Dance West Festival 

The Dance West Festival began in 2015 when Artistic Director Rachel Wight of Wight Noise Dance Company envisioned a collaborative platform where Arizona’s dance voices could converge, connect, and shine alongside companies from across the Western United States. It started as a regional gathering to showcase contemporary artistry and provide community-based performance opportunities has since grown into an annual tradition that celebrates diversity, storytelling, and the shared language of movement.

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Hosted this year at the Peoria Performing Arts Center in collaboration with TheaterWorks,  and made possible by support from the City of Peoria Arts and Cultural Grant, the Festival provides a professional venue with full theatrical support, offering artists a stage that elevates their work and audiences an opportunity to experience the richness of modern and contemporary dance in the West. From its earliest years, the Festival has been dedicated to supporting local companies while welcoming guest artists from neighboring states, expanding its reach and impact year after year.

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As the Festival approaches its 10th Anniversary in 2026, Wight Noise Dance Company and its dedicated board remain committed to carrying forward its founding mission: to amplify artistic voices, nurture collaboration, and highlight the breadth of choreographic talent in our region.

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We invite you—whether as an artist, supporter, or audience member—to join us each January in Arizona for this celebration of dance as an art form. Applications open each spring, and performances promise innovation, passion, and a wide range of styles and disciplines. As one attendee reflected, “Dance West offers more than performance—it offers a vibrant conversation in motion.”