Naples dance festival set
The Naples International Dance Festival will run April 15–19 across multiple Collier County venues, pairing public workshops with performances rooted in Alvin Ailey’s legacy and community outreach programming event. The lineup aims to blend professional repertory with local school participation — a solid weekend pick if you follow modern dance and community programming.
Elysia Dawn, a Naples native and the CEO of United Arts Collier, launched the festival in 2025 as part of United Arts Collier’s program expansion WGCU story. (wgcu.org) Programming this year will take place at The Norris Center Theater, Opera Naples, the Naples Botanical Garden, Dance Arts by Maria and the Naples Art District, according to the festival schedule United Arts Collier festival page. (unitedartscollier.org) Ailey Arts In Education will lead a free, all-ages Revelations Celebration Community Workshop at the Naples Botanical Garden on April 16 at 5:30 p.m., with participants guided by Ailey teaching artists and accompanied by live percussion Naples Botanical Garden event Ailey event listing. (naplesgarden.org) The festival opens with a dance-on-film evening and includes masterclasses scheduled at Opera Naples, plus original choreography that integrates poetry and wellness-focused panels on dance and health United Arts Collier program notes WGCU preview. (unitedartscollier.org) Alvin Ailey’s appearance at the festival was made possible by a philanthropic gift from Daria and Eric Wallach, listed as a named supporter on the festival’s fundraising page United Arts Collier fundraising listing. (unitedartscollier.networkforgood.com) The Norris Center portion of the program will feature an Emerging Choreographers Showcase, with submission and ticket details posted through City of Naples and festival channels City of Naples event listing United Arts Collier festival page. (naplesgov.com) The 2026 edition builds on the festival’s inaugural 2025 run, which presented more than 40 artists in its first year, and organizers are offering early-bird and student registrations through United Arts Collier’s registration portal Naples Illustrated recap of 2025 inaugural student registration page. (naplesillustrated.com)
