Atlanta Dance Festival Celebrates Black Artists Feb 4-8

Imagine your grandmother's backyard when "Before I Let Go" starts playing and everyone rushes to do the electric slide together. That feeling of connection and joy inspired this year's theme for one of the country's most important dance celebrations.

The International Association of Blacks in Dance will host its 36th annual Conference and Festival in Atlanta from February 4 through 8. The event brings together dancers, choreographers, arts administrators, and students at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta and Rialto Center for the Arts under the theme "From Soul to Sole: The Black Family Reunion."

Co-Executive Director Omar Ingram, an Atlanta native and Howard University graduate, designed the conference to mirror the grounding power of family reunions. He wants attendees to put down their phones and experience authentic, face-to-face connections with fellow artists and leaders.

The festival offers four specialized tracks for artists, educators, leaders, and youth. Each track provides workshops and performances tailored to participants' unique needs, from dance technique to arts administration and fundraising skills.

Ingram understands that supporting Black dance requires more than training performers. The conference intentionally develops future sponsors, philanthropists, and administrators who can sustain the art form financially.

Multiple dance companies representing different genres will perform throughout the week. Ingram emphasizes that while experiencing art from across the country matters, artists can also create and share beautiful work within their own communities.

Why This Inspires

When the world feels overwhelming and words fall short, movement speaks. The IABD conference creates space for Black artists to bring their full selves without conforming to a single narrative of what Blackness should look like.

As arts funding shrinks nationwide, gatherings like this become essential lifelines. They ensure that Black dancers' stories continue inspiring future generations with the strength to persist and create.

Ingram's vision extends beyond this week's events. He's working toward establishing scholarship and emergency funds so dancers can meet their basic needs while creating at their highest level.

The conference welcomes anyone looking to feel energized by world-class performances and grounded in creative community. Registration remains open for the five-day celebration of Black dance in all its forms.