The Ruth Page Center for the Arts

It was such a nostalgic experience. The puppeteer was amazing and the kids were just in such awe! It’s not just for the kids though, if you’re into the arts this will definitely get you in tune with your creative and sentimental side. Apparently there’s always a different act so il be coming back for more in the summer I’m sure!

I took several months of beginning adult ballet with Vanessa here and absolutely loved it. I’ve taken quite a bit of dance as an adult, like jazz, hip hop and modern, but no ballet, something I’ve always felt I was lacking. Vanessa’s instruction was not geared towards super beginners, but it was perfect for me. She taught real, solid technique and gave very helpful corrections throughout. I loved having live accompaniment for the classes. By the end of several months, I had noticeably improved and was starting to feel like a dancer. I really appreciate teachers of adult dance classes who don’t «teach down» to us and who try to teach us good technique even though we’re all just doing it for fun and fitness. I highly recommend classes at Ruth Page!

There is nowhere else you can get three legendary ballet masters in one roof.
Dolores, Beirute and Randy seriously provide top notch ballet training, both to the academy students as well as adults and professional dancers.
I have improved greatly because of these three.
Also offered is Afro Cuban, which is a fun and kick butt workout; tai chi, with an amazing instructor, Tom, who is welcoming and great to watch when he does the long form; and salsa.
I was lucky enough to be in their production of the Nutcracker, which is a beautifully set production and makes it more accessible to younger or non ballet folk.
Seriously a gem in professional, or leisurely training.

The best dance training in Chicago, hands down. A level of experience and training that is unparalleled. You and your child will never regret this experience!

Great small (but old) theater. We went to see Mr. Chikee’s Funny Money. Fantastic show with a great message. Top notch cast and score for sure! Small theater allows for an intimate experience. Just go.

Ruth Page Center for the Arts is a great complex for dance classes and theater, and I recently saw the Chicago Children’s Theater production of «A Year With Frog and Toad» here.
Ticket buying was easy online, and the website calendar of shows was very clear and detailed. Picking up the tickets at Will Call was easy, and the staff here are incredibly nice.
The theater is intimate, not a bad seat in the house. The production was very well done, with great lighting, sets, and visuals, such as using a waving parachute for water and snow. The acting was a mix of veterans and newly graduated thespians, and the cast did a great job telling the story of two friends and their adventures. This was a musical, and the songs were done well, and the small crew of musicians were on point.
My son and I knew the stories well, and I was a bit worried that he was too old for this production. In actuality, he and I were laughing a lot at the «asides» and things younger kids weren’t getting, so kudos to Chicago Children’s Theater for making it a well-​rounded production for kids of all ages.

I’ve only had wonderful experiences here. I wanted to start up ballet again as I used to dance time ago. I only did the intermediate ballet classes, but it was so wonderful. They made me feel comfortable and the space was great! And they actually use a real, live piano player as oppose to silly iPod for music. Anyways, I would strongly recommend this place to anyone.

I attended the Chicago Architecture Foundation open house tour at the Ruth Page Center this weekend which was fantastic. I have walked by this building on north Dearborn Street for many years and figured that it was about time to see more than the outside.
I’m glad I attended, while this tour was not really focused on the architecture of the building, tour guests were treated with two performances from dancers in one of the rehearsal studios. One performance was with three ballerinas doing a movement from the Nutcraker and the other was a contemporary dance performed by a sexy young dancer named Gino. It is always good to see virile young men with well-​developed bodies engaging in contemporary dance.
I plan to attend some performances in the future since I live in the neighborhood and suggest others do the same. The Ruth Page Center was where ballet star Barichnikov received training. The Ruth Page Center is really a gem in the city.

The Chicago Community Orchestra (CCO) put on one of their spring concerts here titled «China and America in Music».
The night marked the North American première of Chen Yi’s Xian Shi for viola and which also happens to be the first viola concerto written by a Chinese composer, which also featured Michael Hall on viola. Suffice it to say he was superb
The performance itself was good, but not great. A couple of the pieces had pre-​recorded soundtracks and ambient noises being played through loudspeakers. Unfortunately, whomever was mixing these sounds, made the volume too loud and it felt like it was competing with the live performers.
One additional gripe is that the theater is kept too hot. The stage and gallery areas are both really intimate in size, which makes it feel like you are on top of the performance in a good way. That being said, if we were very warm in the dark seats, one can only imagine how the performers felt in all black under bright spotlights. Seriously folks, turn up the air conditioning.
As for the music itself, the pieces were quite enjoyable. Four stars for the CCO and their performance, but only three stars for Ruth Page until they pay more close attention to proper mixing of sounds and set the thermostat at a more reasonable level.

Yep, I dig dancing and I’m not worried one bit about my man card. You want to know why? Because dancers are super fit, talented, sexy, and creative! Which means their HOT!!! OK yes, sytycd maybe have put that dancing bug in me. And so it begins…
I’ll admit I’ve never even heard of this place when I arrived for the «Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival» but that’s not saying much since I’m new to the art. Dancers came from all around but there were more Chicago based troupes then any other of which I was strangely proud of. It’s not exactly what I expected but I appreciated so much of it still. I was lucky enough to get a 3 day pass at cheap rate and I actually went everyday. The box office gal and I became friends. She was nice and really funny. Actually all of the staff there were helpful and nice. The building seems to be kept up pretty well, it’s not braid new or anything but at least the seats are comfortable enough and clean. I scoped out the place and saw that they have classes for all sorts of dance for those brave enough to enter this magical art.
So night one…
I understand that this is only their 2^nd year doing this but between the air being out (I and the whole crowd were sweating in our seats), problems with their lights, and major gaps between dancers, it seemed like their first run at this. Some dancers were nice and some were creative but nobody seemed to be giving their all in their stories. To be honest I couldn’t take anymore I left during the intermission worried about tomorrows performance.
Night two…
Air was fixed, lights were better, and less gaps. Dancers were amazing, stories were interesting and the music was awesome. I learned that you expect flying through the air or super flexible people. Don’t get me wrong they were great but it wasn’t mind blowing (well a few were, Aerial dance Chicago = WOW).
Night three…
Pants came with me this time and we sat up in the balcony which is were almost all of the dancers sat before and after their performance. It was kind of cool to be surrounded like that and every one was nice. I would say that the performances were about as good as night two but with a few more odd performances.
I feel lucky to have gone to this, it seemed to be all about the dance community and the people who support them. I will be seeing another show here and I can’t wait to look into some of the Chicago performers and their shows in other locations.

I saw Ameba’s «Time Flies» here over the weekend, and the theatre is really gorgeous — very comfy, great sight line, and the stage is gorgeous. Can’t wait to see another show here!

Ruth Page is a historical dance foundation with great ballet teachers; Larry Long, Baruti, and Greg. There is an advance/​professional ballet class in the am, I think 11am, and an intermediate adult ballet class most evenings at 6p. Free parking is available in the adjacent lot, just sign in your car.

Best studio by far. In the most convenient location. They also have parking which is quite useful.
I just take adult classes and mostly ballet ones. It also is a school and you are surrounded by these little ballerinas (it can be a little intimidating but I consider it good for you!)
I love the ballet classes here. They are taught in the traditional ballet like. The building is absolutely adorable. They also feature live piano music which makes a huge difference when you are squeezing back into a leotard after 5 years of being away from one.
I have also met a number of my new closest friends here and that makes the entire experience much more enjoyable.
They also have famouse teachers like Birute and Larry Levine!