The Best Summer Dance Festivals in America and How to See Them

“I can’t stress enough the Brigadoon quality of Vail,” says Damian Woetzel, artistic director of the Vail Dance Festival, referring to the mythical village that appears in the Scottish Highlands for one day every 100 years. “Artists arrive for a short time and coexist in this creative atmosphere.”

Luckily for dance fans, the Vail festival lasts 10 days and occurs annually. It’s a place where performances amid the wildflowers and pines of Colorado can ignite an even deeper appreciation of the art form. “The natural environment is so conducive to that sense of doing things in a fresh way,” says Woetzel, who also serves as president of the Julliard School and is a former star dancer with New York City Ballet. “I want a place where artists go to do things they don’t do in their everyday life.”