Barton’s Dance Department will host the “Dancing in the Heartland” Dance Festival at 7 p.m. April 27 and 28 in the Fine Arts Auditorium. General admission tickets are $5 at the door. Children and students get in for free.

Instructor of dance/Fine and Performing Arts Coordinator Danika Bielek said the concerts will highlight the many types of dance represented in our region. Performers include all Barton dance classes and Barton Dance Theatre. Both evenings of the festival will feature guest performances by regional dance groups including Aly’s Dance Studio (Thursday), Bethel College Academy of Performing Arts (Friday), El Sol (Friday), Euphoria Dance Centre (Friday), and choreography by Maddy Hayden (Thursday).

“We want to build a bridge connecting the many dance groups in the region and give audiences two engaging evenings of dance,” Bielek said. “These days, many local studios have plenty of opportunities to perform in dance competitions where they compete against each other, often friends competing against friends. This festival provides a non-competitive environment for the groups to focus on sharing rather than winning. All dance styles will be represented, and audiences will be entertained by creative choreography, terrific dancers of all ages, and so much energy.”

The festival will include modern contemporary dance, jazz dance, ballet (including a pointe variation), hip hop, tap dance, Hispanic Folklórico Dance, and more.

“The Barton dance students are excited to share our stage with our dancing guests,” she said. “The response to participate by many different types of dance groups has been awesome. The Midwest is rich with a diverse dance culture. Our goal is to show the community that cultural and expressive dance is alive and kicking in Barton County and throughout our region. We hope to have a large audience come out to show support for these hardworking dancers.”

For more information, go to shows.bartonccc.edu or contact Bielek at 620-792-9253 or bielekd@bartonccc.edu.