Dance Center

1306 S. Michigan Ave.

The Dance Center provides students with a superior contemporary dance education in the context of a world-class, nationally recognized dance performance season. Since its doors first opened in 1969, the Dance Center at Columbia College Chicago has presented hundreds of professional companies and choreographers.

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Home to one of the nation's finest college dance programs and one of Chicago’s premier presenters of contemporary dance, the Dance Center serves the greater Chicago dance community and audiences. The center is hailed as one of the most important presenters of contemporary dance in the United States, bringing world renowned companies to Chicago every year. Columbia students have the chance to work closely with the visiting companies through master classes and discussions.

“Some of the most memorable performances I’ve seen in my near twenty years of covering dance in Chicago have taken place on the Dance Center stage. Experimental work, student and faculty showcases, nationally and internationally revered artists have all rarified the Dance Center’s air for half a century.” - Sharon Hoyer, New City

The Dance Center is a 33,000-square-foot, four-story art deco facility that includes a 268-seat performance space, six dance studios with sprung wood floors, dressing rooms, and locker rooms with showers. The state-of-the-art building with its highly-trained staff provides students access to the technical aspects of dance performance from learning how to work with a lighting designer to understanding video projection and producing events. Through its community outreach and education initiatives, the Dance Center seeks to deepen appreciation and understanding of contemporary dance and contribute to the health of Chicago communities.

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