Community Outreach

S.T.E.P.S is the community engagement program of Hyde Park School of Dance. HPSD is committed to serving the community by offering opportunities for people of all ages to experience dance.

Lecture Demonstrations offer a behind-the-scenes look at dance performance. Performances take place at your site and typically last 45 minutes to one hour. During a typical lecture demonstration, the audience views excerpts from current repertoire, learns how choreographers develop dances, and may also have the opportunity to join dancers on stage to learn simple dance sequences.

Past lecture demonstrations include community performances at the 57th Street Book Fair as well as performances at local libraries, nursing homes, and schools. In December, HPSD offers a student matinee of its annual Nutcracker ballet at the University of Chicago’s Mandel Hall for 800 south side schoolchildren. To reserve tickets for your school, please contact .

Below and to the left, HPSD teaching at Bret Harte Elementary School:
an after-school dance program for 1st and 2nd graders

57th Street Book Fair - Alice in Wonderland

2.) After-School Programs provide basic instruction in a variety of dance styles to students with little or no formal dance training, in facilities outside the HPSD dance studios. Priority is given to serving Chicago public elementary schools and community organizations, and the target age group for these classes is 4-13. After-school programs are available at a modest cost, which is shared between HPSD, the sponsoring school/organization, and parents. The programs provide students focused study of a specific dance style (ballet, modern, jazz, African) as well as training in the language and history of dance, improvisation, and basic choreography. Programs are tailored to the specific needs of the sponsoring organization.

Current and past sponsors of the HPSD after-school program include Bret Harte School, Ray School, Woodlawn Charter School, Better Boys Foundation, Oakdale Christian Academy, and Easter Seals Child Developmental Center. Please note that dancers in the after-school programs are occasionally invited to perform alongside HPSD students, allowing for a personal connection with the school and mentorship by older dancers.

3.) Community Performances offer the experience of dance in settings outside the traditional theater or studio, and often in collaboration with other local arts organizations. These performances showcase a variety of dance styles. Past community collaborations include performances at the Hyde Park Jazz Festival, with the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and with the University of Chicago Orchestra.

For more information about lecture demonstrations, community performances or after-school programs, contact HPSD Associate Director Sarah Ford Thompson: . S.T.E.P.S. is supported in part by a grant from the Harper Court Arts Council.

Snapshots from the HPSD Performance at the Hyde Park Art Center

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