Dance Center

1306 S. Michigan Ave.

The Dance Center provides students with a superior contemporary dance education in the context of a world-class, nationally recognized dance performance season. Since its doors first opened in 1969, the Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago has presented hundreds of professional companies and choreographers.

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Home to one of the nation's finest college dance programs and one of Chicago’s premier presenters of contemporary dance, the Dance Center serves the greater Chicago dance community and audiences. The center is hailed as one of the most important presenters of contemporary dance in the United States, bringing world renowned companies to Chicago every year. Columbia students have the chance to work closely with the visiting companies through master classes and discussions.

“Some of the most memorable performances I’ve seen in my near twenty years of covering dance in Chicago have taken place on the Dance Center stage. Experimental work, student and faculty showcases, nationally and internationally revered artists have all rarified the Dance Center’s air for half a century.” - Sharon Hoyer, New City

The Dance Center is a 33,000-square-foot, four-story art deco facility that includes a 268-seat performance space, six dance studios with sprung wood floors, dressing rooms, and locker rooms with showers. The state-of-the-art building with its highly-trained staff provides students access to the technical aspects of dance performance from learning how to work with a lighting designer to understanding video projection and producing events. Through its community outreach and education initiatives, the Dance Center seeks to deepen appreciation and understanding of contemporary dance and contribute to the health of Chicago communities.

• Theatre and Dance

Upcoming Events:

• 7:30PM - 9:00PM It's Between Us: Choreographic Projects
  Witness what in-depth, collaborative research into choreography in performance yields from student choreographers setting original works on sibling dance artists whom they have auditioned and invited into their 12-week process. Each weekend’s program is distinct. Thursday 11/21 & Friday 11/22 Program The blue seems eternal created by Aly Owens in collaboration with Taylor Davis Performed......Get the details
• 10:30AM - 12:00PM Friday Dance Class
  This class will explore African and contemporary movement styles in conjunction through movement exploration and choreography. Nautica Turner is a Chicago native and Columbia College Chicago graduate with a degree in Dance. Her dance training stretches across various styles but is grounded in Afro Centric movement and Modern influences. Make a date to dance every Friday...Get the details
• 7:30PM - 9:00PM It's Between Us: Choreographic Projects (COPY)
  Witness what in-depth, collaborative research into choreography in performance yields from student choreographers setting original works on sibling dance artists whom they have auditioned and invited into their 12-week process. Each weekend’s program is distinct. Thursday 11/21 & Friday 11/22 Program The blue seems eternal created by Aly Owens in collaboration with Taylor Davis Performed......Get the details
• 7:30PM - 9:00PM PAMOJA: Repertory Dance Performance Works
  PAMOJA – Swahili for “together” - shares the semester-long process of students working with visiting artists: South Chicago Dance Theatre’s Kia Smith and Synapse Arts’ Rachel Damon, and faculty member Darrell Jones on a shared bill with works by faculty members Bevara Anderson and Allen Desterhaft & Kelsa Rieger-Haywood. Friday’s matinee performance opener features a new...Get the details