CirclePro Dance Alliance
CirclePro Dance Alliance (CDA) unites dance industry professionals in Indianapolis and beyond, focusing specifically on concert and commercial dance. As an alliance of industry leaders, educators, choreographers, performers, and producers, CDA acts as dance ambassadors—committed to growing the professional dance scene, celebrating artistic achievement, and preserving the history of professional dance in the region.
What We Do?
CDA PERKS & ELIGIBILITY
​Why Join CDA?
Joining CDA is your gateway to exclusive perks and in the dance community! Enjoy VIP at the Circle City Dance Honors and gain early access to tickets for partnered shows, along with discounts on local dance productions, musicals, and showcases. Enhance your career with professional development discounts for workshops, intensives, and conferences, plus access to audition postings and opportunities. Connect through our CirclePro Alliance membership online platform, featuring a members-only hub with an event calendar, scholarship opportunities, and more, all while gaining the recognition you deserve as a voting industry professional. Join us today and elevate your dance journey!
​
​
Join us in shaping the future of dance! Circle Dance Alliance (CDA) is seeking founding members who are passionate about the dance industry. To be eligible, applicants must meet at least 2–3 of the following core criteria:
​
Eligibility
- Active involvement in professional or pre-professional performance dance industry
- Choreography credits (stage, commercial, or educational)
- Employment as an executive, administrator, dance instructor, artistic director, or rehearsal director- in affiliation with a dance company, studio, or educational institution (high school/college programs)
- Documented participation in concert dance productions, commercial dance work, or musical theatre productions.
- Must join CDA as an individual dance professional, not as a representative of an organization. ​
​
Note: There is an annual membership contribution of $75 for CDA members.
​
If you meet these requirements and want to make a difference in the dance community, we would love to hear from you!
​
​
Circle City Dance Honors
Circle City Dance Honors is an inaugural event that celebrates remarkable achievements, leadership, and excellence within the dance industry of Indianapolis. This yearly celebration honors pre-professional, professional and emerging artists that have strived to make an impact through their work both locally and nationally. The Circle City Dance Honors event aims to honor the legacy that dance has built within our great city and create space for innovation in a way that both builds and preserves concert and commercial dance within the Indy arts sector. This is just the beginning of something amazing and impactful for the dance community. Stay tuned for more information and mark your calendars for the spring of 2027.
​
Core Purpose ​
​Circle City Dance Honors exists to elevate Indianapolis as a vibrant Midwest dance hub by shining a spotlight on concert dance companies, bridging the concert and commercial dance worlds, and creating visible pathways between artistry and opportunity. Through awards, performances, and community partnerships the event validates the work of established companies, generates funding and scholarships to fuel artistic growth, and honors legacy while intentionally cultivating the next generation of dancers, choreographers, and leaders—ensuring dance remains a dynamic, accessible force in our city’s cultural arts ecosystem.
Submissions Eligibility Criteria
Opens November 2026
Categories
​
​There are five categories in which presentations can be submitted, each catering to different levels and types of dance groups.
​
-
Novice Companies (Emerging or newly formed groups with a history of 0 to 3 years.)
-
Youth Companies (Pre-professional dancers, typically under the age of 18.)
-
College and University Programs (Collegiate dance departments and student-led ensembles.)
-
Professional Companies (Established organizations and independent professional or musical theatre breakout dance presentations)
-
Faith-Based Organizations. Pre-professional ensembles that align their performances with industry standards.)
Each category provides a unique platform for showcasing talent and creativity in the dance community.
​
​Eligibility
​
-
Eligible applicants: Professional or pre‑professional dance companies, organizations, or ensembles that present work to a live audience on an annual basis in Indiana.
-
Choreographer eligibility: Choreographers who have placed work with a pre‑professional, collegiate, or professional dance company, ensemble, or group.
-
Geographic requirement: Applicants and presented work must be based in, produced in, or have premiered in the state of Indiana.
-
Timing: Eligible work must have been presented or performed during the previous dance season (most recent season prior to the submission deadline).
-
Presentation setting: Submissions must be for work presented in a concert or commercial dance setting (theatrical, concert, festival, film/recorded concert presentation, or vetted commercial productions).
-
Companies/Organizations can submit one piece/presentation per category
-
Submissions are $55 per entry per category
-
Exclusions: Competitive dance team/competition entries (e.g., studio competition routines) are not eligible.
Public Voting
Opens December 2026
Degree
University Name
After the submission period closes, the CirclePro Dance Alliance Review Committee will carefully review all entries. Following this evaluation, public voting will commence the next month, giving all potential nominees 30 days to promote their submissions and rally support to secure votes for the prestigious Circle City Dance Honors event. The top five submissions in each category will earn official nominations, showcasing talent and creativity of the dance community. Ultimately, the CirclePro Dance Alliance will cast the deciding vote, and the winners of each category will be revealed during the event program.
Want more information? Get on our mailing list to stay informed.
