Registration is Closed!
June 13-15, 2025
Strictly and Mix & Match competition registration will be available at the registration desk if you’re still interested in participating and haven’t already registered.
We are completely sold out! There will be no walk-in dance admissions available for Friday or Saturday main dances. Sunday’s dance will have a limited number of tickets available at the door.
Please note: Refunds available until May 31, after that you can defer your pass to next year’s event.
Class Levels
We use class levels to create groups of students with similar knowledge and experiences to give teachers a rough idea of level expectations and hopefully have students learning with their peers—plus you can’t all fit in one room!
There will be 5 class levels this year. We’ve chosen not to provide level descriptions—they’re always relative to the students attending, there is often overlap between adjacent levels, and sometimes instructors teach the same content to multiple levels with adjustments specific to the students in the room. We hope this will help shift focus from the title of the level to learning.
Students will be placed into levels by completing a self-assessment survey with the option to participate in level evaluations on Saturday morning. Students must participate in the level evaluation in order to be eligible for the top levels.
Level Appeals
Sometimes students feel they have been placed into the wrong level. We get it—level evals are imperfect. After classes on Saturday, there will be a brief level appeals session. Students who are true outliers in their level will be moved to the appropriate level (up or down).
In order to appeal, you must attend all your Saturday classes. You must attend the appeals session. Do not appeal your level placement during level evaluations.
Most students do not end up being moved. Space is a limiting factor. There can be skill imbalances between the leaders and the followers in a level but overall leaders and followers are appropriately placed relative to their peers dancing in the same role.
Irish American Heritage Center
4626 N Knox Ave, Chicago, IL 60630
Friday Evening Dance
Saturday Evening Dance
All classes
Forteza Fitness
4437 N Ravenswood Ave, Chicago, IL 60640
Saturday Late Night Dance
Sunday Evening Dance
Jake Sanders
Jake Sanders will be back again leading the Midwest All-Stars for two nights of incredible live music. Special guest vocalist Naomi Uyama will join the band on Saturday night!
To add something particularly special to this year’s event, Jake is going to be recording LIVE at Second City Swingout for a full album release later this year! The album (and the dances!) will feature new work and arrangements by Jake!
Pre-order on vinyl or digital to help fund this extraordinary undertaking and reserve your copy!
Support the Project
If you’d like to make an additional donation to the project, we’d love to put it towards production costs (and turning it into eye-level shelf eye candy to spruce up your vinyl cabinet).
