This is a free service I provide as a volunteer to help our Dance Community in Middle TN stay connected, and support each other. It is by no means a comprehensive listing, and listings are submitted by those on the email list. To sign up to be able to submit, and to receive the Monthly Dance Happenings in your inbox, click here.
Greetings Dance Community,
My favorite Nashville festival is this weekend – Celebrate Nashville! It’s a day of international dance in Centennial Park, including performances by Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville. And music too, and international food trucks, and vendors, and people from all over the world who call Nashville home. It always brings me joy to see the concentration of our vibrant international community members. May we all do what we can to help protect each other. Perhaps I’ll see you there.
Recently I experienced a setback as an artist regarding a project I am deeply passionate about. This fall, I’m leaning in to the cycle of rest and resilience. And I continue to do passion projects that are related to climate, for it is the pressing global issue that affects all of us, and the generations to come. I hope you will take 4.5 minutes to watch this passion project dance film, created in my last couple of days in residence at The Hermitage Artist Retreat (watch it on a laptop or large screen, sound on). May we all keep the climate at the forefront of our minds, and let that drive our choices for a healthier earth.
Click here to watch Banyans’ Call
Amanda
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October Dance Happenings
Saturday, October 4, Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville (CAAN)
12:30 – 1 PM at Asurion Stage, Celebrate Nashville
in Centennial Park
CAAN is presenting TaiChi Sword, Blossoming Petals, Flower Drum Dance, Lion dance and Dragon Dance. Free admission, all are welcome.
Info: www.ChineseArtsAlliance.org
Checkout the schedule for all the dances and more at Celebrate Nashville website.
Friday Night Frolic with Amanda Cantrell Roche at Art & Soul Studio, October 10. This movement improv workshop is open to dancers and is designed to be accessible to movers who have no formal dance training. Bring a friend with whom you’ve always wanted to share the magic of moving in community, or just come on your own and PLAY and move freely. For October we’re exploring Memory Form. 6-7:30 pm, $20. Register here.
PYRAVE, A PYDANCE Fundraiser Rave Style
Date & Time:
Friday, October 10 @ 8:30 pm till late
Location: Soft Junk (919 Gallatin Ave, Nashville, TN 37206)
$15 @ the door
Mark your calendars for the first-ever PYRAVE hosted by PYDANCE, Friday (10/10) @ 8:30 PM till late at Soft Junk. Featuring live DJ sets with Spencer Grady and Cole Winters, immersive dance performance by PYDANCE, and visual projections by Nathan Smith. Whether you’re a seasoned dancer or just love to move, PYRAVE is the perfect night to let loose, connect, and celebrate the joy of dance, rave style.
Link to more info / participate:
Visit @_pydance_ on Instagram
Nashville Ballet: If I Can Dream -October 10-12, 2025
Paired with George Balanchine’s Rubies and Ji?í Kylián’s Un Ballo
Friday, October 10 at 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 11 at 2 p.m.
Saturday, October 11 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 12 at 2 p.m.
TPAC’s Polk Theater
Tickets Here: https://www.nashvilleballet.com/upcoming-events/2025/10/10/if-i-can-dream
We begin with the brilliance of George Balanchine’s Rubies – a sparkling masterpiece that is as bold as it is beautiful. Next, we are proud to present Un Ballo by the renowned choreographer Ji?í Kylián. Set to the lush and evocative music of Maurice Ravel, this striking ballet contrasts the neoclassical clarity of Rubies with contemporary depth and emotional nuance. The music for these opening pieces will be performed by The Nashville Symphony
Bringing the program to a powerful close is the main stage premiere of Travis Bradley’s If I Can Dream, set to the iconic music of Elvis Presley. Infused with soul, spirit, and reverence, it’s a heartfelt homage to an American icon, and a thrilling fusion of classical ballet with the rhythm of rock ‘n’ roll.
OZ Arts Nashville is now accepting proposals for original live performance works to be developed and presented in the 5th annual Brave New Works Lab, which is designed to support the development and presentation of contemporary performance in Middle Tennessee. The Lab invites daring Nashville artists to create and premiere new works and works-in-progress at OZ Arts, with performance dates set for May 14-16, 2026. The Lab features a flexible format to accommodate a variety of short works (usually around 20-25 minutes in length) and occasionally some longer projects. The Lab encourages experimentation and collaboration across disciplines to create a high-risk artistic adventure. Proposals for any performance medium are welcome, including but not limited to dance, theater, music, multimedia, and interdisciplinary projects. OZ Arts focuses on presenting the work of artists who reflect our diverse society, experiment with new artistic forms, and utilize technology in creative ways. Extended deadline: Monday, October 20th at 11:59pm CT. Learn more and apply at: www.ozartsnashville.org/brave-new-works-lab-2026
Compagnie Dyptik makes their U.S. debut with the explosive dance-theater production of Le Grand Bal, happening at OZ Arts on October 23, 24, and 25 at 8pm. Described by its creators as a dance of “revolt and ecstasy,” the work draws its power from a hyper-physical mix of Hip-hop and contemporary dance. Visit https://www.ozartsnashville.org/compagnie-dyptik/ to learn more. Tickets from $35 at https://ci.ovationtix.com/35222/production/1244662
Ongoing
Global Education Center Classes for Adults in October include Latin, Capoeira, Zumba, and SharQui Belly Dance Workout!
Register at https://form.jotform.com/201525468453052
For info and to see other classes: Www.globaleducationcenter.org
New Dialect community classes offer movers of all backgrounds, bodies, and experience levels supportive space to explore and connect in weekly contemporary movement sessions. Led by an inspiring line up of leading dance artists from across the Nashville dance community, each class is an invitation to tune into your body, build strength & artistry, and connect with a welcoming creative community. Whether you’re stepping into the studio for the first time or you’re an advanced dancer returning to your creative practice, these sessions are for you!
Through November 12, Mondays & Wednesdays from 10-11:30 AM, at Centennial Performing Arts Studios
$10 drop in / $80 10-class card
$4 drop in / $30 10-class card – BIPOC + seniors
Walk ups are welcome.
For details on our schedule, class offerings, and teaching artists, visit newdialect.org/community-classes
di Mossa classes at CPAS Tuesday and Thursday 12:30- 2:00
Modern and Contemporary forms for dancers with some experience. Drop-ins welcome!
$12 or 6 classes for $60
Fall season runs September 23 – November 13
Pay What You Can Classes at DancEast!
Looking for a dance class on a budget? Our pay what you can classes offer you an affordable option in taking with excellent instructors.
Mat Pilates and Modern with Marcela De La Vega Luna
Mondays 12:00-1:30 pm
Contemporary Technique with a rotating schedule of Amanda Reichert and Stacie Flood Popp
Evenings at DancEast
Join us after work for open level drop in classes. At just $15 a class, you can decompress and get a great class in!
Open-Level Modern- with Shabaz Ujima
Mondays 7:10-8:10 p.m.
Open-Level Contemporary- with Stacie Flood-Popp
Tuesdays 6:45-8:00 p.m.
Open-Level Ballet- with Alexandria Wright
Wednesdays 5:45-7:00 p.m.
SCHOOL OF NASHVILLE BALLET’S COMMUNITY ADULT CLASSES
Adult Community Fall Semester classes will run until December 21, 2025
HTTPS://WWW.NASHVILLEBALLET.COM/COMMUNITY-ADULT
Nashvillle Ballet at the Martin Center
3630 Redmon St, Nashville TN, 37209
615–297–2966 x910
Come as you are! Our community adult classes offer a welcoming environment for adult students of all ages and levels of experience. Community adult classes are offered on a rolling basis throughout the year.
CLASS REGISTRATION
First Class for New Students $5
Drop-In Class $20
5 Class Pass $80
10 Class Pass $140
24 Class Pass $280
48 Class Pass $480
DANCEFIX, TAP, CONTEMPORARY, MUSICAL THEATRE, JAZZ, BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE and ADVANCED BALLET, and POINTE
Ecstatic Dance Nashville is the first and third Sunday of each month, 10:30 am at various locations. We’ll kick it off this Sunday, September 7, with Kuk?ro & host Lauren Russell for one last outdoor dance before we head back indoors for the rest of the year! Click here for details.
November Save the Date
Sunday, November 23, join choreographer, teaching artist, and somatic healer Amanda Cantrell Roche for a unique movement and visualization workshop to envision and shape your personal refuge. Move to Create: Sanctuary invites participants to shape their personal sanctuary or refuge through movement, and in the mind’s eye. Then, utilize the wealth of studio materials available to create a version of it with fabric, paints, chalk, glass beads, wood, stones, and more. 3-6 pm at Art & Soul Studio. Personal investment: $60. Click here to register.
If you are new on this list: This is a gathering of events I am aware of, submitted by those on the email list, and by no means represents all that is going on in the Middle TN area. I provide it as a volunteer service to the local dance community as part of an effort to help us stay connected and support each other by raising awareness of local dance performances, workshops, and events, and rely on those on the list serve to submit the listings.