About the Festival
The DanceBARN Festival is an annual event that brings professional dancers, choreographers, and dance educators together for one week of dancing, creating, relaxing, and performing in the heart of the lakes.
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. Apply to be part of the 2020 Festival!
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!
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!
Ways To Attend
Space is limited for both categories, but "Maker" applicants will be given preference.
MAKER
APPLY BY JANUARY 9
Teachers and choreographers can apply to attend the festival as a "MAKER." Selected artists will teach during the week and/or create work on dancers attending the festival. Makers are also able to attend all classes and other recreational happenings during the week.
MOVER
APPLY BY JANUARY 9
Dancers attending the festival as a "MOVER" are able to take all classes during the week, sign up to work with guest choreographers, and participate in other recreational happenings including kayaking, swimming, biking, and hiking.
Cost
How do we keep costs low?
We're a COLLECTIVE! 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.
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. Have questions? Let us know.
MAKER
$230
Subsidized rate for teachers and choreographers.
Includes all classes and events.
MOVER
$275
Includes all classes and events.
STAYER
$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! Please stay tuned for further information about making a financial assistance request.
Other Funding Support Resources:
2023 Festival Theme
CollabArts
DanceBARN has found ourselves in collaboration in many capacities over the years. From collaborating with the local lumberyard to create a performance with festival choreographer Cara Hagan, to working closely with local fiber artist Kristi Kuder to make a magical dance in the forrest, we have always been ignited by the expansive possibilities that appear when collaboration is at the forefront. DanceBarn co-director Ayumi Shafer has collaborated with Minneapolis based photographer, Sarah Weiss, to curate a series called CollabArts, a show that pairs artists from different mediums to create over a 6-week period.
Since we like to do crazy things during the Festival - we thought we would try this process in our rural community of Battle Lake...over a week! We will pair choreographers and teachers with local artists of varying mediums to put on a show!
We look forward to seeing what we come up with - and are certain our community will love it! Apply today!
The DanceBARN Festival is made possible by generous donations, sponsorships and grants including:
