World-Class Artists Perform at Chicago Human Rhythm Project's RHYTHM WORLD

Showcasing a wide range of performers and repertoire, Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) announces the programs for three of the performances during its 27th annual summer festival of American tap and percussive dance, Rhythm World.

Opening the week of performances is the annual appearance Monday, July 17 at 8 p.m. at the Jazz Showcase, 806 S. Plymouth Court. Emceed by and featuring STOMP alumna and Broadway hoofer (Shuffle Along) Lisa Latouche, the evening includes Maud Arnold, Bril Barrett, CHRP's new Artist In Residence Dani Borak, STOMP cast member Ali Bradley, Tristan Bruns, Star Dixon, Tre Dumas, Lee Howard, Sean Kaminski, Nico Rubio and Jumaane Taylor, accompanied by a jazz trio featuring Vijay Tellis-Nayak on piano, Eric Hochberg on bass and Ernie Adams on drums.

Tickets are $15-30 and available at eventbrite.com/e/rhythm-world-27-opening-night-at-the-jazz-showcase-tickets-34698379788.

The JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance concerts, the crowning events of Rhythm World, feature a host of extraordinary foot drummers and percussive arts masters July 21 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Studebaker Theater at the Fine Arts Building, 410 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago.

The programs are as follows:

Friday, July 21-The evening includes a performance for the general public and also serves as CHRP's annual fundraising gala, Jubalee. The concert features Chicago Human Rhythm Project performing a world premiere by Artist in Residence Dani Borak and three classics by African-American choreographers Buster Brown, Lon Chaney and Harold "Stumpy" Cromer; STOMP alumna and Broadway hoofer (Shuffle Along) Lisa Latouche performing her masterpiece Love Me or Leave Me with Tre Dumas and Nico Rubio; STOMP cast members Ali Bradley and Jeremy Price; North Carolina Youth Tap Ensemble; solo performances by Lee Howard and Jumaane Taylor; a trio performance by Star Dixon, Donnetta Jackson and Imania Fatima Detry; scholarship students from Tokyo directed by Yukiko Misumi; and a recreation of one movement from William Orlowski's Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G Major with dancers from Kim Chalovich's Tap Dance Centre and CHRP. Tickets are $25-55 and available at eventbrite.com/e/juba-masters-of-tap-and-percussive-dance-friday-july-21-tickets-34698650598. During the Jubalee festivities, CHRP honors The Chicago Community Trust and its President and CEO Terry Mazany with the JUBA! Award for Extraordinary Support for the Arts and Community in Chicago. CHRP is thrilled to have past JUBA! Award winner, the Honorable Mayor Rahm Emanuel, serve as Honorary Chair of the event, which includes pre- and post-show receptions. Tickets are $225-250 and available at eventbrite.com/e/chrps-jubalee-gala-friday-july-21-tickets-34800052895.

Saturday, July 22-The performance features CHRP performing several works, including MacArthur Fellowship ("Genius") winner Michelle Dorrance's Push Past Break, a work blending two iconic American art forms, the blues and tap dance, that she created for CHRP with support from the Princess Grace Foundation and the Auditorium Theatre's Movement + Movement Festival; solos by Dani Borak, Star Dixon, Tristan Bruns and the godmother of the Japanese tap community, Yukiko Misumi; and performances by Jus' LisTeN, Bril Barrett with M.A.D.D. Rhythms and more. Tickets are $25-55 and available at eventbrite.com/e/juba-masters-of-tap-and-percussive-dance-saturday-july-22-tickets-34699678673. For complete Rhythm World information, visit chicagotap.org or call 312-542-CHRP (2477).

Funding Rhythm World is made possible by support from the National Endowment for the Arts' Art Works, The Illinois Arts Council Agency and Chicago's Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.Chicago Human Rhythm Project is supported by The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago Free for All Fund at The Chicago Community Trust, MacArthur Fund for Arts & Culture at Prince, Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Joyce Foundation, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Dance USA/Engaging Dance Audiences, The Chicago Community Trust, The Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, The Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, The Shubert Foundation, The Deluxe Foundation, The Saints, BMO Harris, Northern Trust Charitable Trust, DeKalb Community Foundation, Elaine Cohen and Arlen Rubin, Charles Gardner and Patti Eylar, Jane Ellen Murray Foundation, The Oppenheimer Family Foundation, Joyce Chelberg, Lyon Family Foundation, The Weinberg Family Foundation,, Jeannette & Jerome Cohen Philanthropic Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation of Greater Kansas, Phil and Marsha Dowd, Ingenuity's Creative Schools Fund, Capezio and Dancing Fair. Chicago Human Rhythm Project.

Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) creates community through American tap and contemporary percussive arts in world-class, innovative performance, education and outreach programs. Believing tap is to dance what jazz is to music-an American contribution to global culture-CHRP has been presenting American tap and global percussive dance for almost 30 years, evolving from a summer tap festival into the world's first, year-round presenter dedicated to foot-drumming and contemporary rhythmic expression. Central to CHRP's performance, education and community activating programs is its mission to build bridges between individuals and communities through the practice and appreciation of rhythm.

Whether as part of the oldest and largest tap festival on the globe, Rhythm World; the collaborative citywide percussive dance festival, STOMPING GROUNDS; year-round education programs in Chicago Public Schools, We All Got Rhythm; or its shared dance/arts incubator, the American Rhythm Center (ARC), CHRP focuses on artistic excellence, innovation, authentic diversity and cultural pluralism. CHRP received an Emmy nomination for its PBS-ITVS documentary JUBA! Master of Tap and Percussive Dance; curated the first-ever full-length tap concert in a major theater at the Kennedy Center; has officially represented the U.S. in dance festivals in South America, Asia and Europe; and has been lauded as a pioneer in the field by the New York Times. Past students receiving great acclaim include, among many others, MacArthur "Genius" Michelle Dorrance, Broadway hoofers Karissa Royster and Lee Howard and Jazz at Lincoln Center soloist Jared Grimes. For information, visit chicagotap.org.

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