Barnstorm Dance Fest 2027

Barnstorm Dance Fest 2027, presented by Dance Source Houston, will take place April 21 - 24 at MATCH - Midtown Arts & Theater Center Houston. Applications for live performance works 5-12 minutes in length are being accepted from all genres of dance. Selected applicants will perform their work twice during the festival and will receive a $300 stipend. A separate application for dance films is open now via FilmFreeway.

 Eligibility:

• Individuals, collectives, and organizations working in any dance genre.
• Applicants do not have to be Houston area residents. A select number of out of town artists are featured each year.
• Choreographers and cast must be 18 and older, or have an intergenerational cast and have received approval from Dance Source Houston.
• Those whose works were selected for inclusion in the past two consecutive Barnstorm Dance Fests (BDF 2025 & BDF 2026) are not eligible.

Time Limit: Proposed live performance works should be between 5 - 12 minutes in length.  Excerpts of longer works may be submitted. Works may be complete or in progress at time of submission.

Genre: Dance Source Houston encourages submissions from all genres of dance.

Application Deadline: Application, work samples and application fees must be received by 11:59pm CST on Friday, August 21, 2026.

Fee: An application fee of $15 must be paid for each submitted piece. Pay the application fee here. (The fee is waived for individuals and organizations with a current Dance Source Houston membership as of the submission date.)

Notification: Applicants will be notified of the panel’s decision in November 2026.

Barnstorm Dance 2027 Fest Event Schedule

Wednesday, April 21 - Program A performance - 7:30pm

Thursday, April 22 -  Program B performance - 7:30pm

Friday, April 23 - Program A performance - 7:30pm 

Saturday, April 24 - Program B performance - 7:30pm

Barnstorm features 2 unique programs – A and B. The production schedule for April 19 - 24, 2027 has been set and can be found below. Please be aware that both require participants to be present for rehearsals and performances at MATCH spanning a minimum of 5 days during the week of the festival. Review the schedule before submitting your application so that you can select which programs you and your cast are available for.

BDF 2027 Production Schedule

Program A 

•  Tech - Monday, April 19 between 1:30pm and 6:00pm
• Dress Rehearsal – Monday, April 19 - 6:00pm Call / 7:00pm Onstage Cast Meeting / 7:30pm Run (all performers must attend the dress rehearsal) 
• Performances – Wednesday, April 21 and Friday, April 23 – 6:00pm Call / 7:30pm Curtain

Program B 

• Tech – Tuesday, April 20 between 1:30pm and 6:00pm
• Dress Rehearsal – Tuesday, April 20 - 6:00pm Call / 7:00pm Onstage Cast Meeting / 7:30pm Run (all performers must attend the dress rehearsal)
• Performances – Thursday, April 22 and Saturday, April 24 – 6:00pm Call / 7:30pm Curtain