The first Barefoot Brigade Dance Festival was presented in December of
2001. Over 20 unique works by dancers and performing artists from around
Texas and the U.S. were presented at the Bath House Cultural Center in
Dallas the weekends of Dec. 7-8, and 14-15.
Punch Shaw of the Fort Worth Star Telegram wrote:
"Area dance fans offered a holiday treat: Area dance fans who think
that the Nutcracker is their only December option are in for a pleasant
surprise. A coalition of contemporary dance groups, the Barefoot Brigade,
opened a series of six concerts Friday night at the Bath House Cultural
Center. ... If the upcoming performances are as entertaining as Friday's
diverse offering, dance lovers may forget all about sugarplum fairies
and giant mice."
Margaret Putnam of The Dallas Morning News wrote: "Serious relief:
Barefoot Brigade offers austere alternative to holiday staples. The onslaught
of The Nutcracker took a breather Saturday afternoon at the Bath House
Cultural Center. In a tiny theater with no sets, no orchestra, and not
a single tutu, Barefoot Brigade offered a refreshing break. Dancers and
performance artists came from as far away as Arizona, but most were from
places no more distant than Denton. They breezed by with nine works."