Dance for Life 2025 Call for Submissions

Chicago Dance Health Fund is excited to share that we are now accepting submissions for Dance for Life 2025.

The performance date is Saturday, August 16, 6:00 p.m. at the Auditorium Theatre.

Submissions are due by Friday, March 28, 2025. 

Our annual fundraiser, Dance for Life (DFL), supports the Chicago Dance Health Fund, which provides medical financial support to Chicago dance industry professionals. DFL began 34 years ago as dancers in Chicago saw an overwhelming need to help their friends, and like-minded professionals as they struggled with heartbreaking health issues. Today DFL carries on this tradition of helping one another in a time of medical need or crisis. 

The Chicago dance community is uniquely caring and as an organization we are proud to carry on the tradition of compassion and service which were the founding principles of DFL. While there are benefits to being on the DFL stage, we exist to be of service to the Chicago dance community. If participating in DFL will cause a financial hardship to your company, we encourage you to reach out and consider joining the cause as an independent volunteer. There are many ways in which your company can be involved and help serve the dance community other than being on the stage. 

Thank you for your interest in being a part of this Chicago dance tradition and supporting the mission of Dance for Life. Together, let’s keep our Chicago dance community healthy and thriving. 

We invite all professional dance companies in the Chicago area to submit a video recording of a work that meets Dance for Life 2025 guidelines: 

• We value works that display the diversity of the Chicago dance community and are exciting, joyful, humorous, and celebratory in nature. 

• Larger company works are the strength of the performance, but the selection committee will consider smaller works if they help strengthen the overall program. 

• We request dance works between 3 to 10 minutes in length. Works longer than 10 minutes will be considered but are less likely to be included in the performance as our goal is to feature as many companies as possible. 

• We do not consider children, youth or school groups for inclusion in Dance for Life. 

• Each participating company must secure all rights, approvals and copyrights for the music, choreography, and other materials they will use in their performance. 

• Companies submitting must be able to rehearse and prepare for the DFL stage at the companies’ expense. CDHF does not provide financial assistance or support for companies performing in this benefit performance. 

• Must be available for all tech rehearsals and performance at the Auditorium Theatre.   

Dance for Life 2025 will be a two-hour performance, with one intermission. The selection committee is planning to include as many companies as time allows, along with a dance community finale featuring dancers from the greater Chicago dance community.  

Please use the link below to upload your submission, which will need to include a video file (current video recording of performance or rehearsal preferred), piece description (including credits), and acknowledgment of the tech rider, which can be downloaded here. If you are unable to use the submission link provided, you can also email your materials to sburnham@cdhf.org. 

If you have any questions regarding the submission process, please reach out to Chicago Dance Health Fund at info@cdhf.org.