For Immediate Release:
April 3, 2025
Contact: Lisa Grimes Arndt
201.463.4325
lisa@freespacedance.com
montclairdancefestival.com
Freespace Dance
presents
Montclair Dance Festival
May 31, 2025, Kasser Theater & Amphitheater / Montclair State University
CELEBRATING DANCE WITH SCHOOLS, ARTISTS, AND PROFESSIONAL DANCE COMPANIES IN NEW JERSEY
Montclair Dance Festival (MDF) is a family-friendly day-long ticketed event, featuring a variety of dance genres performed by the best of New Jersey dance artists and ensembles. New Jersey-based non-profit Freespace Dance brings the inaugural Montclair Dance Festival to Montclair State University on May 31, 2025.
Outdoors at the MSU Amphitheater: 2:00-5:30 pm FREE
2:00pm | Studios & Schools
Ady Arts Center • Beyond The Boogie • DanceWorks Studios • Grooves Unlimited • High Tech High School • Maywood Dance Center • Middlesex County Magnet School • Morris County Vocational School • Rock Dance Collective • Sharron Miller Academy of Performing Arts • Starz Performing Arts Academy • Union County APA
3:15pm | Established & Emerging Artists
Alexandra Williamson & Rebecca McGowan • Ava Rakowski & Molly Weidmaier • Bridget Ryan • Delise Fusaro • Extensions Dance Project • Ian Kent and Company • Kiana Rosa Fischer • Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre • Steven Camacho
4:30pm | Established Artists
Claire Porter • Cleo Mack • Kelly Guerrero • Kyle Marshall • Maddie McKnight • Maxine Steinman • McKenzie Brewer Dance Collective • Opus/The Company • Robert Mark Dance
Indoor, at MSU Kasser Theater: 7:30 pm $25.00
Carolyn Dorfman Dance • Freespace Dance • Jason Samuels Smith • Leanna Cotton • Nai-Ni Chen Dance • Nimbus Dance Works • New Jersey Ballet • Roxey Ballet • Sukanya Mahadevan & Dancers • Umoja Dance Company
Rain or Shine!
Event Parking: MSU Red Hawk Parking Deck
Tickets Required for Both Programs:
Amphitheater tickets ( FREE) https://mdf2025.eventbrite.com
Kasser Theater performance - $25.00 https://www.montclairdancefestival.com/kasser
The afternoon and evening programs feature multiple performances that showcase the breadth and high quality of dance in New Jersey, presenting a unique opportunity to connect many New Jersey dance artists and audiences. “Up to 30 dance groups will perform during the day and 10 professional companies in the evening,” say festival producers Donna Scro Samori and Lisa Grimes Arndt.
“Despite being home to 10 higher-level academic programs in dance, innumerable private studios, traditional and folk dance groups, and 40+ professional dance companies, New Jersey does not have its own dance festival. We believe it needs one!” Scro Samori adds “Montclair, NJ has been a long-standing cultural, artistic, and literary hub in the tri-state area. Only 13 miles from midtown Manhattan, it is home to more than its fair share of artists, actors, musicians, dancers, writers, and festivals celebrating the arts. There’s no better home to kick off the MONTCLAIR DANCE FESTIVAL, held this inaugural year at Kasser Theater on the campus of Montclair State University, May 31.
Our generous festival sponsors include: The New Jersey State Council on the Arts, CAPEZIO, Cornerstone Montclair, Montclair Local, Dance Works Studios, Michael Aiduss Studio, Amy Owens Team at Keller Williams, Paul Gold and Kate McDonough at Sotheby’s Prominent Properties, The Barrow House, CHAR Fitness Club, Rock Dance Collective, Yoga Mechanics, The MAX of Montclair.
About Freespace Dance
Freespace Dance, a professional dance company, has been an arts education leader in New Jersey for 21 years. Directed by Donna Scro Samori and Lisa Grimes Arndt, Freespace Dance was awarded a $25,000 Special Project Grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts to create the Montclair Dance Festival. Freespace Dance was incorporated as a 501(c)3 in New Jersey in 2004, as a welcoming collaborative forum dedicated to creativity and education in modern dance. Freespace Dance is an organization supporting performance, presentation, and artistic leadership in our local community, and across the state. For more information, visit www.freespacedance.com
Photo credit: @530dancephotography