Dane Dances Brings People Together

A Dane Dances crowd from 2004 enjoying their evening at Monona Terrace.

Every Friday in August, on the rooftop of Madison’s iconic Monona Terrace, Dane Dances brings people from diverse walks of life together to celebrate inclusivity and goodwill through dance. The event series features live music from local bands across a variety of genres, dance lessons, and delicious food from local vendors – all for free!

Founded in 1999 by a group of volunteers, Dane Dances aims to provide a joyous social experience through music, dance, and other activities and help improve racial relations in Dane County.

“Dane Dances’ concept is simple enough,” explained Al Cooper, President of Dane Dances. “By bringing different people together to enjoy each other’s cultures and each other’s company, they could learn to live together as a community.”

In 2024, MCF joined Dane Dances in celebrating its 25th anniversary, providing a $5,000 grant to support programming. Across five nights, Dane Dances featured ten guest artists and brought over 10,000 people together to enjoy live music and dance.

Rain or Shine: When it rains Dane Dances doesn't cancel, they move the party inside.

As an organization dedicated to celebrating diversity in Dane County, Dane Dances seeks to reduce barriers to access by keeping the events free and open to the public, as well as providing opportunities for the general public to engage with local food vendors and artists they may not have heard of otherwise.

Dane Dances proudly features local bands in a variety of genres, giving smaller bands that usually play at private functions or ethnic festivals the opportunity to perform for a larger general audience. Each night, two bands perform, and careful consideration goes into selecting a combination of genres to bring different audiences together in one space.

“A Rhythm and Blues band will perform with a Pop band, or a Latin Band,” explained Al Cooper. “This combination of music brings the diversity of Dane County communities together.”

To this day, Dane Dances remains entirely volunteer-led and operated, engaging a diverse cross-section of Dane County residents, making it a truly community-owned organization. In its 25-year run, Dane Dances has become one of Madison’s premier summertime events, showing our community how much we can achieve when we work together.

“The extraordinary music, outstanding food, and energetic crowd makes this event an example of what this community is all about,” Al Cooper explained. “The Monona Terrace Rooftop site reminds one of a concert in New York's Central Park, or Chicago's Millennium Park. It is a space for the citizens of Dane County regardless of income, age, or race. It is especially important now to bring the community together in a social activity to help break down the divide that has developed in our nation.”

Learn more about Dane Dances at danedances.org