The Movement Project has packed up its Fairview Park storefront and moved into a fourth-floor studio inside the Twist Drill Cleveland building downtown, giving the 17-year-old dance company a new home just days before it opens its biggest event of the year. The relocation lands right as the company prepares to welcome audiences to the 11th annual Cleveland DanceFest, running Friday through Sunday, Nov. 13-15, at Playhouse Square.
A New Studio Built for Independent Dancers
The company's move puts it alongside other creative enterprises in the Twist Drill Cleveland building, according to cleveland.com. The new space, which the company calls the Dance Hub, is designed to support rehearsals, classes and creative work, and includes a 33-by-30-foot marley floor along with portable ballet barres and mirrors, per the Movement Project's own booking page, which lists the address as 4700 Lakeside Ave. E., fourth floor.
The goal behind the new digs isn't just more square footage — it's about giving smaller dance ensembles a place to perform without the overhead of a big venue. The studio relieves smaller, independent ensembles of the burden of having to rent and fill large halls, the report notes. Founder and artistic director Megan Gargano said the new venue helps artists avoid the financial burden of renting and filling large halls, and that the company aims to build community connections through the space.
Lighting and Tiered Seating in the Works
Gargano is exploring new lighting equipment and tiered seating for up to 75 people at the Dance Hub, according to the same cleveland.com account. The Movement Project recently said it reached its Phase One fundraising goal of $8,000 toward the studio's transformation, per its build campaign page.
This isn't the company's first move. In February 2022, the Movement Project relocated from a church in Tremont to a storefront studio at 21547 Lorain Road in Fairview Park, a space of roughly 1,300 square feet, according to an earlier cleveland.com report. Before that, the company had run classes and performances out of Pilgrim Congregational Church starting in 2015, that same account noted.
DanceFest Returns to Playhouse Square
The timing of the studio news lines up with the company's marquee event. Cleveland DanceFest 2026 takes place at Playhouse Square, 1501 Euclid Ave., marking the festival's 11th annual edition and its second time held at that venue. The lineup includes at least four professional concerts, two youth showcases, masterclasses for youth and adults, and an artist panel, utilizing both the Westfield Studio Theatre and the Gund Dance Studio.
Professional concert series shows are set for Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. The artist panel is scheduled for Saturday at 1 p.m., with professional masterclasses on Friday at 11:30 a.m. and Saturday at 9 a.m. Sunday brings youth masterclasses at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., followed by youth showcases at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Tickets and passes range from $15 to $85, with Playhouse Square's event listing pricing general admission at $25, youth 12 and under at $15, and an $85 Professional Concert Series Pass covering all four professional shows. Ticket information is also available by calling 216-241-6000.
From Grassroots Showcase to Multi-Day Festival
DanceFest has grown considerably since its early years, when it consisted of one or two professional performances, a youth showcase and a handful of masterclass events, per cleveland.com's report. Today the festival centers on what organizers describe as grassroots dance — works that reflect the time and place of their creation and explore the boundaries of contemporary dance.
The festival features new works by local, regional and national artists, according to the Movement Project's festival page, with performers now coming from outside northeast Ohio and outside the state entirely. Gargano said the festival could grow farther than the company initially expected, a sign that both the new downtown studio and the expanding DanceFest lineup are part of the same push to give Cleveland's independent dance scene more room to work.
