Save the date for the 8th Annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival!

April 22-27, 2024
The Southern Theater

Full program announcement coming November 2023

The CANDY BOX Dance Festival is a week-long dynamic sampling of featured performances, masterclasses, and in-progress showings, hosted by ARENA DANCES and presented April 22-27, 2024 at The Southern Theater. The CANDY BOX Dance Festival features both emerging and established choreographers, Happy Hour work-in-progress performances, and master class offerings.

Learn more about our most recent 7th Annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival below for an idea of what’s to come in 2024!

7th Annual CANDY BOX Dance Festival
Premiered April 24-29, 2023

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

CANDY BOX Tickets

FEATURED ARTISTS:

Berit Ahlgren (HoneyWorks)

J’Sun Howard

Megan Mayer

HAPPY HOUR ARTISTS:

Lily Conforti

Shane Larson

Rachel Lieberman

Nic Lincoln

Javan Mngrezzo

Laurie Van Wieren

Cheng Xiong

The CANDY BOX Dance Festival, presented by Mathew Janczewski’s ARENA DANCES, is an annual, week-long, eclectic gathering and dynamic sampling of featured performances, masterclasses, and work-in-progress showings.

CANDY BOX Dance Festival is a unique celebration of dance, packed with a wonderful assortment of various tastings that include renowned choreographers, accomplished dancers, and fresh movement styles all perfectly packed into one sweet treat of a week. It is an opportunity for diverse emerging and established artists to share the performance stage, with the addition of selected artists leading intimate workshops to offer a welcoming space for communal movement education, and in doing so gathering a range of tastes for varied audiences. From Featured Artists performances by nationally notable choreographers and collectives, to Happy Hour showings by exciting local dancers and emerging creatives, CANDY BOX is sure to offer a flavor for every performing arts enthusiast to savor and enjoy. Along with daily performances and masterclasses hosted throughout an impressive six day streak, question-and-answer sessions are offered for additional insight and rare sneak peeks into the engaging works created and designed by each artist exclusively for the festival. Audiences are sure to experience a wide array of artistry, offering a unique flavor in every bite.

“Establishing a career in dance can be challenging and isolating. That’s why coming together every year like this is so crucial; it creates the learning opportunities and personal connections people need in order to realize their full artistic potential. And by extending the support of the dance community to the next generation of talented makers, we help keep the scene vital and strong.” – Mathew Janczewski, Founder + Artistic Director of ARENA DANCES

The Southern Theater
1420 S Washington Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55454

ARENA DANCES asks that anyone experiencing symptoms of or recently exposed to COVID-19 refrains from attending the festival. At this time, masks are optional at The Southern Theater.

MASTERCLASSES

Schedule:

Daily, 4:00 – 5:15pm

Monday, April 24 – Shane Larson
Tuesday, April 25 – Cheng Xiong
Wednesday, April 26 – Megan Mayer
Thursday, April 27 – J’Sun Howard
Friday, April 28 – Berit Ahlgren

Tickets:

$25 Five-Class Package | $10 per class

Walk-ins welcome. Cash/check/card accepted at the door.

All Masterclass ticket income and Masterclass donations goes directly to the artists.

**Purchase Masterclass Tickets HERE**

HAPPY HOUR ARTISTS

Schedule:

Daily, 5:30 – 6:30pm

Monday, April 24 – Nic Lincoln
Tuesday, April 25 – Cheng Xiong and Javan Mngrezzo
Wednesday, April 26 – Shane Larson and Rachel Lieberman
Thursday, April 27 – Laurie Van Wieren
Friday, April 28 – Lily Conforti

Tickets:

$25 Five-Show Package | $12 per show

Walk-ins welcome. Cash/check/card accepted at the door.

All Happy Hour ticket income and Happy Hour donations goes directly to the artists.

**Purchase Happy Hour Artist Tickets HERE**

CLICK HERE for the HAPPY HOUR program

FEATURED ARTISTS

Featuring works by Berit Ahlgren (HoneyWorks), J’Sun Howard, and Megan Mayer

Schedule:

Thursday, April 27 – 7:30pm
Friday, April 28 – 7:30pm
Saturday, April 29 – 2:00pm // Pay-As-Able pricing option available at the door ONLY
Saturday, April 29 – 7:30pm