Chicago Dance Crash dancers
Photo: Emily Coughlin

STEP UP Don’t miss Chicago Dance Crash’s latest performance on Friday.

THE FIVE

Don’t-miss picks for Wed 8.28.13 through Tue 9.3.13:

1

jazz Chicago Jazz Festival
Al fresco jazz and Labor Day weekend just go together—especially with a lineup featuring Jack DeJohnette, Mike Smith, and Robert Glasper.
GO: 8/29–9/1. Millennium Park, 201 E Randolph. Full schedule: millenniumpark.org or jazzinchicago.org

2

dance Old School University
In a brilliant mash up of genres, dancers battle for glory in this competitive jamboree, set to ’90s tunes.
GO: 8/30 at 9:30. $15. Mayne Stage, 1328 W Morse. chicagodancecrash.com

3

music North Coast Festival
Definitely among the most genre diverse of all music festivals this season, the electronic/hiphop fest includes vets like Nas and Wu-Tang Clan, local act On an On, and hotwired electric circuits Purity Ring and AlunaGeorge.
GO: 8/30–9/1. $150–$225 for a three-day pass. Union Park, 1501 W Randolph. clubtix.com

4

comedy Bronzeville Comedy Showcase
Local comic Brian Babylon spearheads this free outdoor standup showcase.
GO: 8/28 at 7. Free. Blanc Gallery, 4455 S King Dr. facebook.com/events/192886837541129/

5

classical Loops and Variations
The local new-music skylarks Eighth Blackbird and Wilco’s drummer, Glenn Kotche, team up for an installment of the city’s new/electronic music mash-up.
GO: 8/28 at 6:30. Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, Michigan and Randolph. millenniumpark.org

WHAT I’M DOING THIS WEEKEND

Vincent Lacey
Photo: Courtesy of Vincent Lacey

Vincent Lacey

Up next in our series of weekend plans from notable, in-the-know locals—a.k.a. people we like: Vincent Lacey, executive director of the Chicago Fringe Festival. The Chicago Fringe Festival runs Thursday, August 29 through Sunday, September 8.

“Friday evening is our karaoke night. Karaoke with a bunch of actors is always fun. We’re taking over a space we call Fringe Central. Right next door is Fischman Liquors, an up-and-coming craft beer emporium. We’ll get drinks from there.

“Saturday, I’ll be at Fringe all day. Some plays I’m looking forward: Get Ready for the Vagina Fairy by Rebecca Kling. She’s a transgender artist in Chicago and she does this expert mix of humor and education that is just awesome. There’s another one on Saturday called Beware the Werecow! by the Sea Beast Company. It’s about a young girl who goes on a journey—it’s all done through puppetry and it’s set in the swamps of Louisiana. And then there’s another one called Caged In, that’s a crazy story—Nicholas Cage wishes for a friend and a shooting star sends a clone of himself. That [play] will probably end my night.

“The biggest change about Fringe this year is that we’re trying a different neighborhood—Jefferson Park. People don’t know how cool the neighborhood can be. On Sunday, I’m going to stop by Taste of Polonia [in Jefferson Park]. I’ll get a pierogi and maybe do a polka dance.” —As told to Tomi Obaro

FREEBIE OF THE WEEK

museums Chicago History Museum
The Lincoln Park museum is free for Illinois residents Wednesday and Thursday. Recommended exhibits: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair: Inspiring Beauty and Vivian Maier’s striking black-and-white photos of ’60s Chicago.
GO: 8/28–29. Free. Chicago History Museum, 1601 N Clark. chicagohistory.org