Cost
How do we calculate the cost to attend?
All registration costs go toward space rental, organizing fees, lodging, and community events in addition to the grant funding and donations that make the festival possible.
The goal is to have a sense of community during the festival. Everyone attending contributes to the week. Cooking, cleaning, setup, takedown, guerrilla marketing. It takes a village.
Have questions? Let us know.
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MAKER
$250
Subsidized rate for teachers and choreographers.
Includes all classes and events.
MOVER
$300
Includes all classes and events.
LODGING
$250
(In addition to registration)
Gets you a shared cabin at the lake and dinner every night!
Check out The Hideaway at Xanadu Island!
There are many Airbnb's and resorts in our area, but they book up QUICKLY. If you would like to find your own lodging, we suggest doing so soon after hearing of acceptance.
FUNDING
We are excited to announce that DanceBARN is able to offer assistance
to a limited number of festival-goers thanks to generous
donations from the Will J Reid Foundation and Mary Pettit, Keller Williams, the Battle Lake Community Fund and individual donors during Give to the Max Day!
Please stay tuned for further information about making a financial assistance request.
Other Funding Support Resources:
2026 Festival Theme
Joy, Play and Community Care
As the DanceBARN Festival comes to a close each year, we often hear the same reflections from festival-goers. They leave feeling recharged, more connected to their love of dance, grateful for time spent in nature, well rested, and inspired to return home and show up more fully in their communities. This year, we are leaning into those reflections as our guiding theme, honoring the ways joy, play, and rest are not meant to be experienced alone, but are deepened through shared experience.
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In a time when society often prioritizes production over process, and when our wider communities are carrying real and collective grief, DanceBARN continues to return to one of its core values: Restoration. At DanceBARN, restoration is not passive, and it is not solitary. It grows through joy, play, connection, and caring for one another. It lives in the simple pleasure of dancing and creating together, and in the steady comfort of being held by community.
Tending to our bodies with gentleness, nourishing ourselves with food, nature, and movement, and making room for rest and play are meaningful acts of care. We look forward to gathering a community of dancers who are excited to spend a week in collaboration, creation, and community building. Please see the details below for how to attend this year’s DanceBARN Festival.
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TEACHER applicants with classes that meet at least one of these goals will be prioritized:
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Classes themed around the prompts of JOY, PLAY and/or COMMUNITY CARE
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Classes that incorporate a site specific element
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Classes that welcome mixed abilities (physical abilities and levels)
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Classes that have potential for community collaboration
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CHOREOGRAPHER applicants that meet at least one of these goals will be prioritized:
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Choreography themed around the prompts of JOY, PLAY and/or COMMUNITY CARE
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Choreography that can be adapted as a site specific piece.
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Choreography that welcome mixed abilities (physical abilities and levels)
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Choreography that is flexible with the number of dancers in the work
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Choreography that has the potential for community collaboration (working with a local musician, costume designer, kids, the elderly population, farmer's market, art gallery...we're pretty open to ideas here!)
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Choreography that is already developed and can be taught with a limited amount of rehearsal time (up to 5 hours)
A Collective Experience
The DanceBARN Festival can't happen without you. Our directors curate a diverse week of classes, screenings, performances, recreational and community events. Choreographers are selected to produce work during the week-long festivities.
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Share Dance with our Community
Battle Lake, Minnesota is a resorting community nestled in "the heart of the lakes" that thrives off of summer tourism. The town is supportive of the arts and always ready to learn from the dancers attending the festival. We would love you to share your passion for dance with our town!
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Connect and Relax at the Lake
Not only do you get to spend an entire week dancing and creating with incredible teachers and choreographers, but you also enjoy communal meals, great conversation, and afternoons at the lake.
We are so excited to be partnering with The Hideaway at Xanadu Island for lodging!
The DanceBARN Festival is made possible by generous donations, sponsorships and grants including:
