Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival at the Pioneer Center
Where: E.L. Cord Plaza at the Pioneer Center
When: August 18-20, 2023 at the Pioneer Center
What: Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival returns to the Pioneer Center August 18-20, 2023, on the E.L. Cord Plaza stage. This outdoor performance event features a different mixed-genre program each night and stars a wide range of northern Nevada based dance companies along with special guest artists. This free community event is open to the general public—patrons are encouraged to arrive early, bring their own chairs or blankets for seating, and enjoy a variety of food trucks before the show. In addition to showcasing exceptional dance performances, Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival spotlights the work of SPCA of Northern Nevada to raise monetary donations and awareness of their life-saving mission to help animals in need here in our community. SPCA-NN will present a nightly Pup Parade fashion show that showcases dogs and volunteers from their organization–event attendees are kindly asked to keep their own pets at home. The plaza will open nightly at 6pm for a 7:30pm performance. Admission is free!
The Dog Days of Summer Dance Festival 2023 will feature the following dance companies:
Friday, August 18:
- Opening Act: Ballet Folklórico Pueblo Nuevo (Belén Chávez, Directora)
- Ka Pā Hula ʻO Kawaiolanoelaniokāne (Kawaiola Deguilmo, Director)
- Controlled Burn (Jenny Herz, Executive Director)
Saturday, August 19:
- Opening Act: Note-Ables Music Therapy Services (Wendy Firestone, Choreographer)
- Entity Movement (Sierra Taylor-Cline & Brandon Dabu, Directors)
- Nevada Dance Company (Oliver & Erica Adams, Directors)
Sunday, August 20:
- Opening Act: Note-Ables Music Therapy Services (Wendy Firestone, Choreographer)
- Around the Stage (Keely Cobb, Director)
- Ballet Folklórico Internacional de Reno / Danza Azteca Aztlán (Mariano Lemus, Antonio Muñoz, & Anastacio Duran, Directors)
Special guest artists this year are Los Angeles-based contemporary dance artists Kate Hutter Mason and Kevin Williamson. They will perform on all three evenings.
- Kate Hutter Mason co-founded L.A. Contemporary Dance Company in 2005, held the Artistic Directorship from 2005 – 2015, and is Board President today. Originally from Carson City, Kate is an alumnus of the Walnut Hill School, and holds a BFA from USC and an MFA in Dance from Purchase College. Kate has presented her choreography at venues throughout L.A. and was the movement director for the band, Foster the People, on their 2013 Summer She teaches as an Adjunct Professor of Dance for Loyola Marymount University and owns Stomping Ground L.A., a community arts space in East L.A.
- Kevin Williamson is a Lester Horton Award recipient, a Bates Educators Fellow, and Center Theatre Group Sherwood Award Finalist. His choreography has been presented by DanceSpaceProject, REDCAT’s NOW Festival, Dixon Place, CounterPulse, LACMA, Austin’s OUTsider Festival, Minnesota Fringe, Diversionary Theater, and the Beijing Dance Festival. Dances for theatre and opera include choreography for Washington National Opera, Atlantic Theater Company, The Juilliard School, Geffen Playhouse, Yale Theater, and Opera UCLA; and commissioned works for CSULB, LMU, and AMDA. He is currently Associate Professor of Dance and Chair of the Scripps College Dance Department.