I’ve been filming dance festivals for the past five years, and most of them all feel the same.
The day starts with workshops, a short break, then performances which usually run late cutting into social dancing, and ending with early morning social dancing.
Most festivals use this format, some with a slight variation. At the end of the day, it just feels like you’re dancing in a standard hotel ballroom in your respective city/state.
Why have dance festivals not evolved? Well, like a lot of things in life, you get comfortable. You become complacent. If it works, it works. Why spend more money on artists, DJs, or production when you don’t have to?
The problem is this: consumers are getting smarter and smarter every year. They value money and their time. If they go to the same festival year after year, and the experience is the same, eventually they’ll want to do something else.
It’s the same crowd, the same hotel, the same DJ lineup, the same artists, and ultimately the same experience. Going to the same festival 3 years in a row gets a bit exhausting and redundant. Sure, it’s nice to go with a big group of friends/performers and party together for the weekend. However, with so many options, it might be nice to switch it up and experience a new event.
So what’s the solution? Ask around, do some research, and before you know it, you’ll know which festivals are worth investing in.
For salsa/bachata I recommend Summer Sensual Days in Croatia. I’ve heard amazing things about this festival from Europeans and North Americans. It’s worth the trip, offers all types of dancing, and is worth the experience. In the US, I recommend the Phoenix Bachata Festival in Arizona. The production value of this event is unparalleled and you’re guaranteed to experience some great bachata moments with live artists.
For Brazilian Zouk, we recommend Zouk MX in Playa Del Carmen, Interfusion in DC, and Warsaw Zouk Festival. These three events are incredible and offer a completely different experience than most B-Zouk events.
For Kizomba/Urban Kiz, we recommend Miami Beach Kizomba Festival or Kizomba Luxembourg. These are massive festivals that are really fun. For smaller more intimate festivals, talk to some European dancers as there plenty of these in France and Holland.
With so many festivals competing for the same format, we’ve seen an increase in marathons (which is great!). At the end of the day, dancers just want to social dance for as long as possible.
We are excited for another year of filming dance festivals and can’t wait to see what these festivals bring to the table. Happy dancing!