Celebrating 5 Years of Our Signature Dance Festival: The Dog Days of Summer!

Published August 14, 2026

Celebrating 5 Years of Our Signature Dance Festival: The Dog Days of Summer!

by Dennyse Sewell

Time certainly flies when you’re having fun!  Suddenly it is the 5th year of the Pioneer Center’s annual signature summer event: Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival.  What began as an idea during a casual office conversation in late 2021 has now become one of my very favorite Pioneer Center events.  All year long, I look forward to our annual block party that has lit up our corner of downtown Reno for 5 seasons and counting.  I referred to it as the “first annual” in my welcome speech to the inaugural crowd back in August of 2022 without knowing whether it would succeed or whether we could actually pull it off again the following year.  And here we are, gearing up to celebrate our 5th anniversary!  I could not be more proud of the dedication, heart, and commitment our team has put into ensuring this signature festival will return yet again to the Pioneer Center’s E.L. Cord Plaza August 14-16, 2026.  Best of all, this three-night event is free to the community!

Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival features exceptional local dance companies in a casual summer festival setting, perfect for families and arts lovers of all ages.  The Pioneer Center created this performance festival as a way to support smaller dance companies in our region that do not currently perform their own productions on our mainstage – but might someday!  Investing our resources into the growth of these companies, broadening local interest in dance events overall, and providing the community with greater arts access through free programming all align perfectly with the mission of our nonprofit organization.  The unique outdoor setting also lends a special atmosphere to the festival as these talented performers demonstrate their skills on a raised stage constructed on our front plaza, with the Pioneer Center’s iconic gold dome and vibrant Nevada late summer sunsets as their backdrop.  As the night deepens, our talented technical team works their magic to wash the dancers, stage, Pioneer Center dome, and surrounding buildings in colors, lights, and patterns with our specialized theatrical equipment.  And in case that wasn’t enough enticement, the festival also invites visitors to enjoy delicious al fresco meals from various local food trucks onsite throughout the event.  This year, we will also be unveiling our latest collaboration with Pigeon Head Brewery, who have repackaged their popular pale ale as the official Dog Days of Summer Festival beer in honor of our 5th anniversary.  This specialty offering in a custom-designed collectible (dog-gone cute!) can will be available for purchase at the festival. 

Each night of the festival features a different lineup; throughout the weekend, we will present 6 headlining dance companies who perform longer works, 6 featured companies who each present one number, and a special guest artist whom we bring to Reno for the event.  Being chosen to perform in the festival is a competitive process.  Last January, 19 local dance companies submitted proposals that were reviewed and scored 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 companies awarded the highest scores by our advisory panel were invited to become the festival headliners.  In addition to the performance opportunity, we are proud of our commitment to ensuring that all dance companies chosen for the festival receive commission fees for their work, paid by the Pioneer Center.

Yet another unique feature of our festival is the fact that it spotlights a fellow local nonprofit whose work deeply inspires our team: SPCA of Northern Nevada (SPCA-NN).  Although the Pioneer Center itself is also a 501c3 nonprofit, we use our high-profile dance festival to provide a center-stage platform for SPCA-NN to spread awareness of their services and raise funds to support their mission.  Every night of the festival includes a not-to-be-missed Pup Parade Fashion Show at intermission featuring alumni dogs and dedicated volunteers from SPCA-NN sporting their latest finds from the SPCA Thrift Store.  It’s an audience favorite, for sure!

To see all the dance companies who will be featured in this year’s festival, you'll need to attend all three nights – patrons who return year over year will tell you it’s worth it!  Bring your own lawn chairs and blankets to set up outside around our open-air stage.  The plaza and food trucks will open at 5:30pm nightly, with performances beginning at 7:30pm.  We encourage patrons to arrive early to get settled and (although we love them) to please leave their own pets at home.

This year's Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival line-up is:
 

Friday – August 14th 

• Ballet Folklórico Pueblo Nuevo – Directed by Belén Chávez, this company brings vibrant traditional Mexican folk dance to the stage.  Since making their first Dog Days appearance in the inaugural year of the festival, this talented company has grown to be featured in a variety of high-profile events across our region and throughout California.
• Heart & Sole Dance Academy – Owner/director Jenny Buck presents new dance works of modern, contemporary, jazz and more. 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.
• Friday featured companies: Northern Nevada Ballet Academy and Note-Able Music Therapy Services Dance Troupe.

Saturday – August 15th

• Nevada Dance Company – Directors Erica and Oliver Adams relocated to our region 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.
• White Light Bollywood Productions – Director and choreographer Chhavi Bhalla brings years of experience as a professional Bollywood dancer in India to the festival.  Their performance of swirling colors and musical rhythms is sure to leave you dancing in the aisles.
• Saturday featured companies: Danza Azteca Aztlán and Entity Movement Dance Company
   

Sunday – August 16th

• Reno Movement Collective – Led by artistic director Kristin Austin, this company brings a fresh, contemporary voice to this year's lineup.  Though you’ll recognize many individual dancers from other performances, the company itself is making its Pioneer Center debut this year.
• Controlled Burn – First launched in 2000 to perform at Burning Man, this company returns to the festival with their mesmerizing signature style: fire dance.  You’ll be on the edge of your seat!  (Not to worry – they take safety very seriously.)
• Sunday featured companies:  Luminescent and Honey Dance Productions

Special Guest Artist: This year's Festival Guest Artist is Matt Marr, who will perform all three nights!  Originally from New Brunswick, Matt became nationally known to Canadian audiences after placing in the Top 3 on So You Think You Can Dance Canada.  He went on to build a career in Los Angeles, performing alongside Derek and Julianne Hough in their "Move Live" national tour, touring Europe and the Middle East with Rasta Thomas's The Bad Boys of Dance, and appearing on TV’s Glee, Penny Dreadful, RuPaul's Drag Race, The Voice, and the Radio Disney Music Awards, among others.  Matt currently appears in Donny Osmond's Las Vegas residency and served on this year’s Artistic Advisory Panel for the festival.

Thank you to our 2026 festival title sponsor Western Alliance Bank.  We are so thankful for the many years of partnership and support they have provided the Pioneer Center.  We’d also like to thank Gold sponsors including City of Reno Arts & Culture, Bloch Inc., Design on Edge, and Healthy Performers Nevada.

We look forward to seeing you at the 5th annual Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival!

Where: Pioneer Center, 100 S. Virginia Street, Reno 
When: Friday, August 14 – Sunday, August 16, 2026 
Time: Plaza and food trucks open at 5:30pm. 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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