Ambo Dance Theatre is kicking off the 2026 year by hosting the inaugural Kentucky Dance Festival, the first and only professional contemporary dance festival in the state!

This three-day festival features a curated selection of professional choreographic works in diverse dance styles, as well as professional development and networking opportunities!

Presented in partnership with Actors Theatre of Louisville, the Kentucky Dance Festival will include:

* Two professional evening concerts
* A student showcase featuring dancers from schools and private studios
* Guest artist master classes and workshops
* Outreach to rural and underrepresented communities
* A larger, more prestigious venue to match our growing impact

The shows are on March 13-15, 2026. On March 13 and 14 the professional shows are at 7pm.

On March 15 the student show is at 2pm.

Details:

Showtimes:

• March 13 & 14, 2026 @ 7pm Professional Showcase
• March 15, 2026 @ 2pm Student Showcase

Tickets:

• Pay-What-You-Can https://www.actorstheatre.org/

About the Kentucky Dance Festival

The Kentucky Dance Festival is the first and only professional contemporary dance festival in the bluegrass. This three-day festival shares the artistic voices of creators across the entire
state, plus guest choreographers from surrounding states across the South and Midwestern regions.

The Kentucky Dance Festival is open to all styles and forms of dance, and any kind of choreographic processes. Creators are invited to apply to present works that are fully developed and completed, as well as works in progress that are looking to make their stage debut. Applications undergo rigorous adjudication by a panel of professionals who select works based on their artistic merit as stand alone works, as well as in conversation with other submissions. Festival curation is centered on quality, diversity of style, subject matter, and dancers, and the overall arc of the concert.

Professional creators who are invited to present their work at the festival are given the opportunity to apply to lead master classes during the festival weekend. Master class applications are adjudicated similarly to choreographic works in order to provide festival participants and spectators with a high quality and diverse experience.

MISSION STATEMENT:

The Kentucky Dance Festival strengthens Kentucky’s professional dance ecosystem by elevating local choreographic voices, fostering meaningful exchange with regional artists, and positioning Louisville as a vital contributor to the contemporary dance landscape.

VISION STATEMENT:

In alignment with Ambo Dance Theatre’s vision of transforming Louisville into a Dance Hub, the Kentucky Dance Festival envisions a thriving, interconnected dance community where Kentucky artists are professionally supported, contemporary dance is accessible to the Kentuckiana region, and emerging dancers are equipped with clear pathways to build sustainable careers.

Background and Origins of the Kentucky Dance Festival:

Since 2021, Ambo Dance Theatre has been hosting the Kentucky NACHMO Dance Festival, a dance festival in partnership with the National Choreography Month (NACHMO) organization. In 2025, the Kentucky NACHMO Dance Festival experienced a 46% growth, featuring 121 performers from 12 groups and doubling our audience engagement. While the consistent growth of this small, local festival highlighted the demand and interest for high quality, accessible contemporary dance experiences, the NACHMO format wasn’t always accessible for under-resourced groups. Thus, Ambo Dance Theatre split NACHMO into its own event while launching the Kentucky Dance Festival as a larger, more accessible statewide and national platform.

The Kentucky Dance Festival is open to all styles and forms of dance, and any kind of choreographic process. The application process invited creators to submit works that were fully developed, as well as works in progress. This represents a step towards building the much-needed infrastructure to boost the local dance economy and connect Louisville to the larger professional contemporary dance network.

The Kentucky Dance Festival will:

● Amplify underrepresented voices and bring dance to new communities across Kentucky
● Give students, emerging artists, and companies & studios of all sizes a statewide platform to shine
● Provide paid opportunities for local dancers, choreographers, and technicians
● Build long-term creative infrastructure that fuels cultural and economic growth
● Spotlight Kentucky on the national stage as a hub for contemporary dance excellence

Kentucky Dance Festival – Full Weekend Schedule:

Friday, March 13, 2025

• 7pm – PERFORMANCE: Professional Concert #1
• 10pm – KDF Community Meetup: A Networking and Social Outing

Saturday, March 14, 2025

• 9am – MASTER CLASS: Flirt: A Dance Theatre Workshop
• 10:45am – MASTER CLASS: Nontraditional Partnering
• 1:30pm – MASTER CLASS: Contemporary Chinese Fusion
• 7pm – PERFORMANCE: Professional Concert #2

Sunday, March 15, 2025

• 9am – MASTER CLASS: Grounded: Contemporary Modern Dance Floorwork
• 10:45am – MASTER CLASS: Tennis Ball Magic
• 2pm – PERFORMANCE: Student Concert

All Master Classes are 90 minutes long and will be held at Ambo Dance Theatre, located at 812 Clarks Lane.

Tickets can be purchased at http://www.ambodancetheatre.org

All Performances will be approximately 2 hours long (including at 15 minute intermission) and will be held at Actors Theatre of Louisville in the Pamela Brown Theatre, located at 316 W Main St.

Tickets will be available for purchase at http://www.actorstheatre.org beginning on February 15th.