The Lake County Dance Showcase Comes to the Genesee Theatre!

The Waukegan Arts Council proudly presents the Lake County Dance Showcase on Saturday, July 23, 2016, 6 p.m. at the historic Genesee Theatre, benefiting cultural arts in the Waukegan community. The event showcases talented dance groups from across Lake County and the Chicago area, and features a wide variety of styles including ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, lyrical, hip hop, tap, traditional Mexican folk dancing, Irish step dancing, and more.

Among the dance groups participating are Alats Dance, Ballet Folklorico Erandi, Ballet Folklorico Regional Mexicano, Buffalo Grove Studio of Dance, Dance Academy of Libertyville, DancEd Dance Centre, Forum Dance Theatre, Hip Hop ConnXion HQ, Hip Hop Force, Illinois Dance Conservatory, Jazz Theatre of Illinois, Lake Bluff School of Dance, Lake Forest Dance Academy, O’Hare School of Irish Dance Chicago, On Your Toes Academy of Dance, Steppin’ Up Northshore Dance Academy, Tarpley Dance Ensemble, and Waterford Dance Academy.

Last year’s showcase was held in Lake Forest at the Gorton Theatre and received rave reviews. Building on last year’s success, the arts council decided to expand the showcase to make it even bigger and better with over 200 dancers performing, and bring it home to Waukegan’s historic Genesee Theatre – Lake County’s gem.

“This is a great opportunity to bridge communities through the arts. We’re delighted to be able to provide this experience to bring all these dancers together from across Lake County and the Chicago area, and to celebrate the art of dance at such a beautiful venue,“ said Lori Nerheim, President of the Waukegan Arts Council.

The event is the brainchild of Nerheim and Kristy White who met two years ago and identified the need to showcase dance as an art form. White grew up in Waukegan, danced professionally, and now teaches at several Lake County dance studios. She was interested in giving back to the Waukegan community where she was raised by directing a high-quality show featuring many different styles of dance. Nerheim and White enlisted the expertise of Sheila Crotty-Kagan to determine how to make it happen. Crotty-Kagan serves on the Waukegan Arts Council’s board and also is Enrichment Coordinator for Waukegan Public Schools, and among other responsibilities, coordinates elementary fine arts events on behalf of the district. Both Kristy and Sheila have graciously given their time and talents to pull together this amazing dance showcase for a second year in a row.

Don’t miss this spectacular celebration of the art of dance!

Doors open at 5 p.m. Come early to get the best seats and enjoy the pre-show entertainment with mime artist Gary DeVar performing in costume in the lobby. Gary has been delighting audiences for decades and will showcase an art form that is considered among the earliest mediums of self-expression using movement. The Theatre’s Road Show Lounge will be have refreshments available for purchase, and Flowers for You will be selling flower bouquets.

Tickets to the dance showcase are only $10 and can be purchased at the door on Saturday evening, or in advance through Event Brite.

This event is brought to you in part by a generous contribution from Olson’s Ace Hardware in downtown Waukegan.

For more information, contact the Waukegan Arts Council at 847-920-4ART or waukeganartscouncil@gmail.com.