Naperville's Elan Dance Company Presents Free Summer Performances
Élan Dance Company, the Naperville Park District's pre-professional performing ensemble, is heading outdoors this summer, offering free performances for the community at a variety of events throughout Naperville.
On Tuesday, July 18 the dancers will perform at the Millennium Carillon pavilion at 6:30 p.m. prior to the 7:00 p.m. Carillon recital, which will feature carillonneur Wylie Crawford, president of the World Carillon Federation. This outdoor setting has become a favorite performance venue for the company, overlooking the spacious lawn of Rotary Hill. The audience has plenty of room to set up chairs or blankets and enjoy a picnic. The nearby Riverwalk Café is open before, during and after the Carillon recitals, offering patio seating or the option of ordering any menu item "to go."
On Saturday, July 22 at 7:10 p.m. Élan Dance Company will perform a pre-game show at the Chicago Bandits professional softball game at the Ball Park at Rosemont. Tickets are $7.25 and can be purchased online at www.chicagobandits.com. The dancers also will sing a song during the fifth inning stretch.
Saturday, July 29 is National Dance Day, an annual event organized by the Dizzy Feet Foundation and Nigel Lythgoe, founder of the Fox TV Show, "So You Think You Can Dance." According to the Dizzy Feet Foundation's website, dizzyfeetfoundation.org, "National Dance Day is a day of celebrating dance in all its forms."
Élan Dance Company will join the celebration by performing the National Dance Day choreography at the Millennium Carillon on Saturday, July 29 at 11:00 a.m. The dancers will then teach the dance to anyone who would like to learn it. The final performance will be video recorded and submitted to the Dizzy Feet Foundation to be shared on social media and considered for inclusion in a National Dance Day recap on "So You Think You Can Dance." This event is free and open to all ages. In the event of inclement weather, check the Park District's Rainout Line at http://www.napervilleparks.org/cancellations for an indoor location. Participants should wear athletic clothing; dance shoes are optional.
On Tuesday, August 8, Élan Dance Company will return to the Millennium Carillon for a 6:30 performance before the recital, which will feature guest carillonneur Lynnli Wang from Washington D.C.
Élan's summer schedule will conclude with a performance at the Naperville Last Fling on Saturday, September 2 at 1:00 p.m. at the Family Fun Land Entertainment Stage at Naper Settlement.