RAD Fest - Midwest Regional Alternative Dance Festival

05/29/2026

We would like to recognize Jennifer Glaws, as she steps away from Wellspring as RADFest Curator.

We’re grateful for the work and energy Jennifer contributed to the festival over the past two years, and we wish her the very best in everything she does.

We look forward to sharing the RADFest 2027 experience with you next March, and to continuing what Jennifer, her predecessors, the Wellspring team, and the extensive community of RADFest artists and supporters have built during the festival’s 17 years. Watch for information about RADFest 2027 to begin rolling out this summer.

05/14/2026

This week, our very own Wellspring presents Rebuilding the Fractured Entanglement — an immersive concert experience exploring the profound connection between humanity and the planet, traveling through environments from the depths of the sea to outer space. 🌊✨🚀

A bold collaboration in motion. 🖤
✨ Spring Concert of Dance: Rebuilding the Fractured Entanglement
📍 Cori Terry Theatre
359 S. Kalamazoo Mall, Suite 204
Kalamazoo
🗓 Friday, May 15 — 7:30 p.m.
🗓 Saturday, May 16 — 2:00 & 7:30 p.m.
🗓 Sunday, May 17 — 2:00 p.m.
🎟 Tickets + info:
https://www.simpletix.com/e/spring-concert-of-dance-rebuilding-the-fra-tickets-264941
Know something RAD? Tag us or send it our way — let’s lift it up 🙌

05/11/2026

The pauses, transitions, breath, weight shifts, gesture, risk, and recovery — that’s where the stories unfold. 🖤

Big thanks to Discover Kalamazoo for celebrating the artistry of RADFest 2026 and joining us for the Encore Concert! 📸
These captured moments take us right back to a festival weekend full of bold movement, powerful artistry, and unforgettable connection. 🔥

✨ Featured in photos:
1️⃣ Anonymous by Noelle Kayser for Western Dance Project
2️⃣ te****le by Megan Mazarick
3️⃣ PITCHFORK, or The Great American Rodeo on the Corner of Grant and Wood by Will Brighton .ard
4️⃣ the slow destruction of Neptune by Katie Carey for Alluvion Dance Chicago
5️⃣ las cosas que enter(r)amos by Alfonso Cervera & Irvin Manuel Gonzalez

04/30/2026

What’s RAD Thursday 💥

We’re shouting out the dance and art-making moving Kalamazoo and beyond — the people, the projects, the creative sparks.

This Sunday at 1:00 & 3:00 p.m., Wellspring Academy presents Inspired Movements.

Each class draws inspiration from the professional company as they celebrate 45 years of sparking wonder in the Kalamazoo community. Students have been diving into the artists, ideas, and choreography that have shaped Wellspring over the decades — come see what they’ve created. Wellspring Dance Academy

🎟️ A few tickets still available:
https://www.simpletix.com/e/student-concert-inspired-movements-tickets-263661

Know something RAD? Tag us or send it our way — let’s Know something RAD? Tag us or send it our way — let’s it up.

04/28/2026

REVIEW: RADFEST ONCE AGAIN BOLDLY PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF DANCE

Thank you to Marin Heinritz of R***E for your time, thoughtful words, and for witnessing RADFest. We’re grateful for your presence at the Friday 7:00 p.m. Short Works Concert.

“In the Kalamazoo arts community, March signifies a time to celebrate, explore, expand, and enjoy the radical endeavor of making and sharing dance.”

From Claire Porter’s Fund Raiser, which playfully blurred performance and interruption, to Wellspring’s “Woven Together”, filled with sweeping movement and powerful lifts—this year’s festival held space for bold, dynamic expression.

Alternative Motion Project’s “The Chosen One” brought riveting athleticism, while Rachel Stratton’s “silence (still) = death” evokes urgency and resilience through striking physical imagery.

Halie Bahr and Alexandra Barbier’s “( #1 of ?)” layered spoken word, music, and movement into a curious, quietly humorous exploration: “What happens if we touch it?” “they say. They remove their overalls and shirts, leaving them on the ground as if stones in a stream and step onto them wearing their bathing suits.”

As shared in the closing by RADFest Curator, Jennifer Glaws: We believe that making dance is radical. RADFest continues to honor that belief—celebrating artists who take risks, tell stories, and move us.

Note: Claire Porter was recognized during RADFest, though she is not retiring. We would be honored to share her work again in the future.

Photography by A. Deran Photography
Top image: performing artist Mandy Herrick of WeDances Movement Collaborative
Bottom image: Noelle Kayser’s choreography for Western Dance Project, Anonymous
ARTICLE: https://revuewm.com/arts/review-radfest-once-again-boldly-pushes-the-boundaries-of-dance

@ @ .bahr

04/22/2026

Thank you, Creative Café, for featuring RADFest!

Marisa Bianan (Artistic Director, Wellspring), Jennifer Glaws (RADFest Curator), and Claire Porter (2026 RADFest artist) sat down with Kristen Chesak of Creative Café, sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo.

A favorite moment from Claire, reflecting on her early work:
“The connection from me with the audience was profound—and I’ve been writing ever since.”
And on Kalamazoo and RADFest:
“I love it here. I have friends here, and now a dance community here. It’s a very special place—and what Cori started is rare. To have a modern company exist for that long, and to invite artists in this way, is also rare.”

Grateful for the conversation and the continued support 💛 Jennifer Glaws Marisa Bianan Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo Cori Terry Wellspring/Cori Terry & Dancers

We were live from Epic Center, talking with artists from RADFest 17, the region's best Alternative Dance Festival. We spoke with Wellspring Artistic Director Marissa Bianan, RADFest curator Jennifer Glaws, and Claire Porter, who has made the journ...

03/17/2026

✨ Thank you for being part of the 17th annual RADFest—our shared energy, presence, and artistry made it truly special. ✨

✨ Thank you for being part of the 17th annual RADFest—our shared energy, presence, and artistry made it truly special. ✨

03/10/2026

Thank you to our sponsors and partners for helping make RADFest 2026 possible! ✨

We truly could not have done this work without your generous support. Your commitment helps uplift artists, foster community, and create space for bold creativity in dance.

The sponsors and partners who made this happen are:
Kalamazoo Institure of Arts
WMUK
Irving S. Gilmore Foundation
Kalamazoo Community Foundation
Now Kalamazoo
Harold and Grace Upjohn Foundation
The Marvin and Rosalie Okun Foundation
Arts Midwest
Freedom 250
National Endowment for the Arts
Suzanne D Parish Foundation
Dorthy U. Dalton Foundation
The Arts Council of Greater Kalamazoo
KP Cinemas
Biggby Coffee
Discover Kalamazoo
Black Arts & Cultural Center
Michigan Arts & Culture Council
Trader Joe’s
Imperial Beverage
Caffe Casa
City Centre Market & Deli
Underground Printing
Pair of Ducks
The Ample Pantry
Ballet Kalamazoo
MRC artWorks
The Epic Center Kalamazoo

We are so grateful for your partnership in supporting the power of movement and artistic expression. 💫

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