Hyde Park School of Dance - Community Engagement

HPSD's Community Engagement

As a non-profit, Hyde Park School of Dance is committed to the service of its community. A key component of our efforts to give back to our neighborhood and the rest of Chicago's South Side is making structured dance opportunities and fulfilling performances available to people of all ages and backgrounds through our community engagement program.

Our community outreach offerings include lecture demonstrations, in-school dance supplements, after-school programming, and neighborhood performances. For questions on the details listed below, or for information about how your organization can benefit from partnership with Hyde Park School of Dance, please email HPSD's Director of Community Engagement Allyson Ratliff at allyson@hydeparkdance.org.

Hyde Park School of Dance's Community Engagement Director Allyson Ratliff

Lecture Demonstrations

Performances take place at your site and 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 approximately 800 schoolchildren.

HPSD dancers perform for a young audience during a lecture demonstration at the 57th Street Book Fair.

Students in an HPSD after-school class at a south side CPS school

In-School & After-School Programming

In-school and after-school programs provide basic instruction in a variety of dance styles to students with little or no formal dance training, in facilities outside of HPSD dance studios. Priority is given to serving Chicago public elementary schools and community organizations. The target age group for these classes is 4-13. In-school and after-school programs are available at a modest cost. The programs provide student-focused study of a specific dance style (ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop) 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 HPSD’s after-school and in-school programs include Bret Harte School, Ray School, Woodlawn Charter School, Better Boys Foundation, Oakdale Christian Academy, and Easter Seals Child Developmental Center. Dancers in the after-school programs are occasionally invited to perform alongside HPSD students, allowing for a personal connection with the school and mentoring by older dancers.