Praize Productions Inc. (PPI) is a South Side-based arts collective that uses rigorous dance and arts training to champion Black artistic and cultural traditions, with a long-term mission to increase Black representation in professional performing arts. Rooted in Bronzeville and staffed almost entirely by Black women from across the South Side, PPI’s year-round Academy serves Black girls ages 5 to 18 through a curriculum infused with social-emotional learning.
Over 15 years, PPI has seen that its girls face real pressures that dance training alone can’t address, and families have pointed to specific gaps: self-confidence, mental health support, workforce readiness, and self-regulation. This need is compounded by a broader access gap: nationally, Black students have seen a 49% reduction in arts education since the 1980s and in Chicago, that divide plays out geographically, with predominantly white North Side schools consistently better resourced for the arts than predominantly Black South Side schools. PPI has the capacity to serve more girls without adding staff or facilities; what it lacks is the resources to grow into that capacity.
The Girls Opportunity Alliance Fund will invest in PPI’s A Holistic Approach to Impact, a strategic expansion that uses the arts to strengthen girls’ self-confidence, mental health, and workforce readiness. This funding will launch semi-monthly health and wellness workshops led by therapeutic practitioners, yoga instructors, and nutritionists; add structure to PPI’s Big Sis/Little Sis mentorship program through a formal handbook and pledge; and create dedicated classes for teens to work through issues like bullying, negative self-image, and academic pressure. It will also fund outreach to grow enrollment from 47 to 75 girls and provide every participant with professional attire for PPI events. With this investment, PPI will deepen the impact it already has on Black girls on the South Side, giving them not only rigorous arts training, but the confidence, wellness tools, and professional readiness to thrive well beyond the studio.
For more information about Praize Productions Inc., please visit the organization’s website.
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