HOST SPONSORS
(as of 2-5-25)

BENEFACTOR: John Antoun • Andy Knapp • Bill Mills • Meredith Stead • PARTNER: Beth Calvin • Curtis Tutt • Joseph Winkler • HOST: Marianne Bertuccelli • Gerald Box • JD Brooks • Chris Cochran • Adriano de la Cruz • Kodi Diaz • Mark Evans • Tim Fey • Caitlyn Fischman • Paula Fraser • Fernando Garcia • Alan Gaudet • Claude Godbout • Dan Goldes • David Grubbe • Malcolm Harris • John Huebler • Colin King • James Kingdon • Daniel Kurtz • Johnny Legge • Joan McDonough • Simon Nish • Elizabeth Nucci • Sheila O'Rourke • Dale Petros • Nikki Raeburn • Malcolm Reasons • Guillemette Regan • Danny Rideout • Sheila Schlicht • Charles Sullivan • Sheba Thone • Kathleen Trevis • Alan Westley • Jeremiah Yoo


Sundance Reno Round-Up

Sundance CW Dance Weekend at the 2025 WGRF

Reno skyline with mountains

Sundance Goes To Reno!
October 9–12, 2025

The Sundance Association is hosting a full-fledged country-western dance weekend in conjunction with the World Gay Rodeo Finals in Reno, Nevada (celebrating 50 years of gay rodeo!), October 9–12, 2025. We'll have four nights of dancing in up to two rooms, three days of dance workshops in up to three rooms, dance exhibition performances, and more! This event will also host the 30th annual convention of the International Association of Gay/Lesbian Country-Western Dancing.


Registration

Advance registration is available now for just $100 for the entire weekend including four nights of dancing and three days of dance workshops, as well as admission to the rodeo on Saturday and Sunday. (There will be an additional fee for premium workshops and for the Stompede documentary screening.) Advance registration ends October 5, 2025. Full weekend passes will be available on site for $120.

After you register you will be given the opportunity to upgrade to a host sponsorship for just $40 additional. Your tax-deductible donation directly supports the Sundance Association for Country-Western Dancing and is a great way to show your appreciation. (Note that your registration fee goes entirely to the International Gay Rodeo Association, and the host sponsor donation goes entirely to the Sundance Association. That's why it requires two separate forms.)

You will receive hotel reservation information in your registration confirmation email. If you register and do not receive a confirmation, please contact us at info@sundancesaloon.org. Note that hotel room rates will increase as we move through our room block allotments, so register early for the best rates.

Single event tickets will be available at the door:

  • Thursday and Sunday night dances - $15
  • Friday and Saturday night dances - $30
  • Dance workshop one-day pass - $40
  • Rodeo single day entry - $30


Hotel

The host hotel is actually two interconnected hotels, Circus Circus and Silver Legacy, part of a trio of hotels collectively known as "The Row." The Row offers 25 restaurants, 23 bars and lounges, entertainment venues, 11 nightspots, immense casino spaces, and a luxury spa, all right in the heart of the Biggest Little City in the World.

  • Circus Circus offers rates of $39 We-Th-Su and $119 Fr-Sa.*
  • Silver Legacy offers rates of $49 We-Th-Su and $149 Fr-Sa for a deluxe room and $69 We-Th-Su and $169 Fr-Sa for a premium room (higher floor).*
  • Rates listed do not include a discounted $25 "resort" fee (normally $35), $3 city tourism fee, and 13.5% tax.
  • A refundable deposit for the first night will be charged immediately.
  • Cancel without penalty up to 72 hours prior to arrival.

All of the dancing will take place in the ballrooms of the Silver Legacy. Circus Circus is only a five-minute walk away via an internal walkway.

*Rates as of 2/6/25. Note that hotel room rates will increase as we move through our room block allotments, so register early for the best rates.

You will receive information about making your hotel reservation after you register for the Sundance Reno Round-Up.

When making your plans, remember that dancing starts Thursday night and ends Sunday night, and that Monday is a federal holiday.


Schedule

We're working on it! For now, here is what we're planning:

  • Four nights of dancing, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We will have a second room open for line dancing and west coast swing on Friday and Saturday nights, or possibly all four nights, depending on attendance.
  • Late-night west coast swing Friday and Saturday nights.
  • Dance workshops in three rooms running simultaneously during the day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
  • Premium (small-group) workshops in a fourth workshop room.
  • IAGLCWDC dance contest Friday evening at 7:00 pm.
  • IAGLCWDC delegate's meeting Friday afternoon and  general membership social Saturday afternoon.
  • Possible women's/trans/nonbinary social and Stompede reunion social TBD.
  • Screening of the documentary: Last Dance at the Sundance Stompede. There will be a separate fee for this.
  • World Gay Rodeo Finals all day Saturday and Sunday
  • The Great Italian Festival all day Saturday and Sunday (an unrelated event happening just outside the hotel)

Workshops

We will have three rooms of workshops running simultaneously during the day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. We're planning instruction for all levels, from beginning to advanced, and all kinds of dance styles, including two-step, waltz, east coast swing, west coast swing, line dancing, and more. In addition to our regular program of workshops, we will offer small-group premium workshops in a fourth room with limited attendance for a nominal extra fee.

Instructors

We already have the following instructors confirmed. You'll recognize many from past Sundance Stompedes.

Click on the photo for a short biography.

Jeremy Box

Jeremy Box

Kevin Cornett

Kevin Cornett

Rick Dominguez

Rick Dominguez

John Festa

John Festa

Lee Fox

Lee Fox

Phoenix Grey

Phoenix Grey

Ron Jenkins

Ron Jenkins

Michelle Kinkaid

Michelle Kinkaid

Jonno Liberman

Jonno Liberman

John Lindo

John Lindo

Michael Metzger

Michael Metzger

Scott Schrank

Scott Schrank

Meredith Stead

Meredith Stead

Michael Sims

Michael Sims

Sheba Thone

Sheba Thone

Sara Willbrich

Sara Willbrich


Dance Exhibitions

Dance troupes from all over the country will perform between 8:00 and 9:00 pm at the Friday and Saturday night dances. Is your dance group interested in performing in Reno? Contact our exhibition coordinator at exhibitions@stompede.com.


Volunteers

We are going to need a large number of volunteers. Positions at the hotel will include set-up and tear-down, registration/front door, badge-checkers, coat-check, social event hosts, documentary screening staff, and more. In addition there will be many volunteer shifts at the rodeo arena. Volunteer sign-up will not be available until much closer to the event.

We expect that volunteers for a single shift will gain comp entry for one day, and volunteers who serve four or more shifts will receive a full weekend comp pass.


Getting There

By air. The Reno-Tahoe International Airport is just 4 miles from our hotel. There is a free airport shuttle to and from the Silver Legacy and Circus Circus that runs every 30 minutes from 4:00 am to midnight. You can view the live shuttle tracker here.

Driving. Reno is about a 4-hour drive from San Francisco, and 2-1/2 hours from Sacramento. Parking is free at the Silver Legacy and Circus Circus for hotel guests.

By train. Amtrak has direct daily service between the Bay Area and Reno. The California Zephyr takes about 7 hours, but it’s a very comfortable way to travel, and the scenery is terrific. And the Reno train station is just three blocks from the hotel. Current one-way fares in October are as low as $30, but typically run much higher. (When making your plans, know that Amtrak is frequently late up to an hour or more.)


Stompede Documentary

Director Graham Clayton-Chance is putting the finishing touches on the documentary of the 2023 Sundance Stompede, appropriately called Last Dance at the Sundance Stompede. It is slated for completion by the end of February, with a possible international premiere in the U.K. in March, and a definite U.S. premiere on April 26 in San Francisco (details to be announced soon). We are planning to screen the film at the Sundance Reno Round-Up dance weekend as well.

Thanks to everyone who contributed financially to help complete the film. Graham has donated countless hours of his own time and resources to the project. It's not too late to donate! Additional funds are always welcome, and would help increase the quality of the film in its final production phase and allow it to be shown more widely.

 

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