Chicago Rhythm Fest to Return to Auditorium Theatre in 2016

The Auditorium Theatre presents the Chicago Rhythm Fest, the culminating performance of the city-wide festival STOMPING GROUNDS on Saturday, June 4, 2016. Produced by Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP), STOMPING GROUNDS is a showcase of events, mini-concerts, lecture-demonstrations and master classes celebrating the diversity of the percussive arts, highlighting some of the city's premier dance groups. Tickets for the Chicago Rhythm Fest at the Auditorium Theatre will go on sale on Friday, December 4 and can be purchased online at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by phone at 312.341.2300 or in-person at the Auditorium Theatre Box Office (50 E. Congress Parkway). Discounted subscriptions to the Auditorium Theatre's "Made in Chicago" Dance Series, which also includes Thodos Dance Chicago (January 9) and Giordano Dance Chicago (June 11), are on sale now at AuditoriumTheatre.org.

This year's Rhythm Fest program includes Chicago Human Rhythm Project's BAM!, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago, Mexican Folkloric Dance Company, and Trinity Irish Dance Company. Additional performers will be announced at a later date.

"Last year we were proud to present the Chicago Rhythm Fest, the finale performance of STOMPING GROUNDS, during our historic 125th Anniversary Season," said Auditorium Theatre Board of Trustees President Charlie Gardner. "The creativity and diversity these Chicago dance companies presented on our landmark stage created one of the most unique programs in our theatre's history. We're happy to welcome them back!"

"Even as Chicago increasingly and rightly celebrates our wonderful neighborhoods, we want to continue to celebrate our 'common ground' in the heart of the city," said CHRP Founder and Artistic Director Lane Alexander. "Almost every culture in the world has produced a form of 'foot drumming.' Seeing and hearing them side by side simultaneously displays the universality of rhythmic expression and the extraordinary gamut of creative variation. Hearing is believing!"

The 2015 - 2016 Dance Season is made possible by the NIB Foundation.

STOMPING GROUNDS

Leading up to Chicago Rhythm Fest is STOMPING GROUNDS, a series of free concerts taking place in various Chicago communities, highlighting African, Irish, Mexican, Spanish, and American cultural traditions.

STOMPING GROUNDS is made possible by major support from the Chicago Free For All Fund at The Chicago Community Trust, Engaging Dance Audiences funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional funding from the National Endowment of the Arts.

Performance Schedule and Ticket Information

Saturday, June 4, 2016 | 7:30 p.m.

Tickets start at $28 and are available online starting December 4, 2015 at 10am at AuditoriumTheatre.org, by calling 312.341.2300, or in-person at the Auditorium Theatre's Box Office (50 E. Congress Pkwy). Discounted tickets for groups of 10 or more are available now.

The 2015 - 2016 Auditorium Theatre Season also includes Thodos Dance Chicago, January 9, 2016; Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah, January 16 - 17, 2016; Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, March 8 - 13, 2016; Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal - Leonce and Lena, April 1 - 3, 2016; and Giordano Dance Chicago, June 11, 2016. For a complete listing of events at the Auditorium Theatre, please click here.

About Chicago Human Rhythm Project

Founded in 1990, Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) builds community and fosters social reconciliation by presenting American tap dance and contemporary percussive arts in world-class and innovative performance, education, and community outreach programs.

CHRP's year-round programming includes the oldest and most comprehensive festival of American tap dance, Rhythm World; arts education programs in elementary and high schools throughout Chicago; and Chicago's collaborative, shared dance/arts space, the American Rhythm Center in Chicago's historic Fine Arts Building. For information, visit ChicagoTap.org.