More Than a Dance Competition. An Experience.

February 25–28, 2027 | Columbus, Ohio

Four days. Multiple styles of dance. World-class educators. Social dancing. Competition. Movement. Connection. Community.

The Buckeye Dance Festival was created with one simple idea:

Give more people the opportunity to experience more of what the dance world has to offer — all in one place.

Whether you are stepping onto a dance floor for the very first time, looking for a new style to explore, an experienced social dancer, or a seasoned competitor, Buckeye is designed to give you opportunities to learn, practice, interact, compete, and experience something new.

OUR MISSION

The mission of the Buckeye Dance Festival is to make high-level dance education and unforgettable experiences more accessible and attainable.

Throughout the dance world, some of the best coaches, champions, instructors, and specialists can be difficult or expensive for the average person to access.

Buckeye brings them together.

We want attendees to have the opportunity to learn from nationally and internationally recognized professionals, ask questions, experience different disciplines, and discover teachers and styles they may never otherwise encounter.

And you don’t have to be an advanced dancer to belong here.

Beginners are welcome.

In fact, creating an environment where people feel comfortable trying something new is one of the reasons Buckeye exists.

THE BUCKEYE EXPERIENCE

At the heart of the Buckeye Dance Festival are four ideas:

EDUCATION

Learn from accomplished instructors, coaches, champions, and specialists from across the dance and movement communities.

With workshops ranging from Ballroom, Country, West Coast Swing, Salsa, Bachata and Kizomba to specialty experiences such as Tai Chi, yoga, acro yoga, movement and more, Buckeye gives you the freedom to explore.

You don’t have to specialize.

Come curious.

PRACTICE

Learning something is one thing.

Getting the opportunity to actually use it is another.

Workshops, social dance floors, practice opportunities and events throughout the weekend are designed to help you take what you learn and put it into motion.

Take a workshop.

Ask questions.

Practice it.

Dance it.

Then go learn something else.

INTERACTION

Dance is about more than steps.

It is about connection.

Buckeye is designed to create interaction between dancers, instructors, competitors, spectators, vendors, communities and people from different areas of the movement world.

Meet someone new.

Dance with someone new.

Learn from someone you normally wouldn’t have access to.

Explore another community.

Connection is part of the experience.

COMPETITION

For those who love to compete — we’ve got plenty of that too.

The Buckeye Dance Festival brings multiple competitive opportunities together under one roof, giving dancers the chance to test their skills, challenge themselves, celebrate their progress and experience the energy of competition.

But competition is part of Buckeye — not the entirety of Buckeye.

You don’t have to compete to have an incredible weekend.

TRY SOMETHING YOU’VE NEVER TRIED BEFORE

Maybe you’re a ballroom dancer who has always wondered about West Coast Swing.

Maybe you’re a country dancer who wants to try Salsa.

Maybe you’ve never danced at all.

Maybe Tai Chi, Kizomba, Bachata, acro yoga or another movement experience catches your attention.

Try it.

One of the biggest goals of Buckeye is removing the barriers between communities and giving people permission to explore.

You may walk into the weekend thinking you know what you love and leave having discovered something completely different.

That’s exactly what we hope happens.

LEARN FROM SOME OF THE BEST

Great education shouldn’t feel out of reach.

Buckeye is bringing together respected, nationally and internationally recognized instructors, coaches, champions and specialists and making their knowledge available through an entire weekend of workshops and experiences.

Instead of traveling from city to city or paying for individual access to numerous experts, you can experience them together in one place.

Learn from them. Ask them questions. Experience their specialties.

Then take that knowledge back to your own dance community.