Promoting Chicago as a global cultural destination
Happy Monday! If you are an Illinois resident, you can enjoy free admission to some of Chicago’s best museums. Click on the link below for a list of the museums offering this deal.
Chicago’s Museum Favorites Free This Week | The Local Tourist Chicago.
“Toutes les choses, c’est du rythme”
(Everything is rhythm)
According to the Malinke from West Africa, everything has rhythm (foli) in life: from the words we speak to the most menial tasks we do in our everyday routine. They may not be far from the truth: physicists now explain the universe as a symphony of vibrating strings (see String Theory) and Physics as nothing but the laws of harmony that you can write on vibrating strings; we are nothing but melodies. What a fun way to approach life! And this is my wish to you for 2012: May you find music, rhythm, and joy in everything you do.
Happy New Year!
I have a new friend who is also new to Chicago and who has the Salsa bug. During the month she has been here, she has been paying full price to get in anywhere. I promised her that I would give her the scoop on how to get in to most of these places for free or by paying half price. So this post is for you Anna, and for anyone who wants to experience the Chicago Salsa scene. Keep on reading and get your salsa shoes ready to dance and to get free Salsa lessons every night of the week. These listings are subject to change, so it is recommended to contact the club or the promoter to confirm. Also, click here to read about Proper Dance Floor Etiquette before you go dancing. Happy Salsa time y’all!
MONDAYS
Aquarius Club and Restaurant
2459 N. Pulaski Ave ChicagoSalsa, Mambo, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbia. Doors Open at 7:00 pm. Milly “La Salsera Sensual” of Chicago’s Latin Entertainment teaches at 7:30 pm. Open Dance Time: 9:00 pm. Street Parking. No cover charge and no guest list
Patron’s Hacienda
316 W Erie St. Chicago 312-642-2400Doors open at 8:00pm – dancing until 1:00am. $5.00 cover. Music by DJ Double O. $5 Margaritas & Mojitos. Street parking and discounted valet parking available. More info at info@hoton1salsa.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Output Lounge
1758 W Grand Ave. ChicagoDoor’s open at 6:30pm. Dancing until 12am. No cover charge. Music by DJ Edgar Marroquin & DJ Prieto. Dance Lessons starts at 6:30PM by ENRIQUE CALDERON. Enjoy Salsa, Mambo & ChaChaCha. Featured Specials: 35¢ Wings $2 Miller Lite Pints $4 Vodka Mixers $5 Rumchata Shots
For more info, photos and more: www.4fantasticevents.com or call 773-562-2328
TUESDAYS
Alhambra Palace Restaurant
1240 W. Randolph St. Chicago 312.666.9555Salsa, Mambo, Bachata and Cha Cha Cha with DJ El Prieto and DJ Luis “Rollin” Rivera. Doors Open: 7:30 pm. Juan Paredes or Nino DiGiuio teach Salsa from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm.Open Dance Time: 9:30 pm to 2:00 am. Street Parking. Cover Charge: $10. Reduced cover charge until 10:30 pm with RSVP. RSVP must be received before 3:00 pm. Email 4 Fantastic Events or click here to get on the guest list & pay half price
WEDNESDAYS
Lalo’s at Maxwell
733 W. Maxwell St. Chicago IL 60607 312-455-9380No cover charge.Free Salsa Lesson from 9:30pm-10:30pm by Dennis Pa Samba
THURSDAYS
Nacional 27
325 W. Huron Chicago 312-664-2727Complimentary Salsa Lessons from 7:00 – 8:30 pm.
Excalibur8pm-4am. Learn to dance from 8:30pm – 9:30pm Two rooms of Latin dancing all night. On the Salsa/Mambo in the Club, DJ Luis Rollin Rivera & El Papichulo spin Salsa, Mambo & Cha Cha Cha. Bachata Thursdays on the Deck with Djs Alex Perez & Party Boy Pete. They spin Bachata , Merengue & Cumbia Sonidera. Cover: $7.00. Reduced Valet Parking ($7). First cocktail is free until 9pm courtesy of Latin Street Dancing. Guest list allows you to enter Free until 9p.To get on the guest list, click here
FRIDAYS
Alhambra Palace Restaurant
1240 W. Randolph St. Chicago 312.666.9555Complimentary Salsa lesson from 9pm to 10pm by Dennis Pasamba.The Best In Salsa, Bachata, Merengue, Cumbias and Mambo by DJ Escandalo. Party from 9pm – 2am. Get on the guest list for reduced admission until 10:30pm at eeguestlist@yahoo.com
Nacional 27
325 W. Huron Chicago
Miami Nights: Dance floor opens at 11 pm; Salsa through 2 am. Cover charge: $10
Rumba
351 W. Hubbard St. Chicago, Illinois 60610 312.222.1226Live band every Friday from 7:30 to 11:30pm followed by dancing till 2am. No cover before 9:00pm. $10.00 cover after 9:00pm. Get on the guest list here & save $5.00.
SATURDAYS
Nacional 27
325 W. Huron Chicago
Vida27! Saturdays: Dare to dance to sultry salsa sounds and Latin beats by DJ X and special guest DJ’s. Dance floor opens at 11 pm; salsa through 3 am. Cover charge is $10
Rumba
351 W. Hubbard St. Chicago, Illinois 60610Salsa, Mambo and Tropical rhythms. Live Salsa bands from 7:30 pm to 11:30 pm. DJ Alberto “Escandalo” Gomez from 11:30 pm to 3:00 am. Doors Open: 5:00 pm for dinner. Open dance time: 10:00 pm to 3:00 am Parking: Metered Street and Valet available. Meters operate 24 hours per day. Cover Charge: $10
SUNDAYS
The Cubby Bear
1059 W. Addison Chicago, Illinois 60613Live Salsa bands play at the legendary Chicago landmark. DJ Frankie J spins Salsa, Mambo & Tropical Rhythms all night. Doors open at 6pm. Salsa lesson by Latin Street Dancing at 7pm. Live music from 9pm to 2am.Free Parking next to the Cubby Bear on Addison St. Just tell attendant you are going to the Salsa Night.$7 cover charge. To get on the guest list for free admission click here. For more information call 312 427 2572
Merry Christmas everybody! Are you looking for ideas on how to spend this day in Chicago? Most places are closed, but here are some suggestions on what to do in the city:
Go Ice Skating at the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink in Millennium Park
The rink, now in its eleventh season, draws more than 100,000 skaters annually and is free and open to the public. Skate rental is available for $10. The ice rink is located on Michigan Avenue between Washington and Madison streets. Today, the rink will be open today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
See Christmas Lights at The Magnificent Mile Lights Festival
The festival continues along North Michigan Avenue. Call (312) 642-3570 for more information or visit www.themagnificentmile.com.
Visit the Lincoln Park Conservatory
The Conservatory has a Winter Flower and Train Show going on. The hours of operation today are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call (312) 742-7736 for more information visit http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/parks.detail/object_id/45aa3ed2-7c6f-4461-83b2-29cb991637e6.cfm
Watch the Bears vs Packers game at a bar
Go to Dublin’s and/or The Hunt Club on State St and Maple (at Mariano Park) for the game and a nosh on Christmas day. There is also a list of other bars that are open for Christmas Day at this link: http://nowyouknowevents.com/2011/12/24/christmas-day-watch-the-bears-vs-packers-game/
Thanks to all the wonderful individuals who attended this event last Friday and made it a great success! Below is the link to the pictures of this fun evening. Please feel free to leave your comments and share your experience and other pictures you may have.
Who wants to try something new tonight? I do! For the first time, I will be playing gong percussion in an orchestra inspired by traditional Japanese Folk with Nakatani Gong Orchestra. This event is part of a series of concerts organized by Umbrella Music, a Chicago-based collective dedicated to presenting jazz and improvised music. Since its inception the group has pooled resources to promote Chicago as an international hub for cutting-edge improvised music. Please join me at this Improvised Music Series concert tonight at
Elastic
2830 N Milwaukee Ave
10PM – $10 cover charge
Hope to see you there!
The Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) is an annual grant opportunity open to new, emerging and mid-career artists and nonprofit arts organizations with annual operating budgets up to $150,000. Applicants can request a maximum of $1,000 for projects that address specific professional and artistic development needs. Individual applicants must be residents of the city of Chicago for at least 6 months prior to the application deadline and not enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or other degree granting program. Organizations must be incorporated, located in and serving the city of Chicago, have a valid Federal Employer Identification Number, and have acquired, or be in the process of applying for, or seeking funds to apply for 501(c)(3) status.
Applications are available in mid-December and are due to the Department of Cultural Affairs by:
Monday, January 30, 2012, 5:00 p.m.
Application Assistance Workshops will be held at the following locations and times:
NO RSVP NEEDED Please contact Cultural Grants Coordinator with any questions. 312-744-9797
More info at : City of Chicago :: 2012 Community Arts Assistance Program (CAAP) Application and Workshops.
Come have fun and help a worthy cause!
A group of Peruvian doctors and volunteers from Chicago will go to the town of Huaytara in Peru this Summer to provide free medical care. They visit small villages with little or no access to doctors. They have done this medical mission for several years now and it really makes a difference!
All proceeds from this party go to travel and medical supplies for a Medical Mission organized by PAMS (Peruvian American Medical Society).
When: Friday December 9, 2011 starting at 7pm
Where: Women Institute MedSpa (4101 North Western Ave. Chicago IL 60618)
Suggested Donation: $20
Food-Music-Entertainment-Dancing
Cash Bar – Pisco Sour, beer & wine
Silent Auction
Plenty of Free Parking
There is no entrance fee, but please try to reach our suggested donation of $20.
You can of course donate more if you prefer.
You can also mail any donations/checks to:
IL-PAMS – Huaytara Mission
Mailing address:
Lucy Munoz Medina MD
536 South Ridgeland apt 2
Oak Park, IL 60304
Your donations are tax-deductible.
Thanks for your support!
What do you get when you mix electric guitars with the sound of indigenous Touareg music made by guitar poets and soul rebels from the Sahara desert? The answer is Tinariwen, a band that was founded in the 1980s by nomadic Touareg musicians/rebel fighters from the Southern Sahara Desert in Mali. Yes, at one point in their lives, some of the band members used firearms to defend their people, but these days they use guitars to express their aspirations, and they do it superbly. The band stopped by in Chicago last Friday for a live performance at Metro and to promote their fifth album titled Tassili. A musician friend of mine told me about their music and how great they were, so I knew they were going to be good, but I did not expect them to be amazing.These guys are super talented. Friday concert was my first encounter with their music but it certainly won’t be the last: I am hooked.
The guys from Tinariwen took the stage wearing clothes “à la Touareg”: loose-fitting robes and except for Ibrahim Ag Alhabib, the lead guitar and founder of the band, they had veils covering their heads and hair, some even with their faces covered. Tinariwen means “the Deserts” in Tamashek (the language of the Touareg), and like their name, their music has some of the qualities associated with a dessert: it is mysterious, hypnotic, undulating, inviting you to fall into a trance-like state. Their psychedelic sound is dominated by electric guitar and bass playing mixed with traditional percussion instruments. Some people call it Desert Blues. For their new album though, they opted for acoustic sounds, so an acoustic guitar was also part of the mix. The guitars played a preponderant role during the concert, but the bass and the percussion players stole the show at many points. Those guys are monsters! Complementing the talent of the guitar, bass, and percussion players was the singing in Tamashek that felt at times like mantras for meditation, and the undulating dance movements of one of the band members. His movements reminded me of the movements of the sand dunes in a desert. The crowd (including myself) could not help but fall under their spell.
This was the second time they performed in Chicago this year, and after attending their concert this last Friday, I can understand why they would come two times the same year: it is a love relationship. The crowd fed the band with an incredible energy, and in return, they played three encores and shouted “I love Chicago!” in various occasions during the show. For those of you who have not had the pleasure to hear their music, you should fix that a.s.a.p. Here is a sample of it:
Hello Urbanites!
How have you been? I am back after a long absence from this blog. I hope you had a fabulous Thanksgiving Day. And in the spirit of this holiday, I want to invite you attend an event that benefits the local artistic community and other charitable organizations in Chicago. The Chicago Human Rhythms Project is presenting Global Rhythms, a concert series dedicated to American tap and contemporary percussive arts companies. Just by attending Global Rhythms – November 26 & 27 – you, your friends and family can make a difference in Chicago by designating 50% of your ticket price to worthy non-profit organizations around Chicago. Just pick the organization you want to support from this list and mention their promo code when you order your ticket. When you mention a code, you will also receive 10% off the ticket price .
Step Afrika from Washington, D.C. is the first professional company in the world dedicated to the tradition of stepping. Founded in December 1994, the company is critically-acclaimed for its efforts to promote an understanding of and appreciation for stepping and the dance tradition’s use as an educational tool for young people worldwide. Step Afrika reaches tens of thousands of Americans each year and has performed on many stages in North & South America, Europe, Africa and the Caribbean.
The Mexican Folkloric Dance Company of Chicago was founded in 1982 by José Luis and Matie Ovalle, its present artistic directors and choreographers. As Chicago’s oldest Mexican dance institution, MFDC has received countless recognitions and awards, has performed for three presidents and represented Mexico in the 1994 USA World Cup opening ceremony, as well as numerous national television performances, most recently at the 2009 Latin Grammy Awards. MFDC will welcome their special guests, the Grammy nominated music sensation – Sones de Mexico!
Chicago Urbanite 