic bits. After intermission things get wild, with fish falling from the sky, people falling from the sky, a naked chef and more frenzied dancing, with an echo back to the hay throwing. There is a beautiful singer, Anna von Hausswolff, with a soaring, haunting voice, is she dressed like Elsa from Frozen or hair like cousin It? The singer and the wonderful music by Mikael Karlsson and the wonderful musicians make this an otherworldly fable. And the clock fast forwards to June 21 of the next year and it begins again. Is this a dream? Unfortunately this was the final performance of this run.

What a gem of a ballet school!…read more The three reasons we have loved this school for our daughter: (1) The faculty has some serious ballet expertise and passion (numerous alumni have become professional ballet dancers) but they're also incredibly good with teaching kids. Our daughter is always excited to go and see her teachers & classmates. (2) All students from 3yos in Creative Movement to the pre-professional dancers in the studio company are cast in their annual Nutcracker performances. Not only is it a cool experience for her perform on stage in real performing arts venues like the Harris Theater, but it's taught her a lot that goes beyond dance. Performing on stage in front of over a thousand people without stage fright, showing up for her classmates for multiple shows each season are good life skills. (3) While ballet isn't the most historically diverse place, Ballet Chicago's school directors make a conscious effort to be inclusive (different backgrounds, body types, etc.) You can tell they're committed to making ballet a positive experience for their dancers and it extends across the school. There's a real community feel. Oh! and I should mention that the studio and classes are also well-equipped: live piano accompaniment during classes, Marley sprung floors, nice natural light.

This is a ballet school that will prepare young dancers with technical skill and performance…read moreexperience and foster a love of dance. Both my son and daughter enjoyed performing in the annual nutcracker performance and it was great as a parent to watch the esprit de corp develop among the young dancers of all ages.