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Looking for the Best Dance Events in Chicago this Fall?
Chicago has a large and thriving dance community, and the Fall is always filled with incredible dance performances. If you’re looking for opportunities to be immersed in the Chicago art and dance scene, find community, and spend time with loved ones, check out some of our favorite fall dance events below, and fill your Fall with some engaging, phone-free (right?) experiences.The short list:
1. Want to see award-winning, athletic contemporary dance? Maybe have a glass of wine before the show? Or try a Master Class before the show? Winifred Haun & Dancers’ innovative “How the Light Gets In: dances for these times” is October 24-25 at the Ruth Page Center. This event offers lots of ways to see an amazing dance show and connect with friends and family. Get details
2. Interested in something child and family-friendly? Check out the fun at Halloween Creepy Crawlies, presented by Darvin Dances on Sunday, October 11 at Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble. Learn more
3. Curious about dance films? SHORT STACK will be perfect for you. See dance on the screen
4. Interested in contemporary dance and live music? Check out The Seldoms All At Once, October 16 & 17 at Studio 5 in Evanston. Get more details
5. Love the Nutcracker? You’ll go nuts for the longest-running Nutcracker event in Chicago, Ballet Legere’s The Nutcracker, December 3 through 7 at Dominican University in River Forest. Go see ballet
6. Looking to support the arts at a higher level and meet practicing artists? Consider attending Bold Impact Gala on Tuesday, October 6 at Venue West. Support Dance
7. Want to get all the Chicago area Dance events in one place? Check out SeeChicagoDance. The site has nearly everything happening in Chicago dance this season. Keep reading below for details and links.
Winifred Haun & Dancers presents:
How the Light Gets In; dances for these days
When Saturday October 24th 7:30PM & Sunday October 25th 3PM
Where Ruth Page Center for the Arts | 1016 N Dearborn St, Chicago, IL
What See world premieres by Winifred Haun and Regina Perr-Carr, plus the re-staging of the award-winning, critically acclaimed work from 2017, “Trashed.”
$39, General Admission
$70, 2 tickets ($35 each)
$128, 4 tickets ($32 each)
Related Events:
See Chicago Dance presents:
Bold Impact Gala
When Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at 5:30 PM
Where Venue West, 221 N Paulina St, Chicago, IL
What The evening will feature a welcome reception, raffle items, paddle raise, a seated dinner, live performances by Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago. This year, it is our profound honor to acknowledge Jose Luis Ovalle Gonzalez, founder and director of the Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago, with the Legacy Award; and Jan Feldman, executive director of Lawyers for the Creative Arts, with the Distinguished Service Award.
Individual Tickets: $350
See Chicago Dance is a platform that serves the Chicago dance community through services and programs that build and engage audiences. Their website has long served as a community calendar offering the most comprehensive source for information on Chicago dance, helping develop a more cohesive dance environment.
The Seldoms presents:
All At Once
Where Studio 5, 1938 Dempster St, Evanston, IL 60202
When Friday October 16th & Saturday October 17th 7:30PM
What All at Once is a new Cubist-inspired performance work by The Seldoms and Timothy Daisy involving contemporary dance, live percussion, and voluminous costume to create a kinetic, kaleidoscopic terrain. In All at Once, choreographer Carrie Hanson and the ensemble of six virtuosic dancers attempt to apply principles of Cubism to movement—an impossible unfolding of the three-dimensional body that drives invention.
General Admission: $39
Project Bound Dance presents:
SHORT STACK
Where FACETS 1517 W Fullerton Ave Chicago, Illinois 60614
When Friday, October 23rd, 7 PM (Doors at 6:30)
What Project Bound Dance presents SHORT STACK: Chicago’s Tiny Dance Film FestivalFeaturing The One Hour Project.
General Admission: $25
Darvin Dances presents:
Halloween Creepy Crawlies
Where Chicago Danztheatre Ensemble, 1650 W Foster Ave
When Sunday October 11, 2026 at 2PM & 7:00PM
What Halloween Creepy Crawlies is a family-friendly dance production produced by Darvin Dances that explores the mysteries of Halloween through a lost ghost’s search for her haunted home. On her way, she is helped by Ballerina Witches, Jazzy Vampires, Modern-Dancing Mummies, a Tap Dancing Skeleton and even a Jack O’ Lantern named Jake! Any kids will even have a chance to participate in a 15-minute Halloween Dance Experience before the show begins!
Adult: $20 Kid: $11
Ballet Legere presents:
The Nutcracker
Where Lund Auditorium, Dominican University, 7900 W. Division, River Forest
When December 3rd-7th 2026
What Ballet Legere’s The Nutcracker, now in it’s 41st Season, is Chicagoland's longest-running annual rendition of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic, featuring a cast of over 120 local students and professional guest artists.
Tickets: $25-40
What SeeChicagoDance is a nonprofit service organization that advocates for the Chicago area dance community and works to build and engage audiences for dance artists and organizations. They are the largest and best resource for all things Chicago dance.
(it’s free!)
We hope to see you out and about witnessing dance this Fall. If you see us out in the wild (at one of these or other events), don’t be afraid to say hello - we’d love to meet you!
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