WBEZ: Jane Austen Ball

 

WBEZ (Chicago Public Radio) did a story on the Chicagoland West ECD Jane Austen Ball held this past weekend:

 https://www.wbez.org/books/2025/12/16/jane-austen-250th-birthday-regency-ball-chicago-suburbs

Chicagoland English Country Dancers | An account of our Jane Austen 250th birthday ball aired on public radio station WBEZ this morning | Facebook 

 

Looks like it's also on the Sun-Times website:

https://chicago.suntimes.com/books/2025/12/16/jane-austen-250th-birthday-regency-ball-chicago-suburbs 

 

WBEZ Curious City: Square dancers are trying to get more Chicagoans to do-si-do

WBEZ radio story about square dancing:

 https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2025/09/24/square-dancers-are-trying-to-get-more-chicagoans-to-do-si-do

 "Square dancing was once so popular that the Chicago area had a dedicated center. It’s waned in popularity, but local clubs are keeping it alive. 

...

In Chicago, you could find square dances throughout the week. Paul Collins, a sought-after caller for square dancing and folk dancing, remembers learning to dance in the 1950s by watching his parents..."

 

9/30/25 UPDATE: a second episode about square dancing:

https://www.wbez.org/curious-city/2025/09/25/friendship-set-to-music-curious-city-goes-square-dancing-on-the-south-side

 "...square dancing’s African and African-American roots often get lost in popular accounts. Some of the first callers and musicians were enslaved Black people..."

WBEZ: Chicago-invented dances Aug 24 Cloud Gate Plaza

Curious City on WBEZ 91.5 FM public radio is sponsoring a dance event of dances invented in Chicago, such as Polka Hop, el Pasito Duranguense, and Footwork.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

4:00pm – 6:00pm

Free Admission

The City of Chicago's SummerDance Celebration - Cloud Gate Plaza 201 E Randolph St 60602 Chicago , IL 

https://www.wbez.org/events/chicago-moves-learn-chicagoinvented-dances-with-wbezs-curious-city/6069

 https://www.facebook.com/wbez915/posts/join-curious-city-on-august-24-for-a-fun-and-free-afternoon-of-dance-at-cloud-ga/10157328818026000/

https://www.facebook.com/events/436731873547400/

WBEZ Curious City: Dances invented in Chicago

WBEZ Curious City feature about dances invented in Chicago - click on first link below to listen to it, the rest of the links are videos.

Which Dances Were Invented In Chicago?

 

Polka Hop

Cha-Cha Slide 

Pasito Duranguense 

Footwork

Steppin' 

 

WBEZ Radio M 9/24/2010 - Mahala Rai Banda, World Music Festival

Radio M 9/24/2010
The show broadcasts live from Chicago's Martyr's as part of World Music Festival Chicago 2010. You'll most likely be tapping your feet if not up dancing to the Romani sounds of Mahal Rai Banda.

WBEZ 848: Chicago's First World Music Festival Dates Back to 1893

http://www.chicagopublicradio.org/content.aspx?audioID=36867