Chicago Human Rhythm Project

What Chicago Human Rhythm Project does

Chicago Human Rhythm Project (CHRP) is a Chicago-based nonprofit performing-arts organization founded in 1988 by Lane Alexander and Kelly Michaels that presents, teaches, and incubates American tap and contemporary percussive dance. Its core programs include Rhythm World (the oldest annual tap festival, now in its 36th edition), the Mayfair Arts Center (a five-studio education center and business incubator in the Calumet Heights neighborhood), Stomping Grounds (a city-wide percussive dance festival), Stone Soup Rhythms (a resident education ensemble delivering after-school arts classes in Chicago Public Schools), We All Got Rhythm (free school programs reaching 60,000+ children over five years), and Tap Scholarships (over $350,000 awarded to youth over 27 years). The organization employs 1-10 staff and partners with major Chicago cultural venues including Harris Theater, Millennium Park/Pritzker Pavilion, Museum of Contemporary Art, DuSable Museum of African American History, and Jazz Showcase.

CHRP's business model is a hybrid nonprofit revenue stack combining earned income from ticket sales, festival registration, dance and music classes, and studio rentals at the Mayfair Arts Center with contributed income from individual donors, corporate sponsors (e.g., Target), and a deep bench of institutional funders including MacArthur Foundation, NEA, Illinois Arts Council, Joyce, Driehaus, Shubert, Polk Bros., Pritzker, Walder, and Chicago Community Trust. Annual gala events such as JUBALEE are material fundraising vehicles (raising $200,000 in 2014). Programs are delivered through owned facilities (Mayfair Arts Center), partner venues, and CPS classroom channels; marketing runs through the organization website, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter), email newsletter, press coverage, and earned community referrals.

The organization is led by Founding Director Lane Alexander (38+ years), Artistic Director Jumaane Taylor (appointed 2021), and a board chaired by Dona Williams, with no parent entity and no recent M&A activity. CHRP claims status as the first year-round presenter of concert tap and contemporary percussive dance, holds an Emmy nomination for its co-produced WTTW documentary JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance, and has received multiple NEA American Masterpieces grants. Disclosed financial data is limited; combined earned, contributed, and in-kind contributions exceeded $1 million in 2007, the only year for which a revenue figure is available in the provided data.

Name

Chicago Human Rhythm Project

Legal name

Chicago Human Rhythm Project

Website

https://www.chicagotap.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Chicago Human Rhythm Project is a nonprofit founded in 1988 that presents, teaches, and incubates American tap and percussive dance in Chicago through festivals, school programs, classes, and studio rentals. It serves dancers, K-12 students, audiences, and resident artists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts

NAICS

Dance Companies (711120), Dance Companies (71112), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Fine Arts Schools (61161), Fine Arts Schools (611610), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Tap, Jazz & Musical Theatre Dance (MPAGADAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dance Festivals & Dance Series (MPAGADAJ), Youth/Student & Community Dance Recitals (MPAGADAI), Dance Education (Ballet, Contemporary, Hip-Hop, Cultural Dance) (EDAMAAAH), Dance & Movement (Ballroom, Contemporary, Social Dance) (EDAAAGAD)

Keywords

• Percussive dance performances
• Tap dance education
• Arts education programs
• Community arts engagement
• Dance festival productions

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales and Performance Revenue: Revenue from concerts and performances including Rhythm World festival, Holiday Rhythms, School Shows, and other performance events throughout the year.
2. Dance Classes: Fees from dance and music classes at the Mayfair Arts Center for various skill levels and age groups including children, adults, and seniors.
3. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations, corporate sponsorships, foundation grants, and government funding from supporters including MacArthur Foundation, NEA, Illinois Arts Council, and individual donors.
4. Space Rentals: Rental revenue from Mayfair Arts Center studios to other organizations, artists, and community groups for classes, rehearsals, and events.
5. Gala Events: Revenue from annual gala events such as JUBALEE, which raised $200,000 in 2014.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Chicago Human Rhythm Project presents American tap and contemporary percussive dance through live performances, education programs, and community development initiatives. It operates the Mayfair Arts Center as an education center and business incubator offering classes, studio rentals, and residency programs for artists and organizations. It also runs school-based arts education programs, scholarships for youth, and signature festivals (Rhythm World, Stomping Grounds).

Product overview

Chicago Human Rhythm Project is a nonprofit performing arts organization that operates as a single unified offering centered on American tap and contemporary percussive arts. The organization provides a portfolio of interconnected programs including Rhythm World (annual tap dance festival), Mayfair Arts Center (education center and business incubator with studios), Stomping Grounds (city-wide percussive dance festival), Stone Soup Rhythms (resident ensemble with school programs), We All Got Rhythm (free school programs), Tap Scholarships (youth financial support), and various performance concerts. The Mayfair Arts Center also offers studio rentals and residency programs for artists. Core Programs work together to deliver performances, education, and community development throughout Chicago.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Rhythm World: Annual summer festival of American tap dance - the oldest and most comprehensive tap festival in the world. Currently in its 36th edition.
• Stomping Grounds
• Stone Soup Rhythms
• We All Got Rhythm
• Mayfair Arts Center (MAC)
• JUBA! Award

Products and services

• Rhythm World The oldest and most comprehensive annual festival of American tap dance in the world, featuring performances, classes, workshops, masterclasses, and residencies for tap dancers of all levels.
• Stomping Grounds

Quantifiable outcome

• 60,000+ school children reached through We All Got Rhythm program over five years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Illinois Humanities CouncilcoreOthersGovernment agency providing ongoing institutional support to CHRP's programs and operations.
• City of Chicago - Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (DCASE)coreOthersGovernment partner providing grants and support for cultural programming including Rhythm World festival.
• National Endowment for the ArtscoreOthersFederal arts agency providing American Masterpieces grant and other funding support.
• Creative Schools Fund at IngenuitycoreOthersSupports We All Got Rhythm school programs in Chicago Public Schools.
• Millennium Park FoundationcoreOthersSupports Rhythm World festival events at Pritzker Pavilion and Millennium Park venues.
• Illinois Arts Council AgencycoreOthersState arts agency providing grants and program support.
• DuSable Museum of African American HistorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for CHRP performances and cultural programming.
• Museum of Contemporary Art ChicagocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partner for CHRP performances and cultural programming.
• Harris Theater for Music and DancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor venue partner for Stomping Grounds Grand Finale and other performances.
• WTTWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChicago PBS affiliate that co-produced Emmy-nominated documentary JUBA! Masters of Tap and Percussive Dance.
• Jazz ShowcasecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistoric Chicago jazz venue hosting CHRP performances.
• Dance USAminorOthersNational service organization for dance communities.
• Performing Arts USA (PAS)minorOthersService organization for performing arts.
• See Chicago DanceminorOthersChicago dance service organization.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Tap Dance Foundation: New York-based nonprofit dedicated to tap dance preservation, education, and presentation (Tap City festival, Tap Extravaganza). Most directly comparable to CHRP as another year-round tap-focused presenter with festival and education programming.
• Giordano Dance Chicago: Chicago-based dance company originally founded by Gus Giordano, where CHRP's first Rhythm World was held in 1988. Closely aligned in geography, genre (jazz/tap roots), and educational mission, making it a strong operational peer.
• Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Chicago-based contemporary dance company with strong education and community programming. Operates in the same metro with overlapping school-outreach and performance programming, serving as a directly comparable nonprofit dance peer.
• Deeply Rooted Dance Theater: Chicago-based dance company rooted in African American dance traditions with significant education and community engagement. Comparable in mission (cultural preservation + community programs) and geographic footprint.
• Muntu Dance Theatre of Chicago: Chicago-based African dance company focused on performance, education, and community programming. Comparable as a culturally-rooted, education-forward Chicago dance nonprofit with similar revenue mix (performances, classes, school programs).

Broad incumbents

• Joffrey Ballet: Chicago's largest ballet company with major touring, education (Joffrey Academy), and community programs. Larger and broader in scope than CHRP but shares the Chicago performing-arts nonprofit model and venue partnerships.
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Premier American modern dance company with national touring, Ailey Extension (education), and school programs. Comparable as a leading dance nonprofit combining performance, education, and community engagement at a much larger scale.
• Dance Theatre of Harlem: New York-based ballet/dance company with national education programs. Comparable as a culturally-rooted dance nonprofit combining performance, school programs, and community engagement, though broader in repertoire.

Emerging players

• STOMP: Commercial percussive performance ensemble that overlaps with CHRP's percussive-dance focus. While not a direct nonprofit competitor, it competes for the same percussive-arts audience and touring slots in major venues.
• Complexions Contemporary Ballet: Contemporary dance company with strong education and outreach programming. Comparable in scale and nonprofit/educational orientation, though contemporary ballet rather than tap-specific.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chicagotap
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CHRProject
• Facebookfacebook.com/chicagotap
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-human-rhythm-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/chicagotap

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Human Rhythm Project