I have found Glenwood Dance Studio to be a much needed component in not only the Far Northside…read moreChicago area, but in the arts community in general. Started by a group of dance students with no extensive professional experience, GDS has managed to cultivate and grow pretty much exactly what a good dance studio should be: a welcoming space with a variety of classes taught by capable and professional instructors. GDS is an adults-only studio which can be nice for students who are in a different headspace than their younger contemporaries. This also means that class times are purposefully created to be accommodating to most's usual 9-5 weekday schedule. There's also plenty to do on the weekends, so you have the option to dance every day if you want to. The bulk of the students tend to be beginners and non-professionals so this can help provide those who have no professional/performative aspirations a less-stressful environment in which to learn. Shy and new dancers don't worry - you're not the only one. However, despite this, GDS is also very welcoming and able to accommodate dance professionals and has had students from various Chicago-land companies come through. The studio is quite small - fairly wide though only roughly 3-4 panels deep, but for the most part (of course depending on enrollment) the teachers do their best to keep it a safe and effective learning experience - even for long-limbed dancers over 6'! I've attended classes at GDS for about seven years now and though I of course take classes elsewhere every now and then, I am happy to call it my dance home.

Glenwood Dance Studio truly is an amazing place! I took my first dance class of my life in March…read more2023 and I can absolutely say I am a happier and healthier person because of it! This is a safe space full of friendly knowledgable instructors and a warm welcoming community! I have loved every class I've taken! Truly Glenwood Dance Studio has changed my life!

Leanr to Dance has all the items you need for dance classes, or for music recitals or whatever. The…read moreprices are low and the servce is great.

This amphitheater is perfect for outdoor theaters and concert theaters and concerts. You can bring…read moreyour own chairs, blankets and food but to get a good spot, come early. Parking can be hard to find but there's plenty if you don't mind driving around.

Tucked behind a skate park, church parking lot annex, and community swimming pool lies this neat…read morelittle outdoor amphitheater. It's not at all visible from street view or the main path... in fact, you actually have to walk down what looks like a maintenance path to a storage building to find it in Palatine Community Park, but once you're there, it's pretty cool. You can check the Park District website for performances, but don't expect anything too grand. Lots of stuff for kids and some battle of the bands stuff, but it's nice to have in the area for the youth population , and I like it because most days there's absolutely nothing going on here, so you can set up shop for a picnic, play frisbee, or just yell loud enough on stage to hear your echo... which is fun for both kids and adults, in case you're wondering. If you've got a kid who's in to acting or making their own plays, this would be the perfect place to take them and their friends on an evening or day that nothing is scheduled to play in the open-air amphitheater. I come by here a few times a week and there's never anyone else over here even trying to use the area... which could roughly fit 150-200 people via picnic-style seating.

The Newhart Family Theater (yes, because of a generous donation from alumnus Bob Newhart) is a…read morebeautiful theater in a gorgeous art deco building on Loyola's Lake Shore campus. My coworker and I took in a dance concert on Friday that included several types of dance, including some of Loyola's own musicians for the first part, and another piece that was choreographed by a Joffrey choreographer with costumes also on loan from Joffrey. The space was gorgeous and perfect for the dances, and the sound and seating were excellent, providing a wonderful sensory experience. I would recommend anyone, especially people in a rut on the north side, check out the events calendar for what's going on at Loyola to experience something special at the Newhart Family Theater.

Newhart Family Theater at Loyola is such an asset to the city. Home to the live performances of…read morethe theater program at Loyola, you can't beat the prices (we get four plays for twenty dollars--total!) and the quality can't be beat. We also go to plays at Northwestern and DePaul, which are also good. Loyola's programs are probably less well-known, but SO worth the drive. The theater is brand new and state of the art. Very comfortable. Not a bad seat in the house. If it's a nice day outside (which unfortunately it isn't often enough in Chicago), it's a half block walk to the lovely lakefront.

Lynette's School of Dance is a wonderful studio to learn ballet and other types of dance. It is…read morelocated in South Park, Park Ridge and always has easy parking right in front for drop off / pick up. The studio is very inviting and decorated to make the young girls feel at ease when they start to learn to dance. Pricing is on par with other studios in the area. Miss Lorena is an excellent instructor. She is kind and really helps the kids to focus on dancing. Our daughter has really enjoyed learning basic ballet here and she has made some good friends there in the process. They have classes from 3 year olds all the way up to high school, so kids can work their way through the program and stick with the same group of friends. They put on 2 recitals per year and the girls get fancy outfits to wear. It is awesome to see all of their work pay off and perform in front of a large audience of family and friends. I highly recommend Lynette's to help your child learn dance.

I would consider this an average dance studio. My daughter has taken classes here for the past…read moreyear and while she enjoys the class and teacher, I had hoped for more from a dance studio. The preschool classes do not have a limit on the number of kids enrolled which makes the small classroom feel tiny by the spring time (for example, my 4 year old's class started with 10 girls in the fall and ended with 23 girls in the spring, with only 1 teacher and 2 school-age helpers). Miss Lorena is great with the children and is the reason I kept my daughter at the school for the entire year. I will now be looking for a new studio that limits the size of their classes so that my child can actually learn some things about dance.

The DePaul Community Chorus is a well kept secret in the Chicagoland area and it is my mission to…read morechange this. Having been a member of this choir off and on for many years, I am here to tell you that their concerts are the place to be if you want to experience some wonderful music, and expose yourself to a wide range of choral pieces ranging from great composers from the 16th century to the present and also folk songs, spirituals and music from stage and screen. The choir has been in existence nearly 20 years and is truly about community, performing three concerts per year (holiday concert, early spring and a late May/early June concert) for FREE! The choir members are a devoted lot as each year they raise money on their own to pay for the full orchestra that accompanies their annual choral masterwork concert. No mean feat! Their website details the repetoire for their concerts the rest of the year. I encourage you to attend these great performances! There is no truer truth obtainable By Man than comes of music. ~Robert Browning

They are horrible. You can give them all the information in the world and they will wait to show up…read moreand then say they can't help you. They make promises that aren't kept and are just terrible. I don't recommend them at all. Imagine booking a company and then they leave you without any movers after showing up late.

During the winter and spring of 2012-2013, I took Professor Nana Shineflug's Qi Gong class at…read moreHamlin Park and it was excellent. Nana has a long history as a dancer and has studied Qi Gong in China. This is an exercise class that re-aligns and re-trains your body mechanics. The class improved my posture. Also, the movements and exercises strengthened my pelvic floor, which, as a mom, is an ongoing issue for me. She and the senior students are welcoming and encouraging. Sign up is through the Chicago Park District website or at the park.

I have 3 kids and they have been coming here since they were 3 years old. The learning environment…read moreis terrific for learning dance and my kids have always enjoyed their teachers. In addition to learning dance they all have built up a confidence in their abilities that they apply in other areas of their lives. After taking classes here they eventually started to compete in dance competitions where they competed against other studios from the Chicago area and surrounding states. It's always a positive environment and I highly recommend them.