The Executive Board of the Arkansas Dance Network established the first Arkansas High School Dance Festival in 2019. The mission of this one-day festival is to bring together high school dance programs in Arkansas as well as connect faculty, students, universities/colleges and other dance organizations to help build community, provide educational development, and share choreography between the dance programs.  This special day creates close relationships between students and educators and fosters support and creative exchange for each of the participants.  The experience was successful because for the first time in Arkansas history, there was a place where students in dance programs could come together to take classes, perform choreography, and connect to students, teachers, and Arkansas artists. This day brought together over 130 students, six different high schools, and several dance company artists and teaching artists from across the state. Now after five years, the festival has expanded to include university partners from in and out of states, giving students and teachers the opportunity to connect, recruit, and expose students to various programs in and out of the state of Arkansas. We have also copied the structure and mission of this festival to create the Arkansas Middle School Festival. We adjusted when COVID-19 occurred to have students stay in the same class group, mixed with students from each of the attending schools, to better the experiences of each class and encourage students to connect with fellow dancers and have a sure schedule instead of running to classes. The Choreography Showcase at the end has proven to be a wonderful time to share what each school has been working towards without changing the atmosphere and culture to be competitive. 

The mission of the Arkansas Dance Network is to promote and advocate the art of dance throughout the state of Arkansas. The Arkansas Dance Network has worked for years to provide dance experiences and promote dance education throughout the state. After years of providing scholarships, workshops, and various experiences for generations of dancers, ADN established the Arkansas High School Dance Festival, Arkansas Middle School Dance Festival, and Arkansas Dance Teacher Getaways since 2019. With its board members spread across the state of Arkansas, ADN has dance educators from studios, professional companies and the k-12 setting.