Creative Netwerk at the Chicago House Music Festival

CHICAGO HOUSE DANCE SUMMIT: HONORING THE ROOTS & THE PEOPLE

This August, Creative Netwerk was honored to join BraveSoul Movement and Jus.Be House Collective to present the Chicago House Dance Summit in collaboration with the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE), as part of the Chicago House Music Festival and Conference. Across three days at the Chicago Cultural Center, Grant Park, and Millennium Park, House and Footwork dancers, DJs, pioneers, educators, youth, and families came together for masterclasses, conversations, film, battles, workshops, and performances. House and Footwork were both born in Chicago, and creating space for these interconnected histories to be taught and celebrated by the people who carry them was incredibly special, especially during Footwork Appreciation Month.

LEARNING DIRECTLY FROM THE CULTURE BEARERS

The Summit created opportunities for dancers to learn directly from artists who have shaped Chicago dance culture and continue to move it forward. Taraja Mumbeja opened the Summit with an all-ages House class alongside DJ Vader, followed by a screening of Dr. ShaDawn Battle’s Place, Space, Werkz and an intergenerational Roots & Branches conversation featuring Bruno Blaque, China, King Charles, Mlaya Moves, and Shan S, moderated by BRAVEMONK. Throughout the week, masterclasses and community classes continued with artists including Mlaya Moves, Caleaf, Shan S, King Charles, and BraveSoul Movement. DJs including Duane Powell, DJ T-Rell, DJ Vader, and DJ Salem, kept the dancers moving across classes, battles, and community programming. Bringing the dancers, DJs, educators, and historians into the same spaces allowed us to experience Chicago dance as it has always existed: through music, movement, exchange, and community.

CREATIVE NETWERK LEADERSHIP IN ACTION

We were proud to see Creative Netwerk’s own leaders teaching, organizing, speaking, judging, and creating space throughout the Summit. Creative Director Charles “King Charles” Parks IV served as a Roots & Branches panelist, BODY: House Dance Competition judge, and masterclass instructor, sharing the history and connections between Chicago House and Footwork. On Saturday, King Charles and Chicago Program Manager Mike D Chicago co-led our Youth & Family Footwork Appreciation Month Dance Workshop at Millennium Park with DJ T-Rell, before Mike D took the mic as MC for the Footwork Appreciation Month Showcase. From education and cultural history to performance and community engagement, our team was proud to help create spaces where Chicago artists could share their knowledge directly with the next generation.

GENERATIONS OF CHICAGO FOOTWORK TAKE THE STAGE

Saturday at Millennium Park was a beautiful celebration of the generations carrying Chicago Footwork forward. Creative Netwerk curated the Footwork Appreciation Month Showcase, bringing together youth, community crews, established dancers, and OGs on one stage. Special love to House of Wurkz, Terra Squad, Creation, HAVOC, Astronaut Flee, Genius Footwork Crew, Figure 5 Step Team, and the artists who joined our OG Get Down. Pioneers and longtime practitioners including DJ Clent, Princess, Wicked, Jeff G, Bryant “BT” Taylor, and others shared space with some of Chicago’s youngest dancers. Families also joined us and the Elvin mascot at the Elvin Discovers Chicago Footwork coloring station presented with Jones Corner Store. Seeing children, teens, current leaders, and pioneers side by side was a reminder that this culture is being passed forward in real time.

SPECIAL RECOGNITIONS: COMMISSIONER TARA STAMPS & JEREMY YOUNG

We were honored to recognize Commissioner Tara Stamps and Jeremy Young with Chicago Footwork Trailblazer Awards for their support, advocacy, and commitment to Chicago Footwork and the communities who carry the culture forward. Both have been important supporters of Creative Netwerk and helped champion the movement toward official recognition of Footwork Appreciation Month. Their advocacy has helped create greater visibility for the dancers, pioneers, educators, and young people who continue to build on this Chicago-born legacy. Thank you, Commissioner Stamps and Jeremy, for listening to the community and helping open doors for Chicago Footwork to receive the recognition it deserves.

BUILDING ON WHAT WORKED

The Summit reminded us what is possible when artists, youth, educators, and community come together with the people who carry these traditions at the center. As we look toward next year, we hope to build on that foundation by creating even more opportunities for generations and cities to exchange knowledge with one another. We also want to continue making space for film, storytelling, archives, and cultural history alongside the dancing. Most importantly, we want the House and Footwork communities to continue shaping how these Chicago-born cultures are taught, documented, shared, and celebrated.

Thank you to DCASE, BraveSoul Movement, Jus.Be House Collective, and every artist, DJ, dancer, crew, partner, family, and community member who made the Summit possible. We can’t wait to keep building together!