
Studio Dance News
We are holding an audition on Sunday, August 10th, from 4:00pm–6:00pm at our West Rogers Park studio. During this audition, students will learn choreography, participate in team-building exercises, and enjoy a fun group activity. It’s a great opportunity to connect, grow, and dance together!
Sign up today to secure your spot!
Audition fee: $15
We'll be offering Dance Clinics throughout the summer, where dancers can explore new styles and strengthen their technique. Students must be 7 years old to attend.
Learn more about the dance clinics here.
$15 per dance clinic.
In an age where connection matters more than ever, Music House will host our first Move Together Festival! Where students who are enrolled in dance classes over the summer will perform a dance piece together. They will learn this piece in their dance classes and have the opportunity to perform with other dancers. Move Together Festival! celebrates the power of movement not just to express—but to unite.
FREE - Sign Up Here!
Grab your blankets and join us for a free family movie night! Enjoy a fun, relaxing evening under the stars with a film the whole family will love. Plus, be the first to hear the exciting reveal of our dance productions for next season.
FREE - Sign Up Here
Get the whole family moving with fun, themed dance workshops—where families dance together! No experience needed—just bring your energy and joy.
$15 per family per event.
This past weekend, for the first time ever, Music House Dance Company competed in a dance competition, The guiDANCE Experience. Over the years, we wondered if taking our students to a dance competition aligns with our educational goals. We want to provide our young dancers with motivating and inspiring experiences and worried that a competition would not be a healthy emotional experience. But, our Dance Company students wanted to compete! So, we searched for a competition that shared our values and prepared our students for the competition world.
The guiDANCE Experience exceeded our expectations. The atmosphere at the competition was filled with kindness and encouragement and it was a beautiful reminder of the power of positivity and support in the dance world. As dancers from studios across Chicago lined up to perform, they wished each other luck. When one group exited the stage, other competitors congratulated them and celebrated their performance. It was heartwarming to witness.
Considering this was our first competition, we went in for the experience and did not expect to win anything—we simply came to do our best.
The date for our upcoming spring recital, "When I Grow Up," is fast approaching! We want to take a moment to remind you of a few important details regarding the rehearsal and recital. Please review the information below to ensure you're fully prepared.
At Music House, we believe that it’s never too early to nurture a love for the performing arts. Our early childhood classes are thoughtfully designed to introduce young learners to the magical worlds of music, dance, and theater. With engaging, play-based activities led by experienced educators, students explore the arts in a warm and supportive environment. These classes provide the perfect foundation for developing essential skills like listening, self expression, coordination, and teamwork—while inspiring confidence and sparking joy.
Whether your little one is just starting to explore the arts or is communicating a strong interest in singing, dancing, acting, or instruments, Music House is a great place to stART.
Tap dance is a beautiful art form where the dancer is also a musician. As an American art form with African roots, Tap is an important cultural study. Tap engages both sides of the brain simultaneously, improving cognitive function. Tap dancing can improve cardiovascular health and strengthen muscles. At Music House, we love and value Tap. We even feature Tap in our original, spectacular, and non-secular version of The Nutcracker.
We are thrilled to announce that our Winter 2025 production will be The Nutcracker and The Magic Carousel! We would like to invite all of our dancers to participate in this secular Music House version of The Nutcracker.
We are excited to announce that the photos from our Paddington Dance Production have arrived! You can view and download the photos for free.
Paddington’s Chicago Adventure Photos:
For a growing child, about 70 of those hours should be spent sleeping or napping.
Then there’s the average of 35 hours spent in school each week.
About 10 hours each week are spent getting to/from places.
10 hours for meals.
6 hours per week for baths, brushing teeth, hair care, health appointments, and other personal care.
10 hours for reading, studying, tutoring, or homework.
3 hours for cultural, community, or religious activity.
14 hours of playtime, family time, screen time, and unstructured time.
Give or take.
You get the idea.
This leaves approximately 10 hours per week for a performing arts education and other extracurricular activities.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the amount of time in performing arts classes, with dance as an example. For student dancers, just how much dance is recommended?
It is important to us that your dancer feels comfortable in their class and is able to move safely. It is also pertinent to the growth of our students' dance technique that our instructors are able to properly see and assess body placement and alignment. These are all important considerations when purchasing dancewear. Please review Music House's flexible dance attire and list of suggested dancewear (with discount!) below. Let us know if you have any specific questions!
Music House is proud to include the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE® National Training Curriculum (ABT NTC)!
In the bustling realm of children’s literature, certain stories stand out as timeless classics, captivating young minds with tales that resonate across generations. One such gem is the endearing narrative of a bear named Paddington. Music House is thrilled to unveil our upcoming Spring Dance production – Paddington's Chicago Adventure. This captivating story revolves around a bear named Paddington, on a delightful journey.
“Dance is the only thing that lets you lose yourself and find yourself at the same time.” Pete Townsend
This quote speaks to one of the things I most love about dancing. When I dance, I feel as if my brain/body runs on autopilot (thanks to the months of practice and rehearsal) so that I can express myself fully in this embodied art form. Dancing surely is beautiful. But have you ever considered the beauty happening inside the brain of a dancer?
Did you know that Music House now offers Musical Theater Dance classes for youth as well as a drop-in weekly class for adults? Have you been looking for a dance class for a child with Autism or learning and developmental disabilities (LDDs)? Are you curious about an Afrobeats class?
This year our Spring Dance Recital explores the theme of telling stories! Keep reading to learn about all of the stories that you will watch come to life on stage and then click here to purchase your tickets to our Spring Dance Recital!
Unlike practicing an instrument, practicing dance at home can seem less intuitive or more elusive. Unless you have an at home dance studio (which most of us don’t), you might find yourself limited by space, furniture, flooring, you name it! Here are some tips and best practices to have an effective and productive dance practice session at home!
It’s that time of year! We are pleased to announce auditions for our 2022/2023 production of The Nutcracker! Our Nutcracker is an adapted non-traditional, non-sectarian story that is intended to be inclusive for all of our families. You do not have to be a dancer to participate- there are a wide variety of roles! Sign up for your audition today!
Have you ever seen a dancer en pointe and thought to yourself “How do they do that?” Getting your first pair of pointe shoes marks a very clear milestone in a young dancer’s education. Your dancer has worked hard and has displayed that they have built the strength and technical skills in order to advance to the next level. While this is an exciting opportunity to work toward, there are some things that should be considered while working toward this next step.
"Start young" is something you may hear a lot about learning certain disciplines, especially dance. There are many benefits to starting dance at a young age however we recognize that for many, this may not be possible. You can, however, obtain many benefits if you start SOONER rather than LATER.
Your Dancer is Performing! What You Can Expect!
It is exciting to perform on a stage in front of family, friends and strangers too! And for some, it can be daunting and scary! At Music House we want to nurture the love of the performance. We believe performing is an important life-skill. Our dance recital is a celebration and a demonstration of all that your dancers have been learning in class presented in a choreographed dance that is prepared and rehearsed for months prior to show day!
And, as an audience member you will see every dance class perform a different dance. This means you will get to see what all of our other dance classes have been working on!
Helping your child choose an instrument or art form can feel like a challenging decision. We want to help guide you with 3 things you can do as a parent to support your child’s experimentation and help them get the most out of everything they try.
When you are learning a physically involved art form, like dance or theater, time spent in the studio is precious and necessary for obtaining feedback and coaching in real time. It is an opportunity to learn alongside fellow students and engage in an art form that builds connection and community. Contrary to what many believe, time spent OUTSIDE of the studio can be just as important!
But I don’t have a fancy dance studio setup at home…