Mini-Dance Festival 2026

Welcome to the Wisconsin Dance Council’s 2026 Mini-Dance Festival contest!

WDC seeks choreographic submissions for its 2026 Mini-Dance Festival contest.

In keeping with our organization’s stated mission, the objectives of the annual Mini-Dance Festival are:

  • To broaden the experience and production of live dance performances in Wisconsin (all genres, ages, professional artists and amateurs)
  • To connect students, educators and independent professional dance artists
  • To raise revenue to the WDC’s Scholarship Fund

Professional companies, independent artists (with or without student dancers), and student choreographers are encouraged to apply!

Selected works will be presented at the 2026 WDC Statewide Professional Development Conference on October 10, 2026 at MyArts Center in Madison, WI

Applications must be submitted by July 6, 2026.

Selected choreographers will be informed by August 1, 2026.

Please refer to the (hyperlinked) WDC 2026 Mini-Dance Festival Criteria for more information

*Note: In order for works to be presented, selected artists (choreographers & dancers) must register and pay to attend WDC’s 2026 Professional Development Conference. All proceeds will benefit the WDC’s Scholarship Fund

2026 Professional Development Conference Registration Rates:

  • $80 WDC or NDEO Member Adult Registration
  • $80 WDC or NDEO Member Student or Student of Member Registration
  • $95 Non-WDC or Non-NDEO Member Adult Registration
  • $95 Non-WDC or Non-NDEO Member Student Registration

Questions, please email: info@wisconsindancecouncil.org

Application Form
WDC Mini-Dance Festival 2026
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Criteria

Selection Criteria
  1. Selected works will be presented live at the WDC Statewide Conference Saturday, October 10, 2026 at MyArts Center in Madison, WI.
  2. The program will include works by professional companies and independent artists (with or without student dancers) as well as works by student choreographers
  3. No more than (3) professional company or professional artist submissions will be selected (see submission fee info below)
  4. Studios, and schools may submit more than one piece
  5. Only (1) work per studio/school/artist may be chosen
  6. Only two submissions per choreographer
  7. No Dance on Film will be accepted
  8. Selected artists (choreographers & dancers) must register and pay to attend WDC’s 2026 Professional Development Conference. All proceeds will benefit the WDC’s Scholarship Fund
  9. 2026 Professional Development Conference Registration Rates:
    • $80 WDC or NDEO Member Adult Registration
    • $80 WDC or NDEO Member Student or Student of Member Registration
    • $95 Non-WDC or Non-NDEO Member Adult Registration
    • $95 Non-WDC or Non-NDEO Member Student Registration


Submission Parameters
  1. Must be an original choreography
  2. Group or solo works will be accepted
  3. Excerpted works will be considered with specific timestamps indicating the material being adjudicated. Only the timestamped, excerpted material will be considered.
  4. The work may be choreographed by independent artists, studio/school instructors, or students
  5. All choreographic works presented will be adjudicated equally
  6. Professional submissions should not exceed 8 min. All other submissions should not exceed 5 minutes.
Submission Information
  1. All application materials must be submitted by July 6, 2026 in order to be considered
  2. Members and non-members of WDC are welcomed to submit their works
  3. All submissions must include unlisted/private video links via Vimeo. Google Drive. YouTube
  4. Video submissions should ONLY include the title of the piece. Please do not include any other information within the video file other than the title of the piece.
  5. All program information pertinent to the work should accompany the submission and contain:
    1. Title
    2. Choreographer
    3. Dancers
    4. Music
    5. Costumes
    6. Choreographer’s notes
    7. A maximum 150 – word bio. (can include hyperlink to webpage, or social media page)
    8. Artist photo in jpeg format (please see further file instructions on application form)
Application Submission Fees
  • $50 per submission for WDC Members
  • $70 per submission for non-members
  • $90 per submission for Professional Company/Artist – fee includes conference registration.
    • Selected artists submitting as a Professional Company/Artist will teach a section of their repertory to appropriate student level at the 2026 WDC Professional Development Conference. A maximum of 75 min. will be designated for this sharing (25 min. each).
Professional Company/Artist Definitions

Professional Dance Company (NAICS code 71112) “This industry comprises companies, groups, or theaters primarily engaged in producing all types of live theatrical dance. Dance companies or groups may or may not operate their own theater or other facility for staging their shows” (NAICS Code Description)

Independent Artists (NAICS code 711510) “This industry comprises independent (i.e., freelance) individuals primarily engaged in performing in artistic productions, in creating artistic and cultural works or productions, or in providing technical expertise necessary for these productions” (NAICS Code Description).

WDC does not require a NAICS code designation for its Mini-Dance Festival Application. WDC is utilizing the NAICS designations above to provide clarity about how we define “Professional Dance Company/Artist,” as stated in our Mini-Dance Festival Guidelines. WDC acknowledges industry designations do not fully represent the independent artists who cross-pollinate between freelance work, company work, and studio work. Nonetheless, we ask that artists consider these definitions when determining their submission category.

Deliberation
  1. A panel of three professional artists from diverse dance genres
  2. Adjudicators will only have access to the title of the work
  3. All works will be adjudicated following these guidelines
    • Originality
    • Technical expertise (in any of the techniques chosen)
    • Professionalism
    • Artistry
  4. The panel will curate up to (10) choreographic works to present at the 2026 WDC Statewide Professional Development Conference October 10 in Madison, WI
Copyrights
  1. Due to artistic copyrights issues, none of the selected works will be shared in any of the WDC Social Media platforms unless the music is original or public domain

Questions, please email: info@wisconsindancecouncil.org

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