Bay Area Dance Week to Offer Free Dance Events This Spring

Dancers' Group has announced the return of Bay Area Dance Week (BADW), the beloved 10-day celebration of dance and community, April 24 to May 3 at locations across San Francisco, the East Bay, North Bay, and South Bay. Last year's Festival drew 21,000 attendees across 161 events, highlighting the region's vibrant dance scene. This year BADW promises an equally dynamic lineup of workshops, performances, open rehearsals, and classes—all free and open to the public. Whether it's hip hop, salsa, Bhangra, aerial, folk, modern, Bollywood, ballet, pole, or West African dance, BADW celebrates diversity and inclusivity, welcoming participants of all  backgrounds, abilities, ages and experience levels. 

The festival kicks off with One Dance at 12 pm on Friday, April 24 at Jesse Square supported by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Always a crowd favorite, One Dance is a participatory group dance and signature highlight of the festival led since 2012 by Rhythm &  Motion's Artistic Director Dudley Flores. Participants can learn the moves of One Dance beforehand by visiting dancersgroup.org/badw/. One Dance reinforces the impact artists can have in activating urban spaces. “Anyone can learn One Dance. It's what I love about this event – it really is for everyone,” says Flores.

"For 28 years, the Bay Area Dance Week festival has been celebrating the artistry, diversity and joy of the San Francisco Bay Area with tons of exciting and free dance events for the whole family," says Wayne Hazzard, Executive Director of Dancers' Group. "Drawing more than 2,500 artists and 20,000 attendees annually, Bay Area Dance Week is an opportunity for everyone to support and enjoy our vibrant dance community which is the largest in the country." 

Throughout the festival, participants of all ages and experience levels will have the opportunity to engage with dance in diverse forms. This year's program includes highlights such as Dancing in the Park SF with Mark Foehringer Dance Project, What's Up!?! UpSwing Aerial Dance and student performance, LOVING THE AIR, an apparatus-based dance class with Jo Kreiter/FLYAWAY PRODUCTIONS, a Bhangra fundamental class with Rooted Bhangra, Mexican Folkloric, K-Pop, and international folk dance, Indian classical, and Bollywood performances and classes at Downtown Dance! in Fremont, and beginner folklorico basics class at Florecer Dance Studios in San Jose. More details on the festival will be announced at the end of March and throughout April.  

The History of Bay Area Dance Week 

National Dance Week was founded in 1981 to increase awareness of dance and its  contributions to our culture. The first Bay Area Dance Week (BADW) festival grew out of a  public dialogue in 1998, when dance artists, administrators, and organizations came together to explore how best to spotlight Bay Area dance. The festival that emerged took a national initiative and imbued it with the innovative and inclusive spirit of the Bay Area. As the largest per capita center for dance in the US, the Bay Area's festivities have been the most extensive and best attended celebrations in the country since BADW's inception. Each year, over 200 dance organizations and artists present events during Bay Area Dance Week, involving more  than 2,500 artists and 20,000 attendees. Dancers' Group presents the annual event. 

About Dancers' Group 

Dancers' Group promotes the visibility and viability of dance. Founded in 1982, we serve San  Francisco Bay Area artists, the dance community and audiences through programs and  services that are as collaborative and innovative as the creative process. As the primary  dance service organization in the Bay Area, we support the second largest dance community  in the nation by providing many programs and resources that help artists produce work, build  audiences, and connect with their peers and community. dancersgroup.org 

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