The shuttering of several dance studios in recent years has thrust the Upper Valley’s dance scene into a state of flux.
Two White River Junction studios, White River Ballet Academy and Dancers’ Corner, closed in 2024 and 2022, respectively.
And Lebanon Ballet School gave its final bow in June, though New England School of the Arts recently started offering dance classes out of the same space.
“There’s a little bit of a void for learning to dance in the Upper Valley, which doesn’t feel like it should exist,” given the area’s otherwise robust arts scene, Calvin Walker, executive director of The Junction Dance Festival, said in an interview last week.
Filling that void, at least a little bit, was on Walker’s mind going into this year’s festival, which begins Friday.
Free workshops for all ages are a mainstay of TJDF, now in its fifth iteration, and this year several classes are designed specifically for children.
The hope is that the classes will give kids a chance to experience dance amid limited options in the Upper Valley, Walker said.
CoMotion Dance, a workshop for kids ages 0-5 and their caregivers, is slated for 10 to 10:30 a.m. on July 11 at the Norwich Congregational Church.
And another workshop for kids ages 4-6 will follow it at 10:30 a.m. Walker also will lead a breakdancing class for ages 8-14 at 2:30 p.m. on the same day at Norwich Congregational.
The festival’s other workshops offer a vast array of styles, from reggaeton and the Indian classical dance tradition known as bharatanatyam to waacking, a street dance that got its start in queer communities of the 1970s.
“Given that the dance festival does appeal to lifelong dancers in addition to newcomers, we want to offer something for everyone, but we also want to offer something new…” Walker said.
Perhaps the biggest new addition to the festival this year is Walker himself. A Barre, Vt. resident with a background in breakdancing, Walker took over the executive director position last year from TJDF founder Elizabeth Kurylo, who stepped back from running the organization.
Planning TJDF for the first time has required “a lot of learning on the job … but it’s been a very fun and humbling experience,” Walker said.
On top of hosting workshops for children, a lot of thought went into creating opportunities for people to mingle between classes and performances.
“I had a lot of interest in broadening the community aspect of the festival and really deepening the festival’s roots in the Upper Valley,” Walker said.
A free community dinner will kick off the festivities at 5:30 p.m. on July 10 at the New Suns Community Center in Thetford. Another community celebration, sandwiched between two showcase performances at White River Junction’s Briggs Opera House, is scheduled for 4 p.m. on July 18.
The upcoming showcases promise performances from over a dozen dancers, including the artists in TJDF’s residency program, ChoreoLab.
The 2026 artists-in-residence are Sophia Hancock, a dancer and educator from Merrimack, N.H., and Aida Claire Bauer, of Norwich.
The showcases are the one part of the festival that isn’t free, with tickets going for $15 to $25. All the money from ticket sales goes toward paying artists, Walker said.
Supporting emerging artists is, after all, as integral to the festival as introducing newcomers to dance.
“We’re just looking to bring ambitious dance work to the Upper Valley,” Walker said.
The Junction Dance Festival is scheduled for July 10 through July 19 in Upper Valley venues. For tickets to the Main Showcase performances ($15-$25) go to thejunctiondancefestival.org.
QDP
It’s time for another Queer Dance Party at Babes Bar in Bethel. This one is happening from 8 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, July 11. Entry is $5. Beats will be provided courtesy of DJ GenderEnder, DJ Cartier and DJ Fagatron.
Art film
“Olafur Eliasson: Space is Processing,” a documentary from the early aughts about the Icelandic-Danish artist known for his large scale installations, is being screened at Pentangle Arts at 7 p.m. on July 15 in Woodstock. There will be a cocktail hour before the viewing, at 6 p.m., and a conversation with members of Pentangle after the film. For tickets (pay what you can) and more information go to pentanglearts.org.
Big Fatty’s blues
John Lackard Blues will be performing at Big Fatty’s BBQ in White River Junction at 5 p.m. on Saturday, July 11.
