We are so glad to have discovered this studio! We have just started taking classes at this studio…read moreand I could not be happier. In my search for a dance school for my daughter I came across other schools that were just plain snobby or that had did not offer ballet due to extremely low enrollment. At Irina Makkai, the instructor is fantastic as well as enthusiastic, the studio owners, Irina & her daughter Lilla are so nice and the patrons are also friendly & polite! I have been looking for a studio that is well run & professional - but also has a nice atmosphere/ vibe (aka, low drama & unpretentious) and this studio is exactly what I have been looking for! Located in Downtown Highland Park very convenient location. The studio is much larger than it appears with multiple studios that are beautiful. They also have a secondary business Kiddie Corner that offers wonderful cultural & enrichment programs. The owners also have thought about scheduling multiple age group classes so I am able to have my 2 1/2 & 6 year old in class at the same time or 2 classes back to back- which is beyond AWESOME. My kids love the classes we are officially fans!

The Adult Ballet class taught by Rita Ockrim is absolutely wonderful!…read more The class is essentially all about you, about really warming up and strengthening all of your muscles, and you will leave having worked your entire body! Since Rita generally does the class with you, she can tell which muscles have been properly warmed up for subsequent combinations, ensuring that you feel safe and comfortable as you progress through the class. Rita has an immense knowledge and passion for ballet that she would like to share with you. She will take time to explain and to help you feel how to properly execute different movements - which muscles to engage, how to position your head, where to apply pressure to the floor, etc. - all of the details that are generally left out of adult ballet classes, but that make the class much more interesting and valuable whether this information is just a refresher, or if you are hearing these insights for the first time. It shows that Rita genuinely cares about her students and strives to provide whatever it is you are looking to get out of the class. She makes the class as fun and enjoyable as possible, and definitely puts a lot of thought into her music selection. Anyone that has taken ballet knows that there is quite a plethora of cut and dry ballet music out there, or that it can become that way when it's played repeatedly. Rita makes sure to play new music essentially every class, and only recycles the best pieces that you probably wouldn't mind hearing again. If nothing else, you could come to class just for the beautiful and varied music selection! If you haven't danced in a while, don't be intimidated that the class is taught at an intermediate level. Rita will go over and do the combinations with you, so there is no stress in memorizing combinations, instead, you can really focus on what your body is doing. If need be, you can always simplify the combinations, but it is nice to have the option of a more advanced alternative, and to see how it looks when executed properly. This may seem like a lot of praise, but all of it is well deserved. I have been quite frustrated with many of the adult ballet classes I have taken, and I have finally stumbled on a gem that I believe deserves more attention!

I don't have much experience with the Lithuanian culture, scratch that, I don't have ANY experience…read morewith the Lithuanian culture so I was intrigued by this place with signs in a very unfamiliar language. This was the ceremony site of a friends wedding and it was a great choice. Very cute little cathedral with very high ceilings that connected at an angle. The father speaks Lithuanian so he can perform a dual language ceremony for you (and apparently they have classes in the language here as well). Beyond the cathedral this place is huge! Classrooms, bathrooms, a bathroom with a tub and shower, a kitchen, a beautician on site, a banquet hall, and a dining room that leads out onto a lawn with extra seating. We had the rehearsal dinner here with traditional Lithuanian food, wine and beer catered in (so alcohol is allowed). Definitely a place to keep in mind if you are looking for traditional Lithuanian. i sveikata!

Pretty cool looking church. Very modern design combining glass and wood. Must be nice in winter.read more

Absolutely phenomenal kathak teacher and school. I am inspired to dance by them and my learning…read morejourney continues for more than 5+ years with this school.

An amazing Kathak and Bollywood dance school! Learn from…read morethe best and the most authentic Kathak guru, Guru Kiran Chouhan. I have been learning from her for the past 11 years and couldn't have asked for a better guru. She is an amazing dancer, teacher and choreographer. I-RADHA follows a very authentic, structured and rich Kathak curriculum. Students can earn a degree in Kathak dance after completing a 6 year course. If you want to learn this wonderful Indian Dance form from the best, this is the school for you!!!

We hired Stu Hirsch Orchestra for our wedding in July 2015 in Chicago, and cannot say enough…read morewonderful things about the experience. Stu and the band absolutely rocked, and our friends and family, many of whom are musicians, were so impressed! They played the perfect combination for us, and Stu was extremely attentive to the crowd and to our tastes. Thank you Stu!!

Hello, Yelp community!…read more We had Stu Hirsh Orchestra for our wedding in December 2010 and they were just totally awesome. Many of our guests--young and old--complimented them and how they set an awesome stage for the wedding reception. First of all, Stu is great to work with to get every detail set before your event so you have nothing to worry about on the big day. My mom and I met with him multiple times and he absorbed all of our MANY special requests and suggestions. Stu listened and either accepted them or explained why some of them might not work, based on his experience. (He was right for all of them!) He tailored the quantity of performers based on our budget and the size of the venue and ensured that they would play at comfortable loudness levels and at the appropriate tones for the different parts of the wedding (dinner, early dancing, later dancing). Stu made some awesome suggestions of music types and how and when to play them. He explained that the band has multiple singers who excel at different types of songs. Also, this group has been playing together for so long that they know each others' tendencies and strengths and play off of them. Stu said that he's like a football team quarterback and the other band mates are like the football team. Stu makes the calls and the team knows exactly what to do, flawlessly. And on the big day, that's exactly what happened. On the wedding day, Stu and the band were timely, dressed to the nines and were 100% professional for the entire event. They have an awesome male singer with a voice similar to Michael Jackson who was the hit of the wedding. His range and style was a big talking point of the dance floor. The band did an awesome mix of slow and fast dancing that kept the wedding guests happy and dancing through the entire night without any of the awkward transitions that you sometimes find with DJs. One of the things that I really dislike about wedding DJs is when they force people to dance when they don't want to dance. Stu and his crew were exactly the opposite. They never asked people to come dance ("all the ladies on the dance floor!!" or "Where's the bride? get her out here!!" NONE of that). The band enticed people to join the dance floor because they played so well and because the guests who were dancing were clearly having a great time. Those who don't prefer to dance could listen to the music and watch comfortably from their chairs. I could not review Stu Hirsh Orchestra any higher. We loved the music planning before the wedding and the reception was terrific, much due to the excellence of Stu and his team. You'd be lucky to have Stu at your event too. Emily Homewood, IL

I came here for a magic show with a group of friends on a Friday. Overall, good facility! There's a…read moresmall parking lot for patrons nearby, which was nice. Bartenders were friendly. Bathrooms were clean. It was cold, but that's typical of buildings in the summer. I'd come back!

What's life without a little magic! We came by to see a show on a Sunday afternoon and we're able…read moreto enjoy the Physician's show. When you walk in there is a bar and some tables but through the double doors, you'll find a 2nd bar with a speakeasy feel. When we checked in, we were assigned our tables. We ordered drinks before hand and the drinks were brought to our tables. We also ordered the pimento cheese and crackers. We snacked on the crackers most of the show as there was quite a bit of pimento in the bowl. The show was great and was broken into 2 parts. There were a lot of great metaphors along with it being a very interactive show with the crowd. Many of the tricks and magic left us in complete awe. We can't wait to come back and see future shows!

Four violins, two violas, 2 cellos, and a string bass later, Sarah and I decided that this was the…read moreperfect blend for the acoustics at the Art Institute Modern Wing. Our repertoire was most classical waltzes and Puccini scores, mixed with some Mancini. Symphony Sounds pulled it all off, much to the delight of some more serious classical buffs in our audience. It was a true pleasure to work with Sarah. She even recorded my bridal march, Un Bel Di, during practice and sent it to me so I could get a sense of timing. All our communications were long distance, yet the music and ceremony were executed beautifully. I only wish I could have heard all of the pre and post music myself. My guests continue to rave about the music and how lovely it sounded.

I admit that I had to do a little considering before adding the 5th star…read more There was a problem at our wedding in late August but the owner did the best she could and the performance was great. Thus, there was never any consideration for giving a bad review. The question was whether to give the "perfect" score. Sometimes bad things occur beyond someone's control. They did the best they could do under the circumstances, including the owner offering more than I could conscientiously accept. They performed spectacularly, despite the owner probably believing she would be paid nothing for her performance and hard work. None of the audience ever even knew there was a problem. In mulling it over, that ability to actually turn lemons into lemonade shows more professionalism than simply doing so under the best conditions. The best parts were the quality of the performers, their choice of music, and the cheerfulness of the performance. Every one of our guests were throughly entranced by the music! I therefore enthusiastically recommend Symphony Sounds for your wedding or other event.