OK, let’s make this clear: Links Hall, 35-year-old hothouse for some of the city’s most innovative dance and performing art, is no longer at Links Hall, the Wrigleyville building that was its longtime home. This spring the organization signed a ten-year lease with musician and producer Mike Reed, and now makes its home at Constellation, otherwise known as the former Viaduct Theater, at 3111 N. Western. The new space, a still-grungy storefront in the shadow of a soon-to-be-deconstructed overpass, has two spacious studio theaters: a white-washed 60-seater with natural light and a beautiful new sprung-wood floor; and a black box that seats up to 150 with a portable dance floor (on loan until the next phase of renovations). There’s also a lobby bar: Constellation is the proud possessor of a brand-new city liquor license, which will help keep studio rental fees low. The arrangement is already yielding more collaborative live music and dance programming. For the sake of continuity and, no doubt, the amusement of future cognoscenti, Links Hall is hanging on to its name.
Best Dance Venue in New Digs
Links Hall
