By admin 
The Sacramento Ballet has not yet kicked off its performance season, but dance lovers won’t have to wait until the end of October to catch brand-new dance works in town.
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Performance art nonprofit Capital Dance Project is putting on its annual Behind the Barre show next week, a multimedia experience featuring collaborative performances featuring local dancers and choreographers alongside visual and musical artists from around Sacramento.
Artists worked together during a four-week residency with the Capital Dance Project to develop full-fledged works encompassing original choreography, visual art and sound, which will be premiered during the Behind the Barre event.
In addition to the performances, local vendors and food sellers will have goods for sale throughout the two-day art festival, according to Capital Dance Project. The ticketed event has presale tickets available online, and day-of admission will be available at the door.
Celebrating capital region artists at Behind the Barre 2026
Since 2015, a group of professional dancers based in the capital region have gathered to create unique works as part of a fully dancer-run company.
Artists from the Sacramento Ballet formed the Capital Dance Project troupe following a mass layoff during the 2014-2015 season. Since then, the organization has grown from a performance opportunity for out-of-work artists to a community-oriented arts program platforming a variety of art mediums.
Capital Dance Project will put on the 12th iteration its biggest show of the year, Behind the Barre, on Thursday, Sept. 3, and Friday, Sept. 4, at the E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts, or CLARA Studios, 2420 N Street, Suite 110 in midtown.
The group of more than 30 choreographers, dancers and other artists will present the fruits of their four-week creation project over the two-day event.
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This year, the project’s collaborating artists include musicians James Wilson, Stephen Davis and the all-women Con Brio Quintet. Visual art pieces will come from Sacramento-area creators like Taner Pasamehmetoglu, Jason Silva, Ginger Thompson, Raul Mejia and second-generation neon sign artist Melissa Uroff.
New Helvetia Brewing Co., a main sponsor of the Capital Dance Project, will have beers available for sale alongside meals from Sacramento food trucks.
Throughout the CLARA Studios complex, artists and vendors will have pop-up booths with handmade goods for sale, in addition to the resident visual artists based at the complex.
Tickets with picnic-style general admission seating at CLARA Studios will cost $30 per person, while dedicated riser spots go for $60 per person. Proceeds go to supporting the nonprofit and its programming, including a community partnership with the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Sacramento.
Sacramento-area students in the club are given special access to classes and rehearsals with the Capital Dance Project company, as well as advance performance previews, free tickets to events like Behind the Barre and one-on-one time with company members to learn how the artistic collaboration process works.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on both days, with the makers market and food vendors open ahead of the performance. The main event will begin at 8 p.m., according to Capital Dance Project.
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