Beginning this week, Navy Pier will be more entertaining, engaging, and enriching than ever. An initiative to celebrate its 100th anniversary, Navy Pier will debut bold, new arts and discovery programming, featuring free, community, and cultural programs throughout the year.
The new programming is a featured element of the year-long Fifth Third Bank Centennial Celebration. It will build on the decades-long, critically acclaimed programming offered at Navy Pier by the Tony Award-winning Chicago Shakespeare Theater and renowned Chicago Children’s Museum.
Leading the vision and direction of the new programming is Navy Pier’s first guest Artistic Director, Steve Abrams. As a driving force in Chicago’s diverse cultural landscape for the last three decades, Abrams brings an innovative arts background to Navy Pier having most recently spearheaded the Navy Pier Pride 2016 event on June 25, the largest-ever LGBT celebration outside of the Lakeview community.
Now, Abrams is curating a multitude of other cultural events and activities, some recurring throughout the summer, including:
Health and Fitness
- Stroller Derby: presented in partnership with Fitness Formula Club
Wednesdays, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m., July 6 – Sept. 21
Take your fitness outside AND bring your kids! Stroller Derby is a comprehensive, total body class that takes fitness to a fun new level. Use your stroller as a prop and your child as a resistance tool. Of course, those without strollers or children are welcomed as well! Enjoy the pier as your playground with a guided workout, led by a Fitness Formula Club pro! All classes are held on Navy Pier’s South Dock, at the Wave Wall, and are free and open to everyone. - Rush Hour: presented in partnership with Fitness Formula Club
Bi-weekly on Tuesdays, 6 p.m. – 7 p.m., July 12 – Sept. 20
Let the music move you and help you burn major calories with these high-energy cardio dance favorites. Zumba is a fusion of Latin and internationally-inspired rhythms and movements, while WERQ pulls from all your favorite current chart-topping music videos and song lyrics. Both are in an easy-to follow dance format. Feel the burn! Each bi-weekly class will alternate between Zumba and WERQ. o July 12 – Zumba o July 26 – WERQ o August 9 – Zumba o August 23 – WERQ o September 6 – Zumba o September 20 – WERQ All classes are held on Navy Pier’s South Dock, at the Wave Wall, and are free and open to everyone.
Dance
- Pier Dance
Thursdays, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m., July 14 – Sept. 22
Pier Dance will give guests the chance to dance to a variety of live and recorded music under the open skies on the East End of the Pier every Thursday, beginning July 14, from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m., and continuing throughout the summer.
Music
- Chicago Beatbox LTD
Saturday, July 16, 2 p.m.
Feel the beat with Yuri Lane, Chicago’s legendary “Human Beatbox,” as he hosts and performs in a showcase of extraordinary talent. Beatboxers, rappers, break-dancers, and musicians meet with tap dancers, storytellers, slam poets, and singers for acts both spontaneous and rehearsed. The creative magic culminates with Maestro Yuri Lane 3 conducting a Beatbox Symphony of sound when all the performers solo and harmonize in a symphony of sound like no other.
For more details on these and other events visit the Navy Pier website at www.navypier.com.
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