The sixth annual LILA Dance Festival, New Hampshire’s largest dance festival, will take place on Saturday, August 29, from noon to 8 p.m. at Rochester Commons Park, with a rain date of Sunday, August 30. Admission is free, and attendees are encouraged to bring chairs and blankets to enjoy the festival and activities throughout the day.
Dance performances will celebrate professional dance companies and choreographers from New Hampshire and across the Northeast, including Nsquared Dance, Saving Grace Dance Ensemble, Demeo Dance, Annex Contemporary Dance Company, SundanceX, Ballet Arts Collective, and more. The festival will highlight new work by Montreal award-winning guest choreographer Andrew Skeels, as well as the premiere of the LiLaB residency works by Trinity Leite and Jacqui Young.
Leite’s piece will use rhythm-based movement to explore the emotion of joy. Young’s piece will utilize contemporary movement to explore her time working with correctional facility inmates. The program will feature a diverse range of dance styles, including ballet, contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, hip hop, cultural dance forms, and more, including a performance by returning guest artist Yuval Cohen.
For the youngest audience members, Fairytales and Tutus will begin at 2 p.m., followed by a photo opportunity and meet-and-greet with the characters for children and families. The performance will include visits from Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, and more through an interactive and educational performance designed to introduce young audiences to the structure of classical ballets.
Live music will be provided by singer-songwriter Skye Darling, one of The Music Hall’s 2025 Emerging Artists, and acclaimed New England folk musician Dan Blakeslee. Other local musicians will also perform throughout the day.
Guests can enjoy food and merchandise from local vendors, including Roy Empanadas, MrSippy BBQ, Ohana Kitchen, Barking Sisters Coffee, upcycled dance apparel by Artists in Motion, flower arrangements by Shepard’s Gate Flower Farm, and more.
Guests ages 21 and older can enjoy a beverage in the LILA beer garden, featuring local breweries and LILA’s first collaborative rosé with Triad Winery.
A sensory support area will be available on-site, provided by Twenty-One Senses, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing inclusion for children with invisible disabilities through education and support for families and community businesses.
Whether you’re discovering dance for the first time or are a lifelong arts enthusiast, we invite you to join us for a day of dance, live music, food, and community.
For the full performance schedule, event updates, and additional information, visit lilaproductions.org/lila-dance-festival/.
About LILA Productions
Our mission is to foster genuine appreciation for dance among diverse communities in New Hampshire through community outreach, educational initiatives, and live performances. We envision a dance audience that appreciates the transformative power of dance to foster empathy, understanding, and unity, ultimately creating a more compassionate and interconnected community. lilaproductions.org
