The Junction Dance Festival Celebrated Five Years of Dance in the Upper Valley

2026 marked the fifth year of The Junction Dance Festival (TJDF). The annual event, which took place July 10-19, featured performances, workshops, classes, and dance experiences throughout the Upper Valley.

The Main Showcase was presented in two performances at the Briggs Opera House in White River Junction. It featured new and original work from regional dance makers and a diverse lineup of artists, including Caitlin Morgan, this year’s featured Vermont Dance Alliance grant recipient.

The festival also featured a new Norwich Community Dance Day, which included free workshops and a performance of “SEASONS: Summer” by Avant Vermont.

Dancers from Caitlin Morgan’s piece Wind and Unwinding strike poses onstage during dress rehearsal of the Junction Dance Festival’s Main Showcase in White River Junction.

One of the 2026 ChoreoLab Residency artists was Norwich native Aida Claire Bauer, a dancer, maker, and student at the New School studying Interdisciplinary Science and Contemporary Dance. Bauer’s project explored the relationship between embodiment and labor and the connection between farmwork and dance.

ChoreoLab artists are “creators who are deeply engaged with the New England landscape and the intersection of movement, science, and spatial exploration.” In addition to her artistic practice, Bauer works at Three Cow Creamery in Corinth.