Help Us Build the
Full Circle
Performing Arts Center!
An Inspiring New Home
We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elevate the performing arts on Chicago’s South Side with a bold new campus that fosters artistic excellence, leadership development, and community empowerment.
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Our new home at 9350 S. South Chicago Avenue in the Calumet Heights neighborhood will become a vibrant creative hub where artistic excellence and community empowerment meet.
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Spanning nearly 18,000 square feet and featuring a 450-seat auditorium, the former church and steelworkers’ union hall gives us the space to grow our dance school, deepen training, and expand into singing, acting, and community wellness programs - all under one roof. We will also warmly welcome community members who may never take a dance class but are seeking performances, wellness, nutrition, and meaningful connection.
From Black Girls Dance to Full Circle
Black Girls Dance is where the vision began. Since 2015, we have been elevating dancers of color on Chicago’s South Side, helping girls step into their power, build authentic confidence, and recognize their potential is limitless. At the heart of Black Girls Dance® is supporting each dancer holistically through mentorship, wellness support, and college and career guidance.
Dance is our vehicle, but empowerment is our destination!
A girl who learns to trust herself in a pirouette will trust herself in a classroom, a boardroom, and in life.
“As a young Black ballerina, I trained relentlessly, yet I still felt dismissed and forced to prove I belonged. I vowed that if I ever had a studio of my own, I would bring downtown-level training to the South Side so that Black and Brown girls could receive top-tier instruction - without the biases and barriers that often make these spaces unwelcoming.”
Erin Barnett, Founder, Black Girls Dance and Full Circle Performance Center
Our Needs are Urgent
With forty percent of our classes at capacity and waitlists growing, we have outgrown our space and are forced to turn away eager students. A dedicated facility will solve our space constraints and other ongoing challenges like limited studio access, broken mirrors, and a lack of storage for props and costumes, creating a dedicated space where our girls can thrive.
A Community Ready for More
Calumet Heights, South Chicago, and neighboring communities are rich in talent and culture, but long-standing inequities have left the area with fewer arts and community development resources than other parts of the city. Our young artists and community members deserve a space that reflects the excellence we teach and the care they deserve.
This won’t just be a dance studio, it will be a shared community hub.
New Spaces, New Possibilities
Professional Studios
Four state-of-the-art dance studios with sprung floors, mirrors, and professional sound systems
Serving 350+ students and families each year and creating 10+ new jobs in arts education and administration
Performance & Community Event Space
450-seat auditorium for recitals, community performances, cultural events, quinceañeras, weddings and birthday parties
Community-partner led offerings will include:
Wellness Studio
Dedicated space for culturally centered mental health support through a partnership with Sista Afya Community Care, along with mindfulness, yoga and pilates
Connection and Learning Spaces
Intergenerational gathering areas for mentorship, connection, tech education and financial literacy through a partnership with JP Morgan Chase
Teaching Kitchen and Garden
Plant-based culinary education space promoting nutrition and wellness through partnerships with area chefs including Windy City Chef Services - Chef Gregg
“With the new Quantum Shore Development bringing foot traffic to the neighborhood, the Center will become a lively, welcoming spot where neighbors can begin their day with Pilates, grab a fresh juice at lunch, catch a performance or community event in the evening, try something totally new, and simply feel at home the moment they walk through the door.”
Adrienne H. Baker, Civic Leader
Our Campaign Goal
With our permanent home secured, we now must transform it into a vibrant, welcoming space, beginning with critical infrastructure upgrades such as a new roof and modern heating and cooling systems, with additional improvements to follow as funds are raised.
Boldly visionary and grounded in responsible stewardship, the Full Circle Performing Arts Center Campaign aims to raise $5 million.
Join Us in Completing the Circle
We need you!
Together, we can build a home where creativity, wellness, and possibility live.
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Every gift helps transform the building into a place where our girls and community can thrive.
Contact Erin Barnett at blackgirlsdanceorg@gmail.com to learn more about the project, naming rights for significant gifts and all donor benefits. We want to honor your contribution with intentionality and vision and would love to speak with you!
Fundraising Timeline and Budget
Fundraising Milestones
By Fall 2026: Secure $1 million
By Fall 2029: Secure an additional $4 million (total $5 million)
Capital Investment:
Hard Costs (Construction): $1.449M
Including: site prep, building shell, weather proofing, interior spaces, systems and safety, finishes, contractor project management.
Soft Costs: $493K
Including: furniture, equipment, technology and project support (architecture, engineering, design, owner’s representative, contractor profit)
Purchase Loan Repayment: $660K
Sustainability and Growth:
Two-Year Operating Fund: $2M
Capital and Operating Reserve: $400K
Total: $5,000,000
The following organizations have fueled our growth
Reva and David Logan Foundation
Chicago Foundation for Women
Girls Opportunity Alliance
Ronald McDaniel Foundation
Chicago Community Trust
Chicago’s Cultural Treasures
City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events
Cliffdwellers
Illinois Arts Council
Partnership for Safe and Peaceful Communities
Southside Giving Circle
STEM from Dance
Meet the Founder
Erin Barnett founded Black Girls Dance® because she saw a glaring need for mentorship and career guidance for female dancers of color. After an incredible career that took her around the world, dancing with Garth Fagan Dance, Philadanco!, The Lion King, and even performing for Beyoncé, she returned home only to find that opportunities for women who looked like her were still scarce with few clear pathways into the professional dance world.
Black Girls Dance Board
Kenneth Gilkes Jr
Halil Hampton
Courtney Dodd
Peggy Scanlan
Erin Barnett
Curtis Franklin*
Cecelia Harrison*
Kimberly Knox O'Shields*
Terrence Young*
* indicates Campaign Committee
Ready for our Next Chapter!
Since opening with 45 students in a church basement, Black Girls Dance has continued to grow - both in enrollment and ambition:
1000+
Girls Served Across Chicago’s South Side Communities
Including 340+ dancers in 2025 alone, with 95% reporting increased confidence
100%
College Acceptance for all Senior Participants
3000+
impacted through family focus programming