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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.
Greetings Dance Community,
It’s Kindling month! I bought an all-access pass and am packing in as many shows as I can fit in my schedule. I hope to see you there. This festival is a gem and offers so many local artists a chance to mount daring new works. Let’s support it and celebrate it!
Come Frolic with me on Sunday, July 26 at 11 am in Richland Park! It’s the only Kindling offering that doesn’t have a time overlap with another show. We’ll create Utopic worlds together, through improvisational movement.
Amanda
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July Dance Happenings
No Parties for Bad Children, which premieres July 3-4 at the Darkhorse Theater, is an interdisciplinary and inter-generational dance-theatre piece choreographed by Hayden Hubner of Dogs Eat Wind in collaboration with 9 dancers and 1 composer. It is an ode to the wisdom of youth and a critique of America’s upcoming 250th birthday – a place to party as much as a place to process.
Nashville Tap Dancers! The Em and M? Cafe at 1244 3rd Avenue North in Germantown has started holding Jazz Night, featuring Daniel Ferreira and his house band! Daniel and the cafe have informed us that tap dancers are welcome, so bring your tap shoes, tap boards, and positive vibes, and jam with the band! The next jazz night is Tuesday, July 7, from 5-8 PM, and they will be holding this regularly! ?
The Wishing Well Fundraiser July 10, 2026, 6:30–8:30 PM, 220 Dupont Ave Madison, TN 37115
The evening will feature:
• Live performances
• Raffle prizes
• Food and drinks
• A dance party
• Community connection and celebration
Come celebrate, connect, and help us continue creating meaningful experiences for artists and the community. Meet us at dusk at The Wishing Well.
Tickets: $25 (pay at the door)
Cash or Venmo accepted
RSVP is required
Kindling Arts Festival 2026: UTOPIAS arrives July 23-26 at venues across West Nashville. Highlights from the all-local, 4-day celebration of performance include: a queer, musical reimagining of the Nashvillians who invented cotton candy; fantastical performance art complete with clowns and Carnival queens; a site-specific Southern tea party designed to deconstruct social norms; a sampler platter of exciting new voices in playwriting; and stunning group and solo new dance pieces from some of the most respected choreographers in the city. Dance once again has a major presence in this year’s Festival, including:
- Objects in the Mirror: a trio of new dances by Becca Hoback, Emma Morrison, and Asia Pyron / PYDANCE that explore personal identity, outward perceptions, and the relationship between the artist and creative process (at OZ Arts)
- Common Ground: movement-based works from Friends Life Community, Autumn Wegner, and DancEast (with contributions by Marcela De La Vega Luna, Munk Foo, Caitlyn Knowles, Kaylee Lane, and Maya Smith) celebrating joy, resilience, and belonging (at OZ Arts)
- Found Movement Group’s Tea.: an immersive dance-theater work from Stacie Flood-Popp set at a Southern tea party in an old home, tackling traditional social norms and gender roles (note: very limited capacity at The Curb Center)
- Kintsugi: Art of Scars: a spoken word and movement collaboration between poet Cameron L. Mitchell and choreographer Thea Jones that transforms emotional scars into beauty (at The Barbershop Theater)
- Dance Studio Sharings: works-in-progress by Arelys Hernandez, Erika Hernandez & Winston Harrison, Amanda Howard with co-creators, and Kaylee Lane, presented via informal sharings (at Global Education Center)
- Community Frolic: Amanda Cantrell Roche leads the next installment in her series of fully participatory movement workshops — this one taking place outdoors in Richland Park, asking participants to envision building a utopic world together
- Embodied Creativity: dance artist McKay House and improviser Carley Haggerty blend comedic and dance improvisation to get you in touch with your creativity in this 2-hour workshop (at Global Education Center)
These are just 7 of the 22 performance options you can engage with at Kindling Arts Festival 2026 — and audiences are always encouraged to explore the full line-up by purchasing a Festival Pass, with a Standard option for just $109, or a VIP option for $149. Check out the full line-up and book your pass today at: kindlingarts.com/2026-festival
ONGOING
SCHOOL OF NASHVILLE BALLET’S COMMUNITY ADULT CLASSES
Nashvillle Ballet at the Martin Center 3630 Redmon St, Nashville TN, 37209
615–297–2966 x910 school@nashvilleballet.com
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. Schedule subject to change; see website for updates.
Adult Breaking (Breakdance) Practice, ongoing, Wednesdays (8 to 10 pm) at Construct. Open practice: $5, open practice for beginners with instruction as needed: $10
Global Education Center has adult dance classes in Bollywood, Shar Qui Belly Dance Workout, Zouk, Capoiera, many styles of Latin dance, and more. Click here for days, times, and registration.
Tap Series for Adults at DancEast;
BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE: TUESDAYS 5–5:50PM | JULY 7TH – 28TH
INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED: TUESDAYS 6-6:50PM | JULY 7TH – 28TH
INSTRUCTOR KAYLEE LANE ALLINGHAM
$80 FOR A SERIES | REGISTER AT DANCEAST.ORG/ADULTS
Whether you’re brand new to tap, returning after time away, or an experienced tapper looking to sharpen your skills, these 4-week series offer a fun and welcoming way to stay moving this summer.
Open-level Ballet classes at DancEast; Mondays 5:30-6:45 pm; Wednesdays 5:45-7:15 pm; $15/class; register at DancEast.org/adults.
Ecstatic Dance Nashville is the first and third Sunday of each month, 10:30 am at various locations. Click here for details.
To sign up to be able to submit, and to receive the Monthly Dance Happenings in your inbox, click here.
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.