Ruth Page Center for the Arts
An incubator of artistic energy. The center of Chicago's dance history. The Ruth Page Center for the Arts carries forward the mission and vision of its founder, international dance icon Ruth Page, to be a platform for developing great artists and connecting them with audiences and community. With a primary focus on dance as a critical art form, its programming ensures that children and dance artists have a place to train, work and perform at the highest level of excellence. Under the aegis of The Ruth Page Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization, The Ruth Page Center has for over 46 years committed its resources to a unique combination of artistic programs that impact over 40,000 children and adults. The Center’s mission not only serves artistic development but also community development. There is no other organization like it in Chicago housed within a single entity with this history, commitment and impact. Located just steps from Michigan Avenue's Magnificent Mile, Chicago's shopping, dining and cultural mecca, the historic 1927 building in which The Center resides sits on a lovely tree-lined street in the heart of the Gold Coast.
“The MacArthur Foundation supports the Ruth Page Center for the Arts not only because of its own artistic and educational work, but because of the important role it plays in helping other small dance companies and the dance community in Chicago overall. Ruth Page is important to ensuring that small and mid-sized dance companies have an affordable, supportive place to create and perform their work.”
A well-respected and nationally recognized center for dance in Chicago, The Ruth Page Center for the Arts been training professional dancers, presenting and promoting the finest dance performances in the city, and mentoring small to mid-sized arts organizations who call The Center home. Founded by Chicago icon and internationally-renown performer, choreographer and dance patron, Ruth Page, The Center reflects her vision of supporting dance excellence in Chicago. Emanating from the Illinois heartland, the visionary work of Ruth Page influenced the growth of theater design, opera-ballet, and dance. She achieved worldwide recognition as a true pioneer of dance in America by creating at the forefront of social, political and artistic issues. As a prominent force in the Chicago arts community, the Ruth Page Center for the Arts continues that legacy through its initiatives and programs that nurture the artform of dance, and by being an arts incubator for emerging and established artists and organizations. Chicago's first ballet company, Chicago Ballet, had its roots here. Lookingglass Theater and Chicago Shakespeare Theater have both called The Center home before moving on to establish their own venues.
