Dance

The AAP Dance Course offers dancers an opportunity to train in a vibrant professional environment.  We welcome motivated students who strive for excellence. Taught by a distinguished faculty, our curriculum provides a safe space for all artists in ballet, contemporary, musical theater, Spanish dance, Latin Jazz and Horton Technique. 

Our mission is to create socially relevant work that celebrates the diversity and complexities of humankind. 

Course Highlights

In Dance, students will…
  • Earn dual credit applicable to a variety of post-secondary institutions including Northeastern Illinois University and the City Colleges of Chicago.
  • Receive professional instruction and training from award-winning, internationally accomplished dance faculty in a variety of styles including Ballet, Musical Theatre, Latin Jazz, Modern/Contemporary, and Spanish Dance.
  • Craft gravity-defying bodies; find their inner artistry, personality, and character through each form of dance; and, through improvisation, get the confidence to take over ANY dance floor.
  • Have numerous opportunities to attend theatre performances from International and National Companies, work locally and nationally supporting the Arts (such as through the National Arts Action Summit in Washington, DC), and earn auditions from prestigious Universities and Conservatories.
  • Enhance their creativity and explore their own voices while choreographing their own routines and experimenting with different makeup and hair styles, in combination with costumes, to find the best way to present themselves. 

2020-2021
"The Exquisite Corpse,
9 Choreographers, 1 Video"
"Dance Inspirations"

2019-2020

2020 Virtual Spring Showcase

2018-2019

Past Student Work

Meet the Teachers!

Meet Melinda!
Melinda Wilson holds a M.Ed. from DePaul University and an M.A. from the University of Illinois with additional coursework at Northwestern University.  She has trained at Batsheva Dance Company (Tel-Aviv), Pineapples (London), Centre de Danse de Paris, and Centre de Danse du Marias (Paris). Awards include 2018 Top 50 Global Teacher Award (Varkey Foundation), Golden Apple Award, Dance Chicago Outstanding Choreographer (New Voice) Award, IAHPERD 2017 Teacher of the Year, 2017 SHAPE National Dance Teacher of the Year, first place choreographic awards from Livorno in Danza International Competition and Barcelona Dance Grand Prix, 11 Oppenheimer Teacher Incentive Grants, National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teachers for Exceptional Performance in the Motivation and Empowerment of Today’s Youth.   She has served as an advisory committee member for the Illinois Arts Learning Standards Initiative in Dance for the Arts Alliance Illinois, a board member for Ingenuity Chicago, Dance Arts Instructional Specialist with Chicago Public Schools, writer and presenter for Illinois Dance Standards, SHAPE America, AAPHERD New York, Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, Harris Theatre for Music and Dance, and a test writer for the Illinois Board of Education.  Wilson has been featured in Tes Education Magazine (United Kingdom) and three international webinars.  Wilson is a teacher of Ballet, Modern and Jazz at The Lou Conte Dance Studios of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, resident choreographer for Her Story Theater and Dance Artistic Director at Curie Metropolitan High School for the Performing and Technical Arts and Advanced Placement Arts at Gallery 37.  She is also the founder of Per4mers4Change promoting positive active citizenship through the power of performance and youth. @per4mers4change 
Meet Wilfredo!
Wilfredo Rivera serves as Artistic Director of the critically acclaimed Chicago performing arts collective Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (CRDT). Wilfredo was born in Honduras, trained with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and was a founding member of River North Dance Chicago. Mr. Rivera was honored with the 2009 Cliff Dwellers Arts Foundation Choreography Award, a 2001 After Dark Award and nominated for a 3ARTS Award in 2017 & 2018. Mr. Rivera's concert work has been featured at The Auditorium Theatre, The Chicago Symphony Center (CSO Hall) with the Chicago Sinfonietta, Chicago Jazz Festival, Hyde Park Jazz Festival, Harris Theater, Ruth Page Center for the Arts, DuSable Museum, Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Links Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, and Mayne Stage. Additional choreography includes theatrical productions for Goodman Theatre, Bailiwick Theatre, Metropolis Arts Center, Columbia College, American Theater Co., American Players Theater, Porchlight Theater and Pegasus Players. In 2016, he launched his most ambitious artistic project to date, American Catracho. This 3-year exploration of the immigrant experience has premiered in segments and will debut in celebration of CRDT's 20th Anniversary in 2019. For more information visit: cerquarivera.org
Meet Ethan!
Ethan Kirschbaum graduated summa cum laude with departmental honors in dance performance from the Ailey School/Fordham University B.F.A. Program. Since then he has danced with Hubbard Street 2, River North Dance Chicago, Lucky Plush Productions, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Santa Fe Opera, and the Saarlandisches Staatstheater. He has been on faculty at the Ailey School, Joffrey Academy, and Lou Conte Dance Studio and intends to bring his breadth of experience to every class.
 Meet Nalanie!
Ms. Molina began her Spanish dance career through the program provider Afterschool Matters (Spanish Dance Experience) in 2011. From there, she immediately auditioned for the Ensemble Espanol's Spanish Dance Youth Company and was awarded the scholarship within that same year. In 2017, she was promoted to company apprentice into the professional company and then company dancer in 2020. Ms. Molina has studied extensively with a variety of Spanish dance artists nationally and internationally who include Irma Suarez Ruiz, Paloma Gomez, Jose Barrios, Carmela Greco, Carlos Rodriguez, Julia Hinojosa, Claudia Pizarro, Jose Torres and Carlos Menchaca. For the past 5 years, she has taught Spanish dance to youth of all ages in CPS schools and with Ensemble Espanol's community workshop classes. She is also a recent graduate of Columbia College Chicago's Masters of Arts Management program. 

CPS Advanced Arts Program
Gallery 37 Center for the Arts
66 East Randolph Street, Chicago, IL 60601
p. 312.578.9485 - f. 312.578.9487
AdvancedArts@cps.edu
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