Houston Black Dance Festival

The Houston Black Dance Festival celebrates African and Diasporic dance in Houston. It invites dance artists/choreographers from Houston and beyond to share through four key components: performances, dance workshops, professional workshops, and community gatherings. The primary goals are to provide a platform for local Black dancers to share their artistic practice and foster deeper collaboration; to further develop the infrastructure of Black dance in the city; and to situate Houston as a cultural hub and tourist destination to celebrate Black dance. There will also be performances by internationally-recognized artists coming from Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Philadelphia. In addition to having Houston-based teachers, these out-of-town artists will teach dance workshops in techniques that are not currently available in Houston. These include Ndombolo, Sabar, and Mandinka dance. The goal is to bring world-class master dance teachers to Houston to increase access to these forms.