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About Us



Founded in 2008, Chicago Music and Dance International Inc. is a non-profit organization working to broaden appreciation of world dance and music forms and help local artists sustain their cultural traditions, building bridges of cultural understanding.

Vision


Chicago Music and Dance International’s vision is to work with artists, organizations and communities, to advance cultural understanding, and to achieve universal appreciation and support of the world’s diverse music and dance traditions as a vital and essential part of daily life.



Prominent Harvard professor Robert Putnam has written that “the central challenge for modern, diversifying societies is to create a new, broader sense of we.” He advises that “to strengthen shared identities, we need more opportunities for meaningful interaction across ethnic lines where Americans (new and old) work, learn, recreate, and live.”


Help support the Chicago Music and Dance International Inc.


Join us in creating unique opportunities to see and experience the music and dance traditions of the world. With your support, we will continue to presentperformances, classes, and dialogues that encourage the exploration and celebration of diverse cultural expressions. Together we can strengthen our cultural community and sustain over 100 distinct music and dance forms and the artists who keep them alive.

If you like to support our future programs please send a donation to:
 

Chicago Music and Dance International Inc.
3433 W. Peterson Ave. Chicago, IL 60659
Phone: (773) 732-9284; E-mail: altinnaska@yahoo.com


Chicago Music and Dance International’s Board of Directors:

 

Altin Naska, Co-Founder / President

Jin Lee, Co-Founder / Vice President

Fusun Alpakin, Co-Founder / Director

Tracy Maguigad, Treasurer

Michael Foster, Secretary

World Dance Day 2013 Production:


Altin Naska, Curator and Artistic Director
Michelle Burger, Assistant to Director
Ann Host, Public Relation
Bread and Roses, Lighting and Stage Managing
Jeff Czischke, Graphic Web Design Design
Sead Dizdarevic, Videographer

FROM THE CURATOR AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR



First introduced in 1982 by the International Dance Committee of the UNESCO International Theatre Institute, World Dance Day has been celebrated internationally for the past 30 years every April 29th to commemorate the birthday of Jean-Georges Noverre, a French dancer, ballet master and a great reformer of dance who was born in 1727.

World Dance Day aims to bring together dancers from countries throughout the world to celebrate the art form and revel in its universality, to cross all political, cultural and ethnic barriers and bring people together in peace and friendship with a common language: Dance.



2013 World Dance Day celebrates Chicago’s position as one of the most culturally diverse cities in the country and also acknowledges Chicago as a significant cultural mecca with a strong respect for dance as an art form.  Chicago has a rich cultural tapestry comprised of many different ethnic groups and it is important that these beautiful century-old traditions be preserved and shared with a broad audience.


As Curator and Artistic Director of World Dance Day 2013



I am thrilled to welcome all of you for attending in this special day.

This event could not be attained without the amazing, talented, diverse artists performing in today, and   the technical staff of Bread and Roses for their dedication, passion, hard work and a lot of love to make this event exceptional. They are the BEST!



My goal is to see the World Dance Day to expand further each year, and I hope to reach many thousands more people as appreciation grows and more support becomes available.



With little corporate sponsorship of the arts available, I reach out to EACH of you to become involved and support the Chicago Music and Dance International, Inc. Donate - Volunteer - Join a Board Committee or the Leadership Council. Help make sure that these unique events can continue to inspire and share the heritage of so many cultures.



Please enjoy the trip around the world through the magic of dance.



Sincerely,

Altin J. Naska
Curator and Artistic Director

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