The american college dance association's primary focus is to support and promote dance in higher education through sponsorship of regional conferences and the national college dance festival. The conferences provide the unique opportunity for students and faculty to engage in three days of performances, workshops, panels, and master classes taught by instructors from around the region and country and to have their dance works adjudicated by a panel of nationally recognized dance professionals in an open and constructive forum. The conferences are the primary means for college and university dance programs to perform outside their own academic setting and be exposed to the diversity of the national college dance world. Acda also sponsors the national college dance festival, a biennial event, showcasing works selected from each regional conference for presentation at the john f. Kennedy center for the performing arts in washington, dc.

The acda national office provided written support materials, technical support, and ongoing consultation for 13 conferences hosted by colleges and universities throughout the country in march and april 2017. Almost 6000 students, faculty, musicians and guest artists participated in the conferences. Conferences include opportunities to perform and view adjudication and informal concerts; present and/or participate in classes, workshops, research presentations, panel discussions, and roundtables; and strengthen professional and creative connections over a four-day period. partnerships: jacob's pillow dance festival (beckett, ma) curated a program of dances from five colleges and universities, selected from acda regional conferences to perform in the inside/out series in august 2017. The acda national office coordinated the eligibility and selection process at the regional conferences and worked closely with jacob's pillow to implement the performance. In addition, the national office coordinated offers of discounts for summer workshops for faculty and students offered by the american dance festival (durham, nc) and now next dance (washington, dc) planning for the 2018 national college dance festival to be held at the john f. Kennedy center for the performing arts, washington, dc in june 2018. Approximately 33 colleges and universities will be invited through regional conference adjudication to perform or attend six gala performances. Performances are open to the public. In addition to performing, festival activities for the approximately registrants included classes, discussions and social events.