When we first dreamed up Break-In Dance Fest, it was never meant to be just a performance.

Of course, performance matters. The stage is where ideas come alive, where choreography meets an audience, where dancers and makers take the risk of being seen. But for so many independent choreographers, a single performance opportunity is rarely enough.

The bigger question has always been: What happens after the curtain falls?

As Break-In Dance Fest returns this August 6–7, 2026 at The MATCH in Houston, we’ve been thinking deeply about what Texas-based artists truly need in order to build not only work, but careers, and communities, that can last.