1 Rennie Harris: LIFTED (MCA Stage) Hip-hop choreographer Rennie Harris takes us to church with this house music and dance adaptation of “Oliver Twist,” featuring local dancers and the choir from St. Benedict the African in Englewood. August 23 & 24
2 Dance for Life (Auditorium Theatre) The annual benefit for The Dancers Fund, which covers medical expenses for dancers, features favorites by heavy-hitting Chicago companies, including the Joffrey Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance, Giordano Dance Chicago and Chicago Human Rhythm Project. August 17
3 Lil Pine Nut: The Learning Curve of Pinocchio (Ruth Page Center for the Arts) Chicago Dance Crash gives the classic tale of a wooden puppet, who longed to be a real boy, their signature high-energy, hip-hop treatment in this show for all ages. August 23-25, 30-31
4 SummerDance Celebration (Millennium Park) The culminating event of the six-week outdoor SummerDance series is a daylong party of performances, workshops, contests and showcases and is, as always, free of charge. August 24
5 Doing Fine (the grey space) Joanna Furnans’ yearlong project as a Chicago Dancemakers Forum Lab Artist uses dance and autobiographical writing to explore ideas of memory, anxiety, injury, isolation, love and community. August 22-September 8
