push/FOLD proudly continues to reshape the dance landscape of the Pacific Northwest with its fourth annual iteration of Union PDX. This monumental festival of contemporary dance packs performances (including two world premieres and four Portland premieres), audience talk-backs, masterclasses, professional development workshops (free), and outreach for young dancers (free) into four days, November 17-20. Through its unique approach that combines the presentation of talent from around the world with countless performance and educational opportunities for local artists, Union PDX offers a new dance paradigm specifically designed to bolster the success and community-oriented mindset of mid-career artists. 

The Portland dance scene has traditionally struggled with isolation and a lack of exposure in contrast to its rich population of diverse and vibrant dance professionals. push/FOLD Artistic Director and Union PDX Founder Samuel Hobbs “is passionate about turning Portland into a national hub for dance and bringing the work of Portland choreographers to the world stage.” (Oregon ArtsWatch) With its commitment to excellence, inclusion, and access, UnionPDX acts as the galvanizing force for all-encompassing growth that can make that vision a reality. Built as a platform for upward mobility, the Union PDX festival expands the available voices within Portland, elevating artists to prominent venues, and provides high-caliber training opportunities and performances to our city. 

Featuring exciting contemporary dance performances and masterclasses in the genres of West-African and Afro-Brazilian, Bharatanatyam, Contemporary Ballet, and Contemporary Dance, this year’s festival hosts artists based in Israel, Denmark, and Las Vegas who will perform and teach alongside Portland’s Makino Hayashi, Sweta Ravisankar (Sarada Kala Nilayam), and push/FOLD’s Samuel Hobbs, who will also offer a world premiere.

Full program details and descriptions here.