Bates Dance Festival

11/17/2025

Spotlights rise. Layers fall away. “Reinventing, renewing, rebirthing, redefining.” Varvara returns Jan 24, 2026 at Schaeffer Theatre—Jenna Riegel pulls you into the process with theater, video, and humor. Tickets on sale Dec 1.

11/13/2025

11/12/2025

Coming January 24, 2026 — 7:30PM at Schaeffer Theatre
Experience Varvara by Jenna Riegel — a virtuosic solo inspired by the radical work of Russian Constructivist artist Varvara Stepanova. Through theatricality, video, and humor, Riegel explores brokenness, reinvention, and the search for purpose.
Drawing from Stepanova’s Constructivist ideas, Riegel uses movement to question the body’s role in performance—what happens when we treat it like a machine versus letting it move freely in all its unruly, expressive chaos?

🎟️ Tickets on sale December 1st!

11/05/2025

✨ Meet the 2026 Bates Dance Festival Summer Training Program Faculty ✨

This summer, we welcome an extraordinary group of artists, educators, and thinkers whose work spans stages, studios, and communities around the world.

The Professional Training Program faculty brings together an international cadre of master teachers—each known for their rigor, generosity, and fearless approach to creative exploration.

Our Young Dancers Intensive faculty joins us from leading performing arts high schools and acclaimed college programs, offering a range of practices and perspectives designed to challenge, nurture, and inspire the next generation of movers.

Join us for a summer of deep study, community, and transformation through dance.

🗓️ Applications open November 19

11/04/2025

✨ Calling all dance artists and educators ✨

Bates Dance Festival is looking for YDI Mentors to join our 2026 Festival team! This is a paid residential position on the Bates College campus ($2,500 + travel stipend, housing, and meals included).

As a Young Dancers Intensive Mentor, you’ll work with 50–70 teen dancers from across the country—serving as both camp counselor and artistic mentor. Mentors embody the values of BDF: balancing rigorous artistic practice with care, community, and inclusivity.

If you’re passionate about teaching, mentorship, and creating a supportive space for the next generation of dancers, we want to hear from you.

📅 Apply by November 14, 2025
📧 Send your resume + short letter of interest to [email protected]

10/26/2025

✨ Art. Chaos. Purpose. ✨
Save the Date! Don’t miss Jenna Riegel’s Varvara — a virtuosic solo inspired by Varvara Stepanova’s fearless artistry.

Varvara takes inspiration from Stepanova’s Constructivist ideas, using movement to question the body’s role in performance—what happens when we treat it like a machine versus letting it move freely in all its unruly, expressive chaos?

🗓️ January 24, 2026
📍 Schaeffer Theatre
🎟️ Tickets on sale December 1

10/21/2025

✨ Meet the Team! ✨
We’re so excited to welcome new and returning members of the Bates Dance Festival family — artists, educators, and community builders who embody creativity, collaboration, and care. 💙💚

Get to know Alyssa, Emilia, and Laila — three brilliant movers shaping the future of dance! 🌿

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✨ Alyssa Gregory (She/Her)
Alyssa Gregory is a Chicago-based performer, teaching artist, and arts administrator dedicated to intentional, community-driven work. She currently serves as the Communications and Community Engagement Manager at Arts + Public Life and hosts The Process Podcast.

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🌿 Emilia Bruno (They/Them)
Emilia Bruno is a q***r, Italian-American movement artist and educator based in College Park, MD. A longtime BDF team member, they now serve as Associate Director of the Young Dancers Intensive while pursuing an MFA at the University of Maryland.

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💫 Laila J. Franklin (She/They)
Laila J. Franklin is a Boston-based multidisciplinary artist and one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch (2024). Their work explores humor, humanity, and movement, and this marks their fifth year with BDF!

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10/17/2025

✨ Flashback Friday ✨
This month, we’re honoring the artistry of costumes — threads that whisper & shimmer.

Our first spotlight: Ragamala Dance Company in Invisible Cities, where movement meets the mystical and the veil between worlds feels thin. 🌕🕯️

10/04/2025

Bates Dance Festival is at the National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) Conference! 🩰✨🎶
Stop by our table, say hi , and learn more about our programs, community, and all things BDF. We’d love to connect with you! 🌿💛

09/29/2025

📍 East Village, NYC
✨ Join us January 9–11, 2026 for three days of dance, creativity, and community! ✨

Take class with five incredible artists offering a taste of BDF’s Professional Training Program—balancing rigorous training with daily making:
🌞 Morning Classes: Jenn Nugent & Kyle Marshall (all three days)
🌙 Afternoon Workshops: André Zachery, David Dorfman & Cara Hagan (one-day each)

🎟️ Early Bird Pricing available through December 1
💻 Use code BDFEARLYBIRD at checkout & register today!

08/05/2025

✨ That’s a wrap on Bates Dance Festival 2025 ✨
From the first plié to the final bow, this season was filled with movement, magic, and unforgettable memories. We created, collaborated, and grew—on the dance floor and in our hearts. 💙💚

A special shoutout to our Youth Arts Program kids—you reminded us how powerful joy and creativity can be. 👣🎨

To every dancer, musician, faculty member, intern, staffer, and community member: thank you for making this season truly one to remember.

BDF isn’t just a festival. It’s a family. And the rhythm we’ve built here keeps playing long after the curtains close.