top of page
A Giordano show is always a multi-layered display of art and entertainment, not so much defying barriers and boundaries as transcending them.
AOTPR.COM
When the curtain falls and the evening ends, there are a lot of grateful, happily satisfied customers
Time Out Chicago
Giordano gave me confidence.
Adriana
4th Grade GDC outreach student
Please reload
JAZZ DANCE WORLD CONGRESS
JAZZ DANCE WORLD CONGRESS
JAZZ DANCE WORLD CONGRESS
America's Original Jazz Dance Company
OUR MISSION
Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) illuminates beauty and invigorates the world with deep connections.
We create and present innovative jazz dance choreography, often redefining and expanding the very definition of jazz dance, and bring this invaluable American art form to audiences and students of all ages and from all backgrounds. GDC is dedicated, also, to the preservation and promotion of the Giordano Technique. Whether on the stage or in the classroom, we strive to enrich lives through dance, and this solid mission and organizational vision inform the organization’s artistic programming.
Stated simply, Giordano Dance Chicago offers to all the universal and life-affirming experience of witnessing dance that is powerful, passionate, elegant, and celebratory.
OUR COMPANY
America's original jazz dance company soars into their 62nd season with energy and endless possibilities. Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC) is an iconic cultural institution with deep roots in Chicago and around the globe (28 countries, 47 states, and more than 1,300 cities). From founder Gus Giordano's vision, the company continues to honor the past while pushing the art form forward. Nan Giordano celebrates 40 years as an artistic leader responsible for commissioning innovative choreographic works and mentoring thousands of dancers. Alongside Nan, Associate Artistic Director, Cesar G. Salinas and the magnificent dancers are an integral part of the GDC legacy. With the appointment of Erica L. Edwards, Executive Director, it truly is a new day. Adding Al Blackstone as Resident Choreographer for the next three years is a testament that the art form of jazz dance is thriving. The company is one of the few in the world that has a foundational technique, Nan Giordano Certification Program® with certified teachers in 9 countries and 36 states. GDC is committed to youth arts education at home and on tour through mentorship, scholarship, and our free Chicago Public Schools and park programs. GDC is proud to be one of the longest running dance companies in the world, continuing to enrich lives through dance.
FOUR CORE VALUES
As one of the longest-running jazz dance companies in the world, GDC occupies a singular position within the local, national, and international dance communities.
We are guided by four foundational core values:
LEGACY - GDC honors its history of creating and presenting exuberant jazz dance, acknowledging and celebrating the cultures and traditions that provide the foundation of this work.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION - Art is meant to be seen, shared, and performed by all. We are committed to being inclusive in all that we do through fostering diverse communities of dancers, students, audience members, donors, staff, and board members and reaching people of all backgrounds through our commitment to artistic excellence.
COMMUNITY - GDC values the power of collaboration, respect, and integrity worldwide.
INNOVATION - GDC embraces change for growth. We operate the organization by thoughtfully and fearlessly incorporating boldness, innovation, and occasional disruption. Our intention is to lead our field.
DEIA STATEMENT
Giordano Dance Chicago’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are critical to our longevity, and we thus recognize that such efforts are ever-fluid and without end.
Giordano Dance Chicago celebrates the art form of American jazz dance in all its diversity and illuminates its evolution from African roots and traditions to its present incarnation as complex, vibrant, and multi-veined.
In recognizing its own complicated history of cultural integration, Giordano Dance Chicago endeavors in all current and future efforts to unify individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability status, or socioeconomic status.
We are committed to creating welcoming environments through the equitable treatment of and opportunity for all people. We are committed to the self-reflective processes required to ensure inclusion remains readily manifest in our policies, practices, programs, and procedures. Finally, we are committed to disrupting those barriers which prevent equal access to the beauty and power of jazz dance, whether that be physical, financial, or other.
bottom of page