OCALA, Fla. — Arts in Health Ocala Metro and Silver Springs State Park will host the National Water Dance & Festival on April 18.
The event marks the seventh and final Biennial National Water Dance, featuring a nationwide synchronized performance to promote environmental protection and climate change awareness.
The performance begins at 4 p.m. and includes dancers from Belleview High School and Arts in Health Ocala Metro. Participants from 32 states will join in the simultaneous dance to honor local water sites, including Ocala’s Mammoth Spring.
The performance will be live-streamed as participants weave a shared movement phrase into their choreography at the beginning and end of the dance.
This collective effort is designed to promote responsibility for protecting the environment and call attention to climate change. Dancers from Maine to Florida and Atlanta to Seattle will participate in the synchronized event.
The theme for the 2026 festival is “celebrating our stories in relationship to the Earth.”
This focus acknowledges the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Organizers stated the event is intended to recognize the stories of a multicultural citizenry and bring participants into balance with the planet.
Arts in Health Ocala Metro is a nonprofit organization that uses artistic expression to support physical and mental health. The group also manages the Healing Arts Gallery, which showcases inspiring work to highlight the role of creativity in health.
The organization works with local partners like Belleview High School to deliver community-based programs.
National Water Dance is an artist-driven collective that includes dancers, students, educators and community members.
The group creates simultaneous performances in both urban and rural areas, ranging from the subtropics to the snowy north. The collective uses the power of art to acknowledge the interconnectivity of the environment and reimagine the future through shared movements.
The National Water Dance & Festival is scheduled for April 18, 2026, at 4 p.m. at Silver Springs State Park. Admission to the park, located at 5656 E Silver Springs Blvd., is $2 per person.
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