What was opening night at the 2012 Chicago Dancing Festival? It was…

… a packed house of excited, anxious fans that ranged from veteran patrons to children who were seeing their first professional dance.

… Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel showing his passion for the arts in a wonderful pre-show tribute to Maggie Daley, co-founder of After School Matters. In fact, one of the Chicago Dancing Festival Partner Bloggers, Rogue Ballerina, quoted our board chair David Herro stating that Mayor Emanuel is “probably the only Mayor in the United States that can do a proper plié”. Read the rest of her post here.

… an exciting and spirited performance by that same group which brought loud and enthusiastic cheers from the huge crowd. One of our other Partner Bloggers, D Underbelly, was able to speak with the After School Matters renowned choreographer, Nicholas Leichter, and some participating dancers before the performance. Read the write-up here!

After School Matters Photo: Cheryl Mann

… Hubbard Street, Joffrey Ballet and Giordano Dance representing Chicago with grace, power, and humor.

… an informal group of Chicagoans from all over the city coming together in a beautiful and moving dance called Bolero Chicago, which one of our other Partner Bloggers, Chicago Now, stated was the highlight of her evening. Read her thoughts here.

Bolero Chicago Photo: Cheryl Mann

… an amazing opening night Prima Parti featuring food, music and dance on the Harris rooftop with dancers, staff and supporters who celebrated a night well spent.

… a special appearance by Benny the Bull to showcase true Chicago culture beyond just dance. Partner Blogger Contrapuntist shared his thoughts on this subject here.

Bolero Chicago Photo: Cheryl Mann

Many of our festival bloggers have pointed out that this night was about Chicago. It was. While the festival is about presenting the highest quality dance to the city, this year, our attempt to bring the city to the dance is what makes this year very special year.  Not only for the staff and patrons, but for the community who spun, glided or jumped onto the Harris stage, or any stage, for the first time. Partner Blogger, Scott Silberstein, stated that “Dance is of the people, by the people, for the people.“ Read the rest of his blog here.

Want to see more? Our Partner Photo Blogger, Chicago Photo Blog, created a Flickr album of some shots opening night, including some of the bloggers themselves! See more on our Pinterest page. Want to share your own photos and thoughts? Tweet using the #CDF12 hashtag (or mention our Twitter handle, @chida_fe!) and share via our Facebook and Foursquare pages.

If you missed out on the fun last night, don’t worry, we still have plenty of dance left – which is great – because in the words of a nearby patron after the show, “We need more free around here.”

Tags: CDF12