Published August 1, 2025

4th Annual Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival

by Dennyse Sewell

The team here at the Pioneer Center is busy gearing up for our 4^th annual Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival, performing August 15-17, 2025 on our outdoor plaza stage. 

 

This free community event, created and produced by the Pioneer Center, presents exceptional local dance companies in a casual summer festival setting that is perfect for families and arts lovers of all ages. The Pioneer Center created this performance festival as a way to support smaller, up-and-coming dance companies in our region that do not currently perform their own productions on our mainstage – but might someday! By investing our resources into the growth of these companies, we aim to increase local interest in dance events overall while providing the community with greater arts access through free programming.

Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival adds another unique layer to the event by spotlighting a fellow local nonprofit whose work deeply inspires our team – SPCA of Northern Nevada. Although the Pioneer Center itself is also a 501c3 nonprofit, we are proud to use our high-profile dance festival to provide a supplemental fundraising component for the SPCA and to help spread awareness of their mission and services. Each night of our dance festival includes a “Pup Parade Fashion Show” at intermission featuring rescue dogs and their handlers modeling clothing items from the SPCA-NN Thrift Store. 

Dance companies selected to participate in the Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival submitted proposals that were reviewed by a 25-member Artistic Advisory Panel comprised of local arts leaders and national dance experts including Broadway choreographers, professional dancers from stage and film, New York talent agents, producers, dance professors, and more. The panel evaluated 14 submissions from local companies this year; their scores helped to determine the six headlining companies that will present full-length pieces and the five additional featured companies that will each perform one number. All dance companies chosen for the festival receive commission fees for their work, paid by the Pioneer Center.

Each night of the festival is a different lineup, so if you want to see all of the companies (and believe me, you do!), you’ll need to attend all three nights. For a taste of last year’s festival, take a peek at this exciting video recap. Bring your low-backed chairs and blankets to join us with free admission every evening. The plaza opens at 6pm nightly with delicious dinner options from a variety of local food trucks.  The performances begin as the sun is setting at 7:30pm and will last just over two hours, including an intermission. We encourage patrons to arrive early to get settled and (though we love them) to please leave pets at home.

This year’s Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival line-up will feature:

FRIDAY, AUGUST 15 at 7:30pm

• Western Nevada Performing Arts – Based in Carson City, this company is led by Gina Davis and Nicole Scott. Their award-winning work showcases contemporary, jazz, tap, and theater styles.  This talented company has sent many young dancers on to professional careers in film and on Broadway.
• Danza Azteca Aztlán y Ballet Folklórico Internacional de Reno – Artistic directors Mariano Lemus, Anastacio Duran, and Antonio Muñoz bring centuries of traditional Mexican dance forms to vibrant life. From ancient ceremonial Aztec movement in extravagant headdresses to modern regional folk dances, this company is always a crowd pleaser.
• Featured companies: The Ballroom of Reno and NoteAble Music Therapy Services Dance Troupe.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 16 at 7:30pm

• Heart & Sole Dance Academy– Owner/director Jenny Buck presents new and existing works of modern, contemporary, jazz and more with her company of dancers. Based in Reno, Heart & Sole has made a name for themselves in the local dance scene through the years, from flash mobs to concerts, and has produced several professional dancers.
• Nevada Dance Company – Directors Erica and Oliver Adams returned to our region five years ago after retiring from principal positions with major ballet companies in the Bay Area and across Europe. Based in Minden, Nevada Dance Company highlights a mix of adult professional dancers and younger trainees in gorgeous classical and contemporary ballet works.
• Featured company: Ballet Folklórico Pueblo Nuevo.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 17 at 7:30pm

• WhiteLight Bollywood Productions – Director and choreographer Chhavi Bhalla brings years of experience as a professional Bollywood dancer in India to the festival for a second year. Their performance of swirling colors and musical rhythms is sure to leave you dancing in the aisles.
• Entity Movement– Making their premiere company debut in our 2023 festival, this crew creates a fusion of hip hop, jazz funk, and contemporary in their work. Directed by Sierra Taylor-Cline and Brandon Dabu, and featuring several local professional dance artists, Entity Movement promises an electric performance to remember.
• Featured companies: Convergence Dance Collective and Controlled Burn.
   

Special Guest Artists: Our Festival Guest Artists this year are Giselle Soto and David Gervais, performing as INA OKUN. Giselle has toured the world with prominent Cuban dance companies, and met her husband and drummer David while they performed together in Mexico City. We are honored and excited to present their stunning creations of Afro-Cuban dance and rhythms on the Pioneer Center plaza stage.  INA OKUN will perform all three nights!

Thank you to our festival sponsors including City of Reno Arts & Culture, Bloch Inc., Healthy Performers NV, Design on Edge, Stellar Snacks, and generous private donors.

We look forward to seeing you at the Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival!

Where: Pioneer Center, 100 S. Virginia Street, Reno

When: Friday, August 15 – Sunday, August 17, 2025

Time: Plaza opens for seating at 6pm. Performances begin at 7:30pm.

Cost: FREE!

Dennyse Sewell is the CEO of the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts in Reno, Nevada

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