Ballet Chicago stands at a pivotal intersection of legacy and opportunity. With 30 years of impact behind the organization and uncertain arts funding ahead, the Future Forward Fund will act as a financial safeguard—one that enables the organization to plan boldly, invest equitably, and serve youth and communities with sustained excellence.

Connect the dots will design and assist in the launch of the Future Forward Fund, a $1 million+ multi-year fundraising initiative, designed to ensure Ballet Chicago’s long-term artistic and organizational sustainability. The Fund will secure essential programs, support visionary growth, and deepen engagement with a community of donors committed to shaping the future of the arts.

More about Ballet Chicago: Co-founded in 1987 by acclaimed dancer/choreographer Daniel Duell and former ballerina Patricia Blair, Ballet Chicago’s mission is to educate and inspire young artists through the study of classical ballet, and in so doing, to lay a foundation of life skills that empowers each one to realize their full potential. Ballet Chicago is a place where the beauty of one’s character is as important as the beauty of one’s tendu, where diversity is intentional – where foster children, middle-class students, and those of great fortune dance side-by-side, although you’d never know who’s who. It is a place where young people learn to celebrate their triumphs and weather their disappointments with equal grace, where high achievement is the norm, and where delivering moments of truth becomes a way of life.

With a curriculum based in the Balanchine Technique © , and through a special arrangement with the George Balanchine Trust, Ballet Chicago provides an accelerated training program where dancers receive years of on-stage experience, building confidence, camaraderie, community, and an array of skills that translate to any arena.

Our students learn both new choreography and Balanchine masterworks – the kinds of pieces that are typically reserved for professionals and top students worldwide – helping them build outstanding performance resumés. Ballet Chicago is a home, it is a family; it is a launching pad for exemplary youth.