Markeya Howard brings you the dances of Africa and the Caribbean. You will be taught the focus of the dance and how to achieve the movements to the rhythms. Along with the dance and drum skills you will learn the African and Caribbean history and ancestry. African Percussion Classes taught by Da’vid Braswell where you will learn simple techniques along with intricate rhythms from Mali, Gambia, Guinea, and Senegal. Artists bring your rhythmic instruments; can be drums, bells, shakeres, claves and ECT. African Percussion Class is not just a learning experience, but a class for drummers looking to have fun!

Bboy Gabestar has been breaking since 1996 and active in the Chicago scene since 2002. Through him, you can learn the moves essential to becoming a well-rounder break dancer! Learn moves like the “Three Step”, “Baby Windmill”, “Jack Hammers”, and “The Indian Step”. With these, you can be sure to get a good work out, impress friends, or even just have fun and bug out. Through the "art of B-boyin" (break dancing), you can truly turn a hobby into a lifestyle!

Concept Illustration will focus on the design and development of fictional creations, characters, and environments. Students will design, from start to finish, any type of fictional character they desire, from sci-fi/fantasy to western or superhero, as well as the tools or weapons they use and the worlds they inhabit. Come let your imagination run wild!

Young and older warriors -- training for children, teens, young adults, and parents!
Stranger Danger Techniques/ Safety Awareness
Self-Confidence/ Discipline / Respect
Self-Defense Forms/ Physical Coordination
Mental Concentration/ Build Good Character/ Reduce Stress

There is no imposing a creative style on students. Your own unique form of expression will be developed and encouraged by the one-on-one instruction you receive in classes. By first learning how to “see,” you will become more aware of exactly what you are looking at and how you might interpret it in terms of line/tone/color. Taught by Simeon Nikolov, an artist who has studied Fine Arts at the College of Arts, following studies in Pedagogy of Fine Arts at the Sofia University in Sofia, Bulgaria.

This class is open to both beginning and advanced students. It will cover line, form, value, and shapes. Students will learn to measure and layout objects and figures. As students advance, they will learn proportion both figure and facial, as well as shading. Taught by Miguel Malagon.

Students will work intensively with the human figure in this course. Students will learn how to draw the human form and will experiment with a variety of mediums. We will begin with simple black and white sketches and move towards color composition of extended poses in both paint and pastel. Our final project will be the completion of a large, nude composition in student’s choice of color medium. No prior experience with the figure is necessary. Those in high school, college and beyond of all levels will find the class challenging and rewarding. Taught by Brook Woolf.

Filipino Martial Arts (also known as Kali, Arnis, or Eskrima) is thought to be exclusively weapon based, but in actuality it is a complete system of self-defense. You will learn fighting drills using the stick, knife, staff and the whole body as a weapon. For more information: www.defensormethod.com.  Class taught by Christopher Dino.

Looking for a fun, up-beat dance class that will burn calories and get that heart pumping? Then the Foot-WORK Out is for you! This energectic class focuses on lower-body movement inspired by Chicago's House Music and Footwork dance style. Taught by the internationally recognized FootworKINGz ("America's Got Talent" & Madonna), you will be sure to get a great cardio WORK-OUT.

This class incorporates a fusion of the many styles of hip hop. From krumping and popping to jazz, funk, and house, kids learn the basics while having a great time! Taught by Keeley Morris.

This class offers many styles of hip hop dance and an intermediate to advanced level. Students will learn how to groove like today’s L.A. dancers and master the art of freestyle! This class also includes learning about the history of hip hop dance, so students can be aware of its culture. Taught by Keeley Morris.

Through the process of journal making, allow yourself the opportunity to expand and grow both personally and creatively. From start to finish, your hand made book will be a visual, literal creation of that which is you! It will be your sketchbook, your journal, your portfolio, your best friend, and a means to know yourself better and share yourself and your art with the world, a personal portable creation. Taking our inspiration from life and its amazing potential, each class will start with a prompt, an exercise, a meditation, a game, a dance, anything that will encourage our creative juices to flow and then... we will create! Only you can decide what your inner journal will look like. Taught by Kelly Dunn.

Laboratory Dancers is an inclusive artist collective located in Chicago.  We are an evolving project-based vehicle for creating and presenting all kinds of art from dance to magic. Open to all ages and skill levels! For more information, please visit www.laboratorydancers.com!

$10 single class or $80 Advance Payment for 10 Weeks (due March 20th)

From "America's Got Talent" & Madonna's "Sticky & Sweet Tour 2009," the FootworKINGz (FWK) present their 1st public footworkin' classes. Inspired by Chicago's House & Juke Music culture, FWK will teach history, basics, free-style, combos and choreography based in Chicago's unique footwork style. This exciting class will literally keep you on your toes!

In this class students will learn basic techniques that will help them write and draw mini comics. Each week will focus on a different aspect such as story-boarding, character development, lettering, layout, etc. Also a part of each class will be devoted to creating comic jams which are collaborative, spontaneous and incredibly fun comic strips.

In this class, you’ll experiment and expand on what you already know. Learn how to use familiar materials and techniques in new and fun ways and draw on more than just paper for a change. Benji is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago with a degree in Painting and Drawing. Taught by Benjamin Gonzales.

Taught by veteran popper of LA, “Poppin Chuck!” P. Chuck has over 25 years of experience with World Famous LA Breakers, Geo-Matrix, Pomona, Ca G-style, LA Boppers, and Chicago’s own Robot MAFIA! Learn how to robot, hit, isolate, moon walk, and much more while enjoying funk music and hip hop of the past and present! Bring sweats, tennis shoes, and a lot of energy!

This class is an introduction to composing and producing music with computer software. You will learn to use the programs Ableton Live and Reason to: create earth-shattering beats, basslines, and lead synthesizers • record and edit vocals as well as acoustic and electronic instruments • compare and arrange takes to make your mix sound the best • use effects like delay, reverb, compression, and EQ to flesh out and add depth to your mixes • prepare your mixes for CD or MP3 by learning basic mastering techniques • and much, much more!

8 weeks Pre-registration recommended.
Puppetry is all about fun and simple “magic”. In this class you will learn to create a few different kinds of puppets. We will make them talk and move, acquire a personality, and compete in snoring, jumping, verse writing and what not. We will learn to improvise, make up funny stories and skits, peek into different cultures, and we will pull it all together at the end for the final performance. Instructor – Tamara Wasserman, artist and founder of Paper Boat Group. Recommended age: 7 and up (if you really want to be in this class, the age does not matter).

Instructor: Tameka “Rapture” Haywood

This class will examine the centuries old art of spoken word and written verse. From the Psalms of King David to the Song of King Solomon to the ancient proverbial sayings of cultures around the world; poetry, prose, and the recitation of the written verse have taken flight as a unique way of communication. During the 13th century in the ancient Mali Empire the birth of the “Griots” dawned a new era of oral tradition that has spread the world over. Come explore this beautiful art form with me and together we will express ourselves through this powerful and creative medium. Peace!

Cost of the class: $5-10 donation but no one will be turned away for lack of funds. Also, donations of non-perishable food items and used books are accepted as payment.

*All instruction materials supplied by instructor.

Vinyasa Flow Yoga is an ancient Indian philosophy that connects one's body, mind and spirit through the physical practice of poses and breath. In Sanskrit, vinyasa means "intelligent sequence" in that in class each breath is linked with a movement, creating a meditative flow that leaves one with a sense of peace and stillness of mind. Taught by Joann Lee and Jerry Mikutis.