Fresh Fest!
Presented by Allstate Insurance Company

 Join us for Fresh Fest! presented by Allstate Insurance Company, a two-day, Pier-wide performance program featuring young performers of Chicago. This free festival is open to the public, and will include multiple performances on July 11 and 12 at various stages and spaces at Navy Pier (Crystal Garden, Fifth Third Bank Family Pavilion, Polk Bros Park and Performance Lawns, Wave Wall platform, and Pier Park).  

Performers

South Shore Drill Team

South Shore Drill Team uses the performing arts to engage inner-city youth throughout their critical teenage years, mitigate the dangers of gangs, drugs, and violence, and guide members towards completing their education and becoming responsible citizens.  Founded in 1980 with a handful of neighborhood children, South Shore Drill Team now serves 300 young people ages 8-21 who perform at more than 100 events annually.

Blue Kids Camp

Blues Kids Camp is a program of the Blues Kids Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. It was established to preserve, perform and promote the Blues among America’s youth, parents and educators under the tutelage of highly qualified instructors, globally. The Camp’s focus includes: social and emotional learning; music literacy; pedagogy and andragogy; and music as a second language. 

Each summer, the Blues Camp is presented in different parts of the United States and Europe; participation for all kids is free. The fun-filled, highly-instructional experience is designed to impact the life of the “Blues Kid” who simply wants to experience this cultural enrichment opportunity in an organic and nurturing environment with like-minded others. 

Red Clay Dance Youth Ensemble

The Red Clay Dance Youth Ensemble is youth-led, training and performing company for exceptional young dancers ages 13-18. Auditions are held in the Fall and Spring. Members work with professional choreographers, travel to local and national dance conferences, and enjoy full performance season. For audition dates for the fall session email the Youth Ensemble Director Chaniece Holmes at chaniece@redclaydance.com.

The Red Clay Dance Academy is the official school of Red Clay Dance Company! This is a tuition based program that offers world-class dance training to youth, teens and adult, ages one and up.  Students perform twice a year in our Holiday Sharecase and Dance4Peace Youth Concert. Classes are held at our Fuller Park Studios located at 331 W. 45th St. To register for Fall classes call (773) 624-8411. Registration opens August 1st.

Joshua August Mhoon

Joshua Mhoon recently performed for the historical inauguration of Chicago’s newest mayor, Lori Lightfoot, after returning from Japan where he was featured on national TV.

Last summer, he performed at Carnegie Hall with The National Youth Orchestra as well as in Miami with The New World Symphony. Last spring, he did a 12-day tour in Germany and this summer will tour Italy and Portugal.

Joshua has performed at Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in N.Y. He has opened for the Jackson’s, Ramsey Lewis and TV’s Nick Canon. He has played in England, France, Greece, Turkey, Austria, Germany, Italy and Spain. Joshua is in 10th grade and attends Whitney Young Magnet High School in Chicago.

GOGO “Legacy” Alumni Band

Guitars Over Guns Organization (GOGO) is a non-profit that offers students from disadvantaged backgrounds a powerful combination of music education, public performance opportunities, and authentic mentoring relationships. Our mentors are local, professional musicians who are trained in social-emotional learning best practices to help youth overcome hardship, find their voice, and reach their potential as leaders. During the 2018-19 school year, our team of 18 professional musician mentors served nearly 375 students across six school- and community-based sites in Chicago.

Open the Circle

Open the Circle is teaming up with Navy Pier to present a youth-focused Dance Down featuring some of the top youth dance companies in Chicago.

Founded in August of 2017 on the South Side of Chicago, Open the Circle (OTC) is a nonprofit backbone organization devoted to channeling resources into grassroots creative projects. Our initial focus is on Chicago Footwork, a style of African American dance and music developed by young people living in immediate proximity to some of the greatest problems facing American society. Footwork provides OTC an opportunity to support an enduring and living art form from the grassroots of Chicago.

Join us for Fresh Fest! presented by Allstate Insurance Company, a two-day, Pier-wide performance program featuring young performers of Chicago. This free festival is open to the public, and will include multiple performances on July 11 and 12 at various stages and spaces at Navy Pier (Crystal Garden, Fifth Third Bank Family Pavilion, Polk Bros Park and Performance Lawns, Wave Wall platform, and Pier Park).  

Performers

Wiggle Worms

Since 1985, the Old Town School of Folk Music’s celebrated early childhood music program has welcomed young children and their families to the world of music. Children sing, dance, learn finger plays and story songs, and explore rhythm instruments especially designed for little hands. For children newborn through four years, it’s the perfect time for these special experiences with the language of music.

Forward Momentum

Forward Momentum Chicago provides high-quality, affordable dance education programs in the classroom and in the community to children typically not exposed to this art form with emphasis on health and fitness.  It embraces Big Ideas, Enduring Understanding, and Essential Questions to transcend each discipline allowing students to leave “dance class” with critical thinking, communication, and creative processes that they can apply to their other subjects.

The Happiness Club

The Happiness Club is a group of Chicago kids that rap, dance and create original material for musical shows that are designed to encourage positive values and social change through the arts.  Diverse in age, race and backgrounds, the Happiness Club kids sing out against drugs, gangs, violence, and smoking and say “yes!” to education, tolerance, high self-esteem and helping the environment.

Hubbard Street Dance

More information to come. 

School of Rock Chicago

School of Rock Chicago‘s Performance Program is all about translating students’ abilities to play in the lesson room to performing on stage. In addition to refining their overall skill and proficiency as musicians, students learn what comes with being part of a band: teamwork, collaboration, and the special brand of fun that only comes from sharing awesome experiences with others.  Students learn, absorb, and perform iconic hits from some of history’s greatest rock and roll performers including: The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Van Halen, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin and many more. No matter what they perform, our students will learn incredible skills and enjoy epic experiences that will last a lifetime.

Puerto Rican Arts Alliance

Over the past 20 years, PRAA has emerged as a primary cultural resource, offering high-quality, music and arts educational programming to 30,000 participants each year. PRAA operates three community centers in Chicago (PRAA Center, Humboldt Park Field House and Latin Music Project Center) and also partners with Chicago Public Schools (CPS) and organizations across the Midwest to offer after school classes and events on-site.

The Latin Music Project School Program consists of two community initiatives; one which is held at our Latin Music Project Center; the other works in partnership with neighboring Chicago Public Schools.   Our after school classes engage students in learning how to play the Cuatro which is a midsized guitar prominent in Latin music, classic guitar, and violin.  Participants also learn how to read music, play traditional Latin American songs, and perform in group settings.  Classes are held at our Latin Music Project Center and at selected school sites.  Student participants ages range between 4-18 years old.   Our music programs are arranged for children and youth only.

Bollywood Groove

More information to come. 

CICS Wrightwood School 

More information to come. 

NextGenJazz, Emerging Artists project

Unlike the early days of jazz, places where young musicians can perform in residence are few and far between. NextGenJazz provides a great opportunity for audiences to hear emerging artists and a venue for Chicago’s talented young performers to hone their craft.