Get ready to show your Dance Place pride like never before! Spirit Week is our ultimate homecoming celebration—five days of themed fun, community connection, and non-stop movement that kicks off our 45th season in style.
The week emphasizes connection through themed participation, local organization partnerships, ongoing installations like a community timeline and altar-building, plus family-friendly activities including scavenger hunts and elder storytelling circles.
Spirit Week blends Dance Place's signature programming with festival-style energy, creating multiple ways for both longtime community members and newcomers to engage with the space and each other. The format encourages daily participation while building toward a culminating celebration that showcases the full breadth of Dance Place's artistic community.

Reorient the Orient offers a unique blend of performance, art installation, and social commentary. Choreographer Lionel Popkin draws on 30 years of dance to explore the representation of South Asian artists in contemporary art. Wander through lobbies and backstage areas to discover dancers, videos, archival materials, sculptures, and surprising elements like neon yellow balls and an elephant headpiece. Audiences are invited to create their own experience, choosing what to see and where to be within Popkin's thought-provoking world.

Reorient the Orient is the recipient of a National Performance Network (NPN) commission with REDCAT in Los Angeles as the lead commissioner and Dance Place in DC as a co-commissioner. Additional funds come from the UCLA Council on Research, The UCLA Chancellor's Arts Initiative, the National Performance Network's Storytelling and Documentation Fund, and the Mellon Foundation.

Family Spooky Disco is a celebration of dance, costumes, and families. This intergenerational dance party is for both the young and the young at heart. This event will feature a live DJ, snacks, and party games. Get your costume and come get spooky with us!

Dance Place is proud to debut AFTER DARK, a new series of late-night gatherings that offer a relaxed and social atmosphere. Housed in more intimate settings, this series invites you to experience informal performances, music, and opportunities to connect deeper with artists and fellow community members.

Carla Creative, Inc and the Dance Place Family invites you to Eat, Dance, Remember and be Joyous. Celebrate 45 years of presenting great art, professional classes, impactful youth programs and building community. Have you ever taken class at Dance Place, seen a performance, been in a resident company, watched your child take class, been a BOD member, staff member, volunteer, energizer or intern? If so, this event is for you!

A curated performance from 6 companies and choreographers from the DC area. This event will utilize multiple art mediums to create an immersive experience for the audience.

bLUr by Kimberly Bartosik/daela is a highly physical and emotionally intense dance piece exploring the haunting impact of witnessing a loved one's overdose. Moving beyond specific narratives of the opioid crisis, the work uses visceral movement to embody the violent cravings and internal battles of substance abuse. Through repeating cycles, bLUr illuminates the urgent fight against these desires and the blurred line between craving and rescue. Experience a raw portrayal of intense longing, forceful intervention, and the struggle for survival.

Ananya Dance Theatre's ANTARANGA: Between You and Me unfolds in a world facing a deep crisis, where the ability to sense and connect with others has largely vanished. A small group of 'humsafar' (fellow travelers) retains extraordinary connecting abilities. Their perilous journeys forge crucial relationships, offering a path toward healing. ANTARANGA explores themes of intimacy, connection, trust, and community among transnational feminists navigating a world struggling to rediscover human connection.

ANTARANGA: Between You and Me is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation & Development Fund Project co-commissioned by John Michael Kohler Arts Center, Links Hall, The Yard, Dance Place, and NPN. The Creation & Development Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency). For more information: www.npnweb.org

NOËL is a heartwarming blend of dance and music, set against the enchanting backdrop of the holiday season. It weaves a narrative that entertains while deeply resonating with themes of generosity, togetherness, and celebration. It bridges the connection between Christmas carols and solstice celebrations, embracing the hope of rebirth and brighter days ahead.

Celebrate the joy and heritage of Kwanzaa with Coyaba Dance Theater! Experience their signature live drumming and powerful dance, interwoven with stories that illuminate the Seven Principles of the Nguzo Saba: Umoja (Unity), Kujichagulia (Self-Determination), Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility), Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics), Nia (Purpose), Kuumba (Creativity), and Imani (Faith). Join us for this cherished annual tradition filled with love, excitement, and the beauty of Black culture and tradition.