Like the sprawling tree it’s named for, the inaugural Banyan Dance Festival — running Monday, Aug. 3, to Saturday, Aug. 8 in West Palm Beach — takes root in the shared vision of two Palm Beach County artists and educators, Ericka Squire of Natural Movers Foundation and Branndi Lewis of GroundedWPB — who saw a gap in the region’s dance ecosystem.
For years, South Florida’s dancers and choreographers faced a shortage of training, creative development and performance platforms.
“Talented dancers and choreographers have had to look elsewhere for opportunities to sustain a career in dance,” Lewis says. “This festival creates a platform that expands the local dance ecosystem while investing in artists through paid opportunities, professional training and a full creative pipeline.”
Inspired by the iconic model of Jacob’s Pillow, the pair envisioned a layered festival offering not only performances but artist development, training and community engagement. A Bright Ideas grant from the Cultural Council for Palm Beach County helped turn that vision into reality.
“The Banyan Dance Festival is about creating opportunities for artists,” Squire says. “Branndi and I recognized a chance to further enrich the cultural landscape of Palm Beach County through a festival dedicated to dance.”
Squire, a Florida native, incorporates African influences into her choreography. Her own aesthetic reflects that mission, drawing on African culture and community traditions.
“When I think of Banyan, I think of ‘ubuntu’ — ‘I am because we are,’” Squire says. “To me, that is the essence of this festival.” She credits the artists and educators who came before her for laying the groundwork that made the partnership — and the festival — possible.
“Like the banyan tree, this festival is multi-layered and interconnected,” she says. “Every root strengthens the whole. Every person has a place and contributes something essential to the experience.”
At the heart of Banyan is its multi-tiered training structure.
During the festival, 12 to 15 dancers will participate in a pre-professional intensive for ages 16–25, followed by rehearsals for a group of eight professional dancers selected from an open national call.
More than 30 dancers applied from across the country — from a variety of states including New York, Texas, Michigan, Minnesota, Massachusetts and Florida — with eight ultimately chosen.
The festival also includes a Young Artist Program (YAP) open to dancers ages 9–15, plus an apprenticeship track that allows emerging dancers to train with the company and perform new works.
Three choreographers — Babatunji Johnson, a former company member with Alonzo King Lines Ballet; Betty Garcia, a Cuban born dancer with 15 years international experience and Sean Aaron Carmon, a former Alvin Ailey dancer — are creating original pieces for the apprentices and company dancers.
Garcia is also the festival’s inaugural Banyan Choreography Fellow.
Festival faculty member and Guggenheim Fellow, Loni Landon, will teach and create a featured solo for a dancer in the intensive.
What sets Banyan apart from other South Florida festivals is its emphasis on immersion.
While many events focus solely on performances or drop in classes, Banyan invites dancers and non dancers alike to experience the creative process from multiple angles.
Community members can watch rehearsals, observe choreography sessions, take classes in hip-hop, African dance or silent disco, attend artist talks, or join the gala and concert. Even behind the scenes elements, such as costume design discussions, are part of the experience.
The founders hope the festival builds strong rapport with the community and gains enough traction to become an annual event. “This is serving a real need,” Squire says. “It’s an opportunity for dancers to keep working in their craft — and for the community to be immersed in the full spectrum of dance.”
Co-founder Lewis met choreographer Carmon, 38 — who also appeared on Broadway in The Phantom of the Opera and La Cage aux Folles — at The Black Artist Dance Collective in Atlanta last year, where they were both teaching.
She invited him to be part of the first Banyan Dance Festival.
Carmon, now choreographer for Dance Kaleidoscope in Indianapolis, was on tour with The Lion King in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
He returned home to Houston and discovered he loved teaching. What began as a temporary shift evolved into a calling, one that now shapes his mission to bridge the gap between professional dancers and the students striving to reach that level.
“I want to help create the next generation,” he says. “Not just good dancers and good artists — but good people.”
He was mentored by celebrated choreographer Christopher L. Huggins, whom he met while training at the Ailey School. Seeing Huggins’ work Enemy Behind the Gates “changed my worldview,” he says, prompting him to transfer from New York University to Fordham so he could study under him. Huggins became a father figure, coaching him through a solo that took them to South Africa and Italy. “He was my gateway into professionalism as a dancer.”
Carmon will create an original work for the festival. His creative process is rooted in everyday observation — art, politics, relationships — filtered through “healthy absorption.” Inspiration, he says, strikes when he least expects it.
The new work’s title is still to be determined, but its topical themes center on courage, restraint and the artist’s struggle to be heard. He’s drawing on spoken word poetry from James Baldwin and Rudyard Kipling, layered over bass driven music and atmospheric soundscapes.
“Art and dance are living, breathing things,” he says. “You have to convey the ups and downs. Sometimes you whisper, sometimes you raise your voice, sometimes you stand up and be seen.”
As for what he hopes the local dance community will take away, he paraphrases Alvin Ailey: “The audience wants to be entertained.” But he also wants them to think, and to see themselves reflected in the work, whether they’re students, professionals or choreographers.
That spirit of connection extends beyond the stage, with events held at venues across West Palm Beach, including Palm Beach Atlantic University, Ballet Florida, Nora District and City Hall Courtyard.
The week culminates on Aug. 8, with a performance at the Norton Museum of Art — with its – what else – iconic banyan tree.
If You Go
When: Monday, Aug. 3, through Saturday, Aug. 8
Where: Throughout West Palm Beach
What: For list of programs and locations, visit: www.banyandancefestival.com/banyan-events.