Chicago Dancer's Guide.

Where to study and who to see in the Windy City.

THE FIRST THING you have to know about Chicago is that it's not one city but many, a collection of fiercely independent neighborhoods defined by ethnicity and tradition. Chicagoans don't tell each other they're "from Chicago"--they're from the South Side, the Gold Coast, Wrigleyville. Making sense of all this can take time if you're new to town, but stick with it; Chicago's dance arena offers many of the opportunities of New York or Los Angeles, with a lower cost of living. The city boasts jazz choreographers as acclaimed and diverse as Gus Giordano and Billy Siegenfeld, and contemporary dance troupes such as Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and River North Chicago Dance Company. Tap dance professionals include Lane Alexander and Idella Reed. And ballet? Well, there's this little company called the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago ... (see Reviews, page 72).

A good strategy in any city as large as Chicago is to meet dancers already working professionally. Probably the easiest way to begin networking (and become a better dancer) is to take classes, either at a university or one of the many professional-level studios.

Here are some places to start (see the reference list following):

The Dance Center of Columbia College Chicago has a new, easy-to-get-to facility in the downtown Loop, Chicago's business hub, and it includes one of the city's best performance spaces for dance. It offers both a bachelor's degree and bachelor of fine arts in dance; the BFA has a focus in either choreography or teaching. The college's extensive season of workshops and performances features the likes of Susan Marshall, Stephen Petronio, and White Oak Dance Project. The faculty includes Bonnie Brooks (chair), Shirley Mordine (department founder), and Jan Erkert.

Northwestern University (www.northwestern.edu/dance/) is located directly north of Chicago, in Evanston. It offers a bachelor's degree with one of three programs within the major. These include academic, performance, and administrative areas of dance. It is one of the few universities in the country that count jazz as one of its two foundation techniques (along with modern), though it also provides a strong ballet program and classes in tap and ethnic dance techniques. The faculty includes Chairperson Susan Lee and jazz dancer/ choreographer Billy Siegenfeld.

If you're not interested in university classes, the Gus Giordano Dance Center in Evanston offers classes for all levels. Many dancers travel from all over the world to take its professional-level jazz, modern, ballet, and tap classes. The faculty includes former Giordano company member Debbie Chalifoux Giordano, Fury Gold, and Mark Gomez, all among the best in their fields.

Chicago's Lou Cente Dance Studio also is known for its resident companies (Hubbard Street Dance Company I and II) and its commitment to educating dancers. Like Giordano's, it draws many of the city's finest teachers. The studio offers all levels in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap, and its faculty includes Molly Shannon, Diana Campos, and Laura Wade.

Joel Hall Dance Center, with a new two-year-old facility on the north side of town, has a well-earned reputation for incubating new talents, and many choreographers and companies teach or operate out of here. Hall himself continues to teach (despite a busy performance schedule), along with Kirby Reed, Nancy Tenowitz, and others.

If ballet is your main focus, you have quite a few choices for education. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts is celebrating its thirtieth year. The faculty includes such luminaries as Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski, both of whom worked with Page. This is a fine place for people looking to take professional-level adult ballet classes.

School of Ballet Chicago specializes in Balanchine technique, and its instructors include Christine DuBoulay, Winifred Haun, and Daniel Duell.

If you're looking for the Royal Academy of Dancing syllabus, then Chicago School of Ballet is a good choice. It features RAD exams and certification and is headed by Mary Ann Martorina.

While many of the above schools feature tap dance, the South Side of the city has the Sammy Dyer School of Dance, a homegrown facility that counts Ted Levy among its alumni. Its faculty includes tap luminaries Idella Reed and Bril Barrett.

But there's more to Chicago's dance scene than its many studios. Dance Chicago, held around November, is an annual event that features local companies, dancers, and choreographers from a broad range of disciplines. Last year Dance Chicago featured nine different programs in an entire month of varied and accessible dance. The event's Dance Slam, in particular, is a great opportunity for dancers new to the community to show their work and qualify for a spot on the regular schedule next year.

Chicago has become a mecca for tap dancers, and a big reason is the Chicago Human Rhythm Project, masterminded by virtuoso Lane Alexander (see story on page 48). One of the oldest and longest-running tap festivals in the country, it consistently features faculty as esteemed as Dianne "Lady Di" Walker, Brenda Bufalino, Sam Weber, and Savion Glover.

Dance for Life is an annual fall event that brings together the dance community--including some of the city's best companies--to raise money for AIDS prevention, awareness, and treatment.

The Ravinia Festival is a summerlong celebration of all the performing arts, including dance. It's held in suburban Highland Park, where most events are staged outdoors. This year's roster includes Gus Giordano Dance Chicago and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

The city is perhaps most famous for its jazz companies. The oldest is Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, under the direction of Nan Giordano. The company performs a varied repertoire of jazz and contemporary dance and maintains a busy performance season, including tours abroad.

Jump Rhythm Jazz Project is deeply committed to the jazz-music roots of the dance. Billy Siegenfeld, artistic director, is not only a noted choreographer but also one of the few dancers who have contributed a new and specific technique to the dance form.

The Joel Hall Dancers bring urbanity and spirituality to jazz dance, firmly stamped by famed Artistic Director Joel Hall.

River North Chicago Dance Company, with directors Sherry Zunker Dow and Frank Chaves, is a progressive jazz company that consistently produces innovative work. It also has a strong outreach program to young people.

The Joffrey Ballet of Chicago has toured the world with its repertoire of more than 230 ballets by 85 choreographers. The company maintains a strong contemporary profile with works by founder Robert Joffrey and current artistic director Gerald Arpino. It maintains works of Balanchine, Massine, de Mille, Ashton, Tudor, and Nijinsky.

Chicago's oldest tap company is E.T.C., founded by Bruce Stegmann and now directed by Julie Cartier. E.T.C. boasts a strong repertory of rhythm- and jazz-influenced tap with pieces by Cartier, Stegmann, Jay Fagan, and Lane Alexander, among others.

Rhythm ISS ... is Chicago's only all-female tap company. Artistic Director Idella Reed has contributed to the new conception of how a female tap dancer should look and move--earthy, grounded, and percussive--and her company reflects this aesthetic.

M.A.D.D. Rhythms is a vital new addition to Chicago dance. Co-Artistic Directors Bril Barrett and Martin "Trey" Dumas III have honed a smart urban edge on their jazz- and funk-based choreography and improvisation.

Based on Jimmy Payne Jr.'s previous work, his new company, Perfect Timing, should be a valuable contributor to the Chicago tap scene. His choreography is full of intricate rhythms done with up-tempo swing and other driving jazz music forms.

Contemporary and modern companies abound, ranging from the traditional to the avant-garde. Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and its second company are two of the most consistently surprising. Of particular interest to young choreographers is Hubbard Street II's annual choreography contest.

The Anatomical Theatre is on the experimental side, integrating film, music, and theater into its dance performances. It also offers a wide range of classes for dancers interested in expanding their palettes.

Deeply Rooted Dance Theater Ensemble is a contemporary company that is grounded in the traditions of African American dance and music. Both earthy and ethereal, this company is immediately accessible for dancers and audiences of all backgrounds.

Dancewear is readily available at locations all over the city. The Leo's Dancewear Inc. store, the flagship store of the Leo's dancewear empire, has a clearance room where dancers can find deeply discounted shoes, leotards, and more.

Kay Clay International Inc. comes highly recommended by many Chicago dancers. Dancers who need replacements in a hurry for blown-out tap shoes often go to www.windyrhythm.com, a Chicago-based Internet tap shoe resource. This is a small sample of the many dancewear choices in Chi-town.

Mark Yonally is a Chicago tap dancer, teacher and freelance writer.