West Michigan Dance Festival

West Michigan Dance Festival The second annual West Michigan Dance Festival is coming to Holland for 2025! Join us August 9th and 10th for a weekend of masterclasses, performance, and more.

We are still over the moon after an amazing festival weekend! THANK YOU to every dancer, performer, and audience member ...
08/22/2026

We are still over the moon after an amazing festival weekend! THANK YOU to every dancer, performer, and audience member who made the weekend so special. Our team is so grateful for the one of a kind community that continues to be built at WMDF year after year. đź’ś

WMDF’s Main Stage Concert is coming up this Saturday August 8th at the Grand Rapids Civic Theater and will feature Curre...
08/07/2026

WMDF’s Main Stage Concert is coming up this Saturday August 8th at the Grand Rapids Civic Theater and will feature Currents Dance Theatre’s “Play” choreographed by Maggie Hartman. Get your tickets to the show today at westmichigandancefestival.org We hope to see you there!

Maggie Hartman is a versatile dancer with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and Communication from Hope College. She has trained in Dallas, London, and Detroit, and performed internationally, including an appearance on Britain’s Got Talent in 2018. Additional training includes Lukas McFarlane’s SEEDS program, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s CREATE Intensive (2023), William Crowley’s work in Paris, the CLI Studios Summer Intensive with Eric Delgado (2024), and more. Since completing her degree, Hartman has performed professionally with Currents Dance Theatre and Essence Movement Collective. Looking ahead, Hartman will join Royal Caribbean Entertainment as a performer in September 2026, marking the next chapter of her professional career as an international performer.

New to WMDF in 2026, Dancing Conversations provides an additional performance opportunity for festival participants! Joi...
08/06/2026

New to WMDF in 2026, Dancing Conversations provides an additional performance opportunity for festival participants! Join us Saturday August 8th for an in studio showing of works with post-performance discussion led by M. Linda Graham. The post- performance conversation with the audience will provide feedback for the choreographers and performers by utilizing concepts of Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process. Linda advocates for this approach to promote positive, productive discussions of creative process.

We are so excited for this event and hope to see our community there! This event is free, but space is limited. Reserve your spot with a free ticket at westmichigandancefestival.org

Join WMDF this Sunday August 9th for Contemporary Jazz with Kendra DeFazio, Executive Artistic Director of Currents Danc...
08/05/2026

Join WMDF this Sunday August 9th for Contemporary Jazz with Kendra DeFazio, Executive Artistic Director of Currents Dance Theatre! Full weekend, single day, and drop in classes are available for purchase at westmichigandancefestival.org We hope to dance with you soon!

Contemporary Jazz will include a technical warm up and high-energy choreography. Dancers can expect the class to include elements of jazz and modern dance, and will be challenged technically and stylistically.

We are excited to welcome Lena Godamunne and Kate Hyman from Essence Movement Collective to teach Hip Hop this weekend a...
08/05/2026

We are excited to welcome Lena Godamunne and Kate Hyman from Essence Movement Collective to teach Hip Hop this weekend at WMDF! Grab a drop in to their class, a single day pass, or a full weekend pass at westmichigandancefestival.org

Essence Movement Co. is a dance company based in Grand Rapids that offers a non-traditional take on dance. An open style company with predominantly influence from hip hop culture and a space that gives opportunity for both pre-professional and hobbyists alike. Essence keeps an emphasis on the human-dancer connection at the foundation of all they do. Their hope is to leave a lasting impact on the Michigan dance scene.

Introducing Brandon Wolfington, choreographer and dancer of “know doubt” which will be performed at WMDF’s Choreography ...
08/04/2026

Introducing Brandon Wolfington, choreographer and dancer of “know doubt” which will be performed at WMDF’s Choreography Concert this Friday August 7th! Get your tickets now at westmichigandancefestival.org

Brandon Wolfington is pursuing a BFA in dance at Western Michigan University. He was born and raised in Naperville, Illinois and spent 12 years training at Steps Dance Center. While in college, Brandon has performed the works of choreographers Jeremy Blair, Peter Chu, Mike Esperanza, Roderick George, Monique Haley, Seyong Kim, Marissa Peterson, Christa Smutek. During his sophomore year, he was a member of Western Dance Project under the direction of Kelsey Paschich. Through Western Dance Project, he has performed at dance festivals such as Dance City Festival Detroit and Midwest RADfest, along with outreach events at elementary, middle, and high schools in the Kalamazoo area. He has also had his work parallel, choreographed with Ashley Boyd, selected to perform at the American College Dance Association East-Central Regional Conference closing gala. In 2025, Brandon joined Movement Reservoir Dance Company under the direction of Lachan Niedbala and is performing in the company’s closing showcase.

Introducing “disparate + inseperable” choreographed by Seyong Kim, which will be featured in our 2026 Main Stage Concert...
08/04/2026

Introducing “disparate + inseperable” choreographed by Seyong Kim, which will be featured in our 2026 Main Stage Concert at the Grand Rapids Civic Theater this Saturday! Get your tickets today at westmichigandancefestival.org to see an evening of incredible dance works from professionals across the Midwest!

Seyong Kim, Associate Professor of Dance at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo, MI) and International Visiting Professor at Sung-shin Women's University (Seoul, South Korea), holds an MA in Dance Education from New York University. He is a CMA (Certified Movement Analyst), a RSDE (Registered Somatic Dance Educator), a PBT (Progressing Ballet Technique) Certified Teacher, and an ABT® Certified Teacher (Primary through Level 7 of the American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum). Seyong has taught for the University of Georgia, Rutgers University, John Hopkins University, Randolph College, American College Dance Association (ACDA), Alabama Dance Festival, Grand Rapids Ballet, Ballet 5:8 Chicago, and Eisenhower Dance Detroit. Seyong has danced with the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center, Albania National Ballet Theatre, Traverse City Dance Project, TAKE Dance, and Oakland Ballet Company. His choreographic works have been presented at Landestheater Coburg in Germany, JueDai Taipei International Dance Festival, International Contemporary Dance Festival of Mexico City, ProArteDanza in Canada, Battery Dance Festival, Palm Desert Choreography Festival, American Dance Guild Festival, Washington International Dance Festival, Detroit Dance City Festival, Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, CrossCurrent Asian American Dance Festival, and Movement Research at the Judson Church. Currently, Seyong is a resident choreographer with Wise Ballet Theater in Seoul, South Korea.

“Open to Interpretation” choreographed by Macy Holmberg and Abby Shambaugh will be featured in Friday’s Choreography Sho...
08/04/2026

“Open to Interpretation” choreographed by Macy Holmberg and Abby Shambaugh will be featured in Friday’s Choreography Showcase at Ambrosia Theater! Tickets are limited and going fast- get them now at westmichigandancefestival.org

Macy Holmberg is a dancer/choreographer based in Pennsylvania. She is currently earning a BFA degree in dance at Slippery Rock University (SRU) with a double concentration in performance and choreography as well as dance entrepreneurship. She is an active member of National Honors Society of Dance Arts as well as a part of SRU Dance Theatre where she has worked with many student choreographers. Macy was also a part of Faculty Repertoire pieces by Jennifer Keller and Erin Kouwe and has been selected for pieces by guest artists Jaka Zakajinn and Grady Bowman. She has had the opportunity to perform at the Koresh Artist Concert in Philadelphia as well as perform her work at National Choreography Month (NACHMO) in Pittsburgh. Last summer Macy worked closely with Professor Lindsay Viatori during FORGE Summer Dance Intensive and will be returning to the intensive summer 2026 on an internship.

Abby Shambaugh is a Junior at Slippery Rock University (SRU), and is working toward receiving a BFA Dance degree with a concentration in Perfomance and Choreography with a minor in Healthcare Administration and Managment. While at SRU, she was selected for a choreographic residency to learn the historic piece Solo Olos by Trisha Brown. She also was selected to be in Shakia Barron, Grady Bowman, and Staycee Pearls guest artist residencies; as well as Faculty pieces choreographed by Annie Franklin, Davianna Griffin, and Jaya Mani, in addition to several student works. She has choreographed both at SRU and for National Choreography Month (NACHMO) in Pittsburgh the past two years. Beyond her academic, performance and choreographic pursuits, Abby is an active member of the National Honors Society Dance Arts, Rock N Fusion Commercial Dance club, and is a Leadership Peer Mentor for the Leadership Development Institute at SRU.

Join us this Sunday August 9th for Horton Technique with Lachan Niedbala, Artistic Director of Movement Reservoir Dance ...
08/03/2026

Join us this Sunday August 9th for Horton Technique with Lachan Niedbala, Artistic Director of Movement Reservoir Dance Company! Full weekend, single day, and drop in class passes are available for purchase at westmichigandancefestival.org

This class will be an intermediate/advanced level teaching the basic fundamentals from Lester Horton’s modern dance technique. People of all dance experiences are welcome, no prior knowledge of Horton Technique is required. We hope to see you there!

WMDF’s Choreography Showcase is coming up THIS FRIDAY! Tickets are limited so snag yours in advance at westmichigandance...
08/03/2026

WMDF’s Choreography Showcase is coming up THIS FRIDAY! Tickets are limited so snag yours in advance at westmichigandancefestival.org to see Avant Theatre Ballet’s “PRIMARY/secondary” choreographed by Camille Ernst!

Camille Ernst is the Artistic Director of Avant Theatre Ballet, an inclusive ballet company dedicated to telling new stories and bringing the art of ballet to audiences who may not otherwise have access to it. With a background in performance, musical theatre, choreography, and dance education, her work blends strong technique with theatrical, concept-driven performance in both traditional and unconventional spaces. She finds the greatest joy in creating work that fosters creativity, community, and connection—inviting both dancers and audiences to see ballet as something alive, relevant, and for everyone.

Address

Grand Rapids, MI
49501, 49502, 49503, 49504, 49505, 49506, 49507, 49508, 49510, 49514, 49515, 495

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when West Michigan Dance Festival posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category