Westside Theater | Bare Bait Dance

Born from a place of curiosity and need, Bare Bait Dance (BBD) is Missoula’s full-season professional contemporary-modern dance company, founded and directed by Joy French in 2011.

BBD first emerged as a home for French to play with the generous and talented dancers of Western Montana and has now grown into a home for contemporary dance in the region, including guest residencies, master class series, regional tours, video productions, a film festival, and a multitude of collaborative projects.

BBD owns and operates the Westside Theater in Missoula’s Westside neighborhood. After producing its first show in the theater in 2019, by 2022 the Westside Theater had become the lively creative and presenting home for all things Bare Bait Dance, including all professional classes, concerts, and community offerings.

Bare Bait Dance and Westside Theater are committed to nurturing the development, education, and presentation of the performing arts in Western Montana, with a particular focus on celebrating dance and contemporary performance.