Dance Chicago’s DANCES FROM THE HEART Returns To The Athenaeum Center In January 2026

Emergence Dance Theatre will present DANCE CHICAGO: DANCES FROM THE HEART on Saturday, January 24, 2026, at 8:00 p.m. at the Athenaeum Center for Thought and Culture. Curated by Artistic Director John Schmitz, the one-night-only program highlights love and dance in its many forms as part of Dance Chicago’s 31st year.

Dances From the Heart features romantic and transformational works by Dance Chicago artists across a wide range of styles, including flamenco, ballet, jazz, comedy dance, musical theatre, tap, urban fusion, Irish dance, classical Indian dance, hip-hop, and more. The program brings together established companies and individual artists in a single evening that reflects the diversity and vitality of Chicago’s dance community.

The 2026 lineup includes performances by Beyond Words / Kate Jablonski, Christine Rich Dance Theatre, Elevations Studio Company, Footprints Tap Ensemble, Forum Dance Theatre, the Gus Giordano (GG) Company, Gus Legacy Company, Hip Hop ConnXion, Hot Crowd, On Broadway Dancers, Ramya Ravi of Kalakriti School of Dance, Sophia de Leon Sanchez in flamenco, Chicago tap artist Tre Dumas, Trinity Irish Dance Ensemble, Visceral Studio Company, and Wheatland Dance Theater.

Founded in 1995 by John Schmitz and the late Fred Solari, Dance Chicago has presented more than 600 shows and showcased thousands of artists across genres, helping to shape the city’s contemporary dance landscape. The festival has featured more than 250 performing groups and over 2,500 individual artists during its three-decade history.