SEPTEMBER 5-7, 2025

Dance City Festival (DCF) is an annual community building event that celebrates dance in its various forms and disciplines. Now in its thirteenth year in Detroit, and first year in Chicago and New York, DCF Detroit includes performances, master classes, and networking opportunities all held in the vibrant city of Detroit at the festival’s central venue, Detroit Institute of Arts. Our mission is to educate diverse audiences about the impact of dance, provide opportunities for artists to share their work, and create an artistic network linking Detroit, the greater US, and the world!

LOCATIONS

Friday, September 5

Rivera Court Stage | 5: 30 PM | Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Providing a platform for choreographers to present their work, these showcases allow artists to share what they have been working on. These performances represent the exceptional work of local, national, and international dancers.

Choreographers Showcase I | 7:00 PM | Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Providing a platform for choreographers to present their work, these showcases allow artists to share what they have been working on. These performances represent the exceptional work of local, national, and international dancers.

Friday Night Lights | 10:00 PM | The Nordwood

Always a highlight of DCF, Friday Night Lights is an exciting late night event that brings our community together in celebration of dance through a nighttime dance party featuring performances by dance crews and K-POP artists from Detroit and beyond. As the official kick-off of the festival weekend, Friday Night Lights is an evening of celebration, networking, music and movement all in one.

saturday, september 6

Sidra Bell Master Class + Creation Intensive | 10:00 AM | Detroit Opera House

Join us in welcoming back Sidra Bell to Dance City Festival! Sidra will be teaching and choreographing in Detroit and New York.

• Creation Intensive participants must attend the full 4 hours of the intensive (Master Class 10:00-11:00 AM, Creation 11:00-2:00 PM)

• Creation Intensive participants will learn repertoire and perform at Dance City Festival Detroit’s Dance and Celebration, September 6 at 8:00 PM.

Rivera Court Stage II | 12:30 PM | Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Providing a platform for choreographers to present their work, these showcases allow artists to share what they have been working on. These performances represent the exceptional work of local, national, and international dancers.

Dance For Camera Workshop | 12:30 PM | Lecture Hall at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Taught by Daewon Kim, this workshop is aimed at dancers who want to make dance films. Participants will learn film grammar, mise-en-scene, the meaning of each shot, and how to prepare before filming. It will also be a hands-on opportunity to learn how to use AI to create a video, and how to bring new imagination to the video, such as adding new spaces or costumes.

College Showcase & Summer Stage I | 2:30 PM | Thinker at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Featuring performances by colleges and universities, Summer Stage provides an outdoor platform for choreographers to present their work, these showcases allow artists to share what they have been working on. These performances represent the exceptional work of local, national, and international dancers.

College & Festival Fair | 2:30 PM | Thinker at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Our College and Festival Networking Event will bring College faculty from esteemed institutions and renowned dance festivals to DCF to network with high school students and all artists. This is a chance for aspiring college students to introduce themselves, ask any questions, get application and audition information and for artists to learn about other dance festivals!

Dance On Screen | 2:30 PM | Lecture Hall at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Providing a platform for choreographers to present their work, these showcases allow artists to share what they have been working on. These performances represent the exceptional work of local, national, and international dancers.

Choreographers Showcase II | 5:00 PM | Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Providing a platform for choreographers to present their work, these showcases allow artists to share what they have been working on. These performances represent the exceptional work of local, national, and international dancers.

Dance and Celebration | 8:00 PM | Detroit Film Theatre at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Featuring works by invited national and international guest choreographers, Dance and Celebration is DCF’s most anticipated performance event.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

Master Classes | 9:00 AM - 12:20 PM | Detroit Opera House

DCF presents an exciting series of Master Classes, taught by accomplished local, national, and international practitioners in diverse styles of dance. For all dancers ages 13 and up, Master Classes provide unique opportunities to learn from the best in the industry from across the globe.

9:00-10:00 Ballet w/ Andrea Salazar

10:10-11:10 Contemporary w/ Jared Baker

11:20-12:20 Sound in Motion: Improvisation on Musical Imagery and Korean Breathing w/ Choi Moonea, Lee So-yeon

Summer Stage II | 12:30 PM | Thinker at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Providing an outdoor platform for choreographers to present their work, these showcases allow artists to share what they have been working on. These performances represent the exceptional work of local, national, and international dancers.

Family Activities | 1:15 PM | Thinker at the Detroit Institute of Arts

Enjoy family dance classes free in the lawn of the DIA directly following Summer Stage II!

1:15 PM K-POP Dance Class taught by ArtLab J

1:35 PM Belly Dance Fit

Harriet Berg Tribute Performance | 2:00 PM | Rivera Court at the Detroit Institute of Arts

We honor the legacy of Harriet Berg, a trailblazer in Detroit’s dance community and a lifelong advocate for the arts. Harriet often said, “Moving Forward,” a phrase that captured her unstoppable energy, vision, and belief in the power of dance.

This tribute performance brings together artists who knew her, were inspired by her, or simply want to dance in her memory. Let us move forward—together—in celebration of her life, her impact, and her unshakable spirit.