FOX 32 CHICAGO

GUS® FEATURED ON FOX 32 CHICAGO ORANGE FRIDAY SEGMENT DECEMBER 2023

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FOX 32 CHICAGO

GUS® FEATURED ON FOX 32 CHICAGO ORANGE FRIDAY SEGMENT OCTOBER 2023

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BLOCK CLUB CHICAGO

YEARS AFTER STROKES, RENOWNED DANCER KIRBY REED TEACHES OTHERS TO DANCE FOR HIM: ‘THROUGH YOU, I MOVE AGAIN’

By Mack Liederman | Photos by Colin Boyle
“ANDERSONVILLE — Kirby Reed tells his dancers he loves them. ‘Because through you, I move again,’ he said. Reed, a renowned jazz, modern and hip-hop dancer in Chicago, can no longer feel the left side of his body after multiple strokes. But that hasn’t stopped him from expressing himself. Reed still regularly teaches classes at the Gus Giordano Dance School, 5230 N. Clark St., guiding generations of young dancers who have gone on to the grace the stages he once captivated. At a Thursday class, Reed commanded the room from his seat. He demonstrated the moves he could with his right foot. He pounded his microphone into his heart and told his dancers to ‘convince me.’ ‘Let your spirits tell a story,’ Reed told the class. ‘Every time you get to move, with these two legs and your arms, it’s a blessing, believe me.’ Read more

TULANE UNIVERSITY

ALUMNA SHOWS “CAN DO” SPIRIT IN THE FACE OF QUARANTINE

“The show must go on” is a showbiz truism, and it’s one that Chicago’s Gus Giordano Dance Studio (GUS) took to heart in a whole new way this spring. Faced with the dangers and limitations imposed by COVID-19, Executive Director Amy Giordano (NC ’84) took the show on the road, or rather, the Internet, shifting the studio’s annual performance to a virtual event this May 16.” Read More

5•6•7 EIGHT PODCAST

GUS GIORDANO AND THE JOY OF GENEROSITY — AMY GIORDANO

“This week (April 2021) on 5.6.7.EIGHT, Aleksandra speaks with Amy Giordano, Founder and Executive Director of The Gus Giordano Jazz Legacy Foundation and Executive Director at Gus Giordano Dance School. Growing up, Amy danced and trained in all styles, while assisting her parents – Gus and Peg Giordano — as they ran the school. However, after a car accident shattered her kneecap, she was forced away from the stage. Amy went on to pursue a Bachelor of Arts from Tulane University and, upon her mother’s passing in 1993, assumed all of her mother’s responsibilities at the school.”

On her father’s birthday in July of 2017, Amy founded the Gus Giordano Jazz Legacy Foundation, which offers financial assistance for dancers seeking education at the school. On the podcast, Amy speaks directly to the pride she takes in carrying on her father’s legacy — a legacy of extreme generosity, driven by a love of people and a love of the arts — and how, now, Gus’s spirit and his movement will be carried on from generation to generation.” Click to listen

FORBES

HOW A THRIVING SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN CHICAGO IS WEATHERING THE IMPACT OF COVID-19

“On the plus side, our weekly youth and GUS company (age 5 to 19 years) classes have been able to run through digital platforms such as Zoom and Google classroom. My faculty and staff spent a week researching how to teach our classes virtually, filming material for all classes, filming dances for the students. The faculty has been teaching live classes from their homes to the youth students. We also reached out to others in the dance community and have begun offering free online classes to students all over the US and around the world…” Read More

WGN MORNING NEWS

AROUND TOWN WITH ANA BELAVAL VISITS GUS

Ana Belaval from Around Town WGN Morning News visited GUS September 10, 2020 to talk about how GUS never stopped during the pandemic. Watch News Clip

5•6•7 EIGHT PODCAST

CARRYING ON THEIR GRANDFATHER’S LEGACY— LAUREN GIORDANO WHITTINGTON + SARAH GIORDANO CURRAN

“Aleksandra interviews Lauren Giordano Whittington and Sarah Giordano Curran — the two granddaughters of the late American jazz dancer, teacher, choreographer, and icon, Gus Giordano. While Lauren and Sarah journeyed different paths, both are now faculty members at Gus Giordano Dance School, where they are honored to carry on the legacy of their grandfather, alongside their mother and brother.” Click to listen

WGN-TV 9 MORNING NEWS

AROUND TOWN WITH ANA BELAVAL

Around Town checks out the 25th Anniversary of Dance Chicago featuring Gus Legacy Company and Gus Youth Company dancers! Watch News Clip

CS MAGAZINE

SNAPSHOTS | HERE’S YOUR TICKET TO CHICAGO’S HOTTEST PARTIES AND CHICEST SOIREES

“Gus Legacy Foundation’s Past to Present Gala honored Chicago Human Rhythm Project co-founder Lane Alexander for his contributions to the dance community. The fete raised $50,000 for dance scholarships for children in underserved neighborhoods…” Read More

#ALWAYSANDERSONVILLE: THE PODCAST

ANDERSONVILLE PODCAST WITH AMY P. GIORDANO

Click to See Show Photos & Listen to the Podcast

CANDID CANDACE

GUS GIORDANO DANCE SCHOOL CELEBRATES 65

“Gus Giordano Dance School celebrated it’s 65th season with an event on July 26 in Andersonville. The first half of the event took place outside, in front of the school, with performances by Gus Legacy Company, College/Pro Scholarship dancers and GG Company dancers. Following the free-to-the-public performance, a private performance and reception took place inside the school. Mayor Emanuel and Alderman Patrick O’Connor were in attendance and have been very supportive of the organization…” Read More

DANCE SPIRIT MAGAZINE

THE SUMMER STUDY STYLE CHALLENGE - WHY A SUMMER PROGRAM IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO TRY OUT AN UNFAMILIAR TECHNIQUE

"There are zillions of things to think about when choosing a summer program, but here's one you might not have considered: using an intensive as an opportunity to focus on a new style. Maybe you're a tap dancer who's ready to see where else your rhythm and quick feet can serve you, or a contemporary dancer curious about the more traditional roots of your genre. A summer program can be the perfect place to broaden your horizons..." Read More

THE ADVERTISER-GLEAM

KAPA DANCER RECEIVES OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME

"A young dancer with the Kohl Academy of Performing Arts recently got the opportunity of a lifetime. Lila Jane Bonds is 11 years old and entering Douglas Middle School this fall. She has a passion for dance, and that was recognized at an invitational showcase and class in Marietta, Georgia, called 'Jazz on Tap'..." Read More

DANCE TEACHER MAGAZINE

THEORY & PRACTICE: 4 WAYS TO MANAGE MIXED-LEVEL CLASSES

"Teen jazz class at Chicago's Gus Giordano Dance School, under the direction of Amy Giordano, has a wide range of students, "Some just started dancing a month ago, and others have been dancing for three years,' says Nicole Belanger, dance education director. To maintain a positive environment..." Read More

DANCE TEACHER MAGAZINE

THEORY & PRACTICE: HELPING STUDENTS DEVELOP THEIR CREATIVE VOICES

"Ask a 5-year old to make up a dance, and she'll probably skip around the room, impulsively moving to the music. But give the same assignment to a teenage dancer, and the student might clam up, unsure what to do. Even mature dancers can feel reluctant to create something new..." Read More

DIGITAL JOURNAL

INNOVATIVE GLOBAL FITNESS PIONEER JUDI SHEPPARD MISSETT RECEIVES INAUGURAL GUS GIORDANO LEGACY AWARD FOR HER CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD OF DANCE

"Friday, Oct. 13, global dance fitness pioneer Judi Sheppard Missett was presented with the inaugural Gus Giordano Legacy Award by Amy Giordano at the Mayne Stage in Chicago, Illinois. Hosted by the Gus Giordano Foundation, the event not only honored the contribution Sheppard Missett has made to the dance community but also raised funds to support young dancers.

Also known as “Godfather of American Jazz Dance,” Gus Giordano was an American jazz dancer and choreographer who was one of the pioneers of the style known as Jazz Dance. Following a Broadway career, Mr. Giordano moved to the Chicago area and opened a dance school in 1953. He was the first and only Jazz Master to codify his own technique..." Read More

DANCE STUDIO LIFE

INFINITE POSSIBILITES - GUS GIORDANO'S REVOLUTIONARY JAZZ DANCE TECHNIQUE LIVES ON IN HIS 60-YEAR-OLD SCHOOL

"In 2011, the dream that eluded dance pioneer Gus Giordano, creator of Gus Giordano Jazz Technique, during his lifetime finally became reality. 'It was my father's dream,' says daughter Amy Giordano, director of Gus Giordano Dance School, 'to have a school in Chicago.' Gus Giordano, who founded his school in Evanston, just north of Chicago, died in 2008..."

DANCE STUDIO LIFE

GIORDANO FOUNDATION HOLDS BENEFIT

"Gus Giordano’s dedication to jazz dance is common knowledge. Perhaps less known is how Giordano supported the genre at the ground level—by giving scholarships to young students hungry to travel to Chicago to learn jazz under his direct tutelage.

“I grew up seeing him help thousands of dancers,” Amy P. Giordano, his daughter and director of the Gus Giordano Dance School, told Dance Studio Life..."

DANCE TEACHER MAGAZINE

BRAVURA VS. BASICS

"Former American Ballet Theatre soloist Anna Liceica has been judging the Youth America Grand Prix since 2007. 'Once in a while, we see someone who tries to do too many turns without good form or musicality,' she says. 'We don't encourage it, and that dancer does not place high.' Judges (and artistic directors in attendance) might appreciate the spectacle, but they take technique and artistry into account when assessing the overall dancer..." Read More

DANCE TEACHER MAGAZINE

A TEACHER'S WARM-UP - THE PRE-CLASS RITUAL THAT COULD MAKE OR BREAK YOU

"While teaching jazz at Gus Giordano Dance, sometimes Lauren Giordano Curran forgets she's not a student. 'You have to listen your body. I have to know I can't do a full-out battement because I'm going to tear my hamstring,' she says. 'Teachers forget that and go right into in..." Read More

DANCE TALK RADIO

HOST TRACIE MARCINIAK INTERVIEWS TRAVIS WALL & AMY GIORDANO

Click to Listen to the Interview

GLOSSED & FOUND

MEET THE KING OF JAZZ: GUS GIORDANO

“All this month we’ve been highlighting some of our favorite musical theatre moments in the city. We’d be remiss to explore the creative theatre culture in Chicago without tipping our bowler cap to the king of jazz dance, Gus Giordano. His school of dance that he ran alongside his wife Peg celebrated their 60thanniversary last year, and the glistening mecca for talented professionals and young hopefuls alike sits like a beacon along buzzing Clark Street in Andersonville. Now run by their daughter, Amy Giordano…” Read More

DANCE TEACHER MAGAZINE

LADIES AND GENTLEMAN

"Thirteen-year-old Asher Noel stands at the barre, the only boy in his class at Gus Giordano Dance School in Chicago. Ballet teacher Fury Gold gives the girls an echappe combination and has Noel practice degages instead. 'He sometimes gets the very same time signature but a very different excercise,' says Gold. 'There's a difference between what the two genders need.'

SHOWBIZ NATION LIVE

PODCAST WITH AMY GIORDANO

Click to Listen to the Podcast

CHICAGO VIEW

THE BEAT GOES ON - GUS GIORDANO DANCE SCHOOL 5230 N CLARK

"Gus Giordano opened his now famous dance studio in Evanston back in 1953. Most known for teaching the jazz technique, Gus always wanted to have a studio in the city of Chicago. Although he was not able to in his lifetime, his teachings live on through his daughter Amy..." Read More

CRAIN’S CHICAGO

HOW ONE ENTREPRENEUR OVERCAME ADVERSITY - WITH SOME FANCY FOOTWORK

"Amy Paul Giordano might have wavered beneath the weight of her legendary father's jazz dance reputation, running a school that bears his name. But, then again, had she been a different person, she also might have allowed herself to be sidelined by adversity..." Read More

DANCE TEACHER MAGAZINE

A JOINT DECISION

"The pain in Amy Giordano's knees had become constant and, almost without even knowing it, she had acclimated herself to the daily pain. 'My body had self-adjusted, so you couldn't tell that I had no knees anymore,' says the director of Gus Giordano Dance School in Chicago. After years of using her arms to pull herself up out of chairs, leaning heavily..." Read More