“This has been my favorite summer event for the past 35 years. Where else can you see a smaller Chicago dance company back to back with the Joffrey? Add to that, it is more than just a great night for entertainment, it benefits new dancers who are in need and a great cause since the early days of the AIDS Foundation of Chicago.”
— medical physicist Scott Johnson, co-chair of Dance for Life
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in Touch & Agree
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago in Touch & Agree by Juel D. Lane. Photo by Michelle Reid.

Chicago Dance Health Fund which provides financial relief for preventative healthcare and critical medical needs for Chicago dance industry professionals presents Dance for Life featuring 12 works by renowned area dance companies and choreographers August 22 at The Auditorium with all the elation and celebration the evening has created for 35 years. A Gala dinner at Venue SIX10 and after party complete the package which last year attracted 1600 people to the performance and 600 to the after party, including 300 dancers.

We spoke with two of its four co-chairs, arts advocates and philanthropists Gary Metzner and Scott Johnson, about the evening’s impact and why the audience keeps coming back, even from huge distances, to celebrate. Dance for Life’s 35th Anniversary co-chairs are Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias and Josephine Giannoulias, with dance world leaders Sherry Zunker and Esther Jeles as the two other co-chairs.

Cloudline
Cloudline — Jessica Tong and Jason Hortin. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.

Gary Metzner, Head of the Sotheby’s Chicago office and Managing Director of its Midwest Region, told us:

“When you look at events around Chicago, many benefits are $1000 and up. Tickets to the Dance for Life Performance are still just $65 and the package with the dinner, show and afterparty is $750. For a city of this size I believe that we have the largest number of smaller dance companies, many of whom are performing that night. I have been involved since its beginnings and served on the board of River North Dance Chicago until it folded. Many of the dancers in the smaller companies do not have health insurance and the Chicago Dance Health Fund is such a great organization.”
Postcards
Postcards — Anais Bueno and Stefan Gonçalvez. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

“It is a pleasure to work with our good friends Sherry Zunker and Esther Jeles, who have been so important to our dance community and who worked so closely with Bob Fosse. They are returning from their home in Cozumel to co-chair the evening,” Johnson said.

Randy Duncan Finale 2023
Randy Duncan Finale 2023 by Michelle Reid.

Choreographer Randy Duncan, who will be honored that evening, has created a world premiere finale to music by Ira Antelis with Chicago-area dancers from the participating companies and beyond as he has for almost all of the past 35 years.

Randy Duncan
Randy Duncan by James C. Svehla.

Participating in the evening’s performance are: Ballet 5:8, Chicago Dance Crash, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater, Giordano Dance Chicago, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet, Robyn Mineko Williams and Artists, Trinity Irish Dance Company, and Visceral Dance Chicago. Also, on the program is Red, Black & White by Jeremy Plummer and Harrison McEldowney, a returning work featuring dancers from throughout the Chicago community.

Deeply Rooted
Deeply Rooted — Sam Ogunde and Nyemah Stuart. Photo by Todd Rosenberg.
SÉseacht performed by Trinity Irish Dance Company
SÉseacht performed by Trinity Irish Dance Company. Photo by Christopher Duggan.

The planners have chosen to feature Red, Black & White because they feel it is a celebration of unity, resilience and the strength that emerges when people stand together for what they believe in: a real dance for life.

Red, Black & White
Red, Black & White. Photo by Cheryl Mann.

The mission of the Chicago Dance Health Fund is to foster the health and wellness of more than 150,000 Chicago dance professionals by providing financial support for preventative healthcare and critical medical needs. Anyone working in or retired from a professional capacity within Chicago’s dance community—dancers, technical staff, administrators, choreographers, instructors, accompanists and more—is eligible. Its health and wellness partners include the American Cancer Society, Athletico, Entertainment Community Fund, Howard Brown Health, Season of Concern and Shirley Ryan AbilityLab.

Visceral Dance Revel
Visceral Dance Revel. Photography by KT Miller.

To learn more, visit cdhf.org