Wake Forest Dance Festival (WFDF), the Triangle’s only outdoor dance festival that features international and national performers, returns to E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Rd., in Wake Forest, for the third straight year on Saturday, October 5.

Families, performing arts enthusiasts and the public will celebrate the art of dance during the free festival that brings a day of dance to the Triangle in an outdoor, wooded setting.

The full list of choreographers and performers will be posted on the WFDF website at www.wakeforestdancefestival.org/artists as they are confirmed. Local and regional dance professionals will perform along with international and national dancers.

The event is presented by ARTS Wake Forest in partnership with the Town of Wake Forest Parks, Recreation and Cultural Resources Department. The Wege Foundation is the presenting sponsor of WFDF 2019.

“It’s an honor to bring professional artists of such high caliber to this free, public event for a third year in a row,” said festival director Mariya “Masha” Dashkina Maddux, a Wake Forest resident and former principal dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company in New York City. “We want audiences throughout the Triangle and beyond to take advantage of an inspiring day of dance.”

The festival will begin with an educational technical rehearsal in the morning and conclude with a staged performance lasting through the early evening. During the day, mini dance performances showcasing various dance styles will take place in select areas of Joyner Park.

The Oct. 5, 2019, program schedule will be:

• 9:30 a.m. – noon: Technical Rehearsal – Attendees who want a behind the scenes look can attend the Technical Rehearsal, which is a run-through of the Festival Performance that will take place later in the day. Some of the performers and the stage manager will be available to answer questions and provide a deeper understanding of the dances.
• 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Tour in Motion – A guided walking tour beginning at the top of every hour that gives attendees the opportunity to experience different dance genres in intimate outdoor settings at four locations throughout Joyner Park. This section of the festival highlights local and regional emerging choreographers and dance performers.
• 5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.: Festival Performance – The culminating Festival Performance will feature professional dance artists and local and regional advanced dance students.

About Wake Forest Dance Festival 

The Wake Forest Dance Festival is the Triangle’s only free outdoor dance festival featuring international, national and regional professional dancers, and local and regional rising advanced dance students. Since 2017, the family-friendly event has brought a day of dance to the Triangle in an outdoor setting at E. Carroll Joyner Park in Wake Forest.