Cindy Barnhart is the executive director of Festival Dance and Performing Arts Association, an energetic not-for-profit organization that nurtures the art of dance. Cindy is passionate about dance in all forms, and her passion began when she took her first ballet class as a 4 year old, from none other than Festival Dance! She believes that dance cultivated her sense of humor, creativity, and ability to walk in high heels. She has the distinct pleasure of managing an excellent group of dance instructors at Festival Dance Academy, and hopes to provide dancers with the grace and confidence to achieve their dreams.

In addition to the dance academy in residence at the University of Idaho the largest amount of Cindy’s time is spent contracting with world-class performance groups, sponsoring all aspects of the event including advertising and subscriptions, ticket sales, corporate sponsorships, and collaborations with like-minded arts organizations.  The “Great Performances Series” has four internationally acclaimed shows a season.
The world class performance series and the dance academy are two parts of a four-fold achievement program to support the art of dance.  Education and outreach for the Inland Northwest area include free performances (Youthreach) for grades 3-6 for eighteen communities in north central Idaho and eastern Washington, as well as an ongoing collaboration with schools (Discover Dance) that provide instructors to teach dance during Physical Education classes.

With Cindy Barnhart at the helm, Festival Dance reaches 15,000 people annually, has expanded to Lewis Clark State College, and has renewed its status as a source of community pride while enriching the lives of people on the Palouse.

Cindy believes her success is attributed to an innate curiosity of all things, a sense of humor, a willingness to look silly at times, a persistent positive attitude, a polite interest in people, and clean hair.  

Cindy has a supportive husband and a young daughter that is enjoying many dance classes and performances, and the 9-year-old has quite the autograph collection of nationally and internationally recognized professional dancers! Cindy would like to hear from you about creative arts projects with long-term impact that provide value to individuals, corporations, or large constituencies, or if you just want to chat. 208-883-DANS (3267)  or Cindy@festivaldance.org  (festivaldance.org)