A Eugene nonprofit called #instaballet is inviting community members of all ages and abilities to choreograph a new dance in real time, no experience required.
The collaborative event takes place this Friday as part of Lane Arts Council’s First Friday ArtWalk. Miranda Atkinson, the executive director of #instaballet, said the audience will help set movement to Ravel's dramatic orchestral piece, Boléro.
The completed dance will premiere later this month during the Oregon Bach Festival’s free family concert on June 28 at the Hult Center.
That performance will also feature five other community-created dances set to Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite. Each of those pieces was choreographed this spring by youth at #instaballet’s accessible education workshops, held at Page Elementary, CASA of Lane County, Jasper Mountain Center, Bridgeway House, and Ophelia’s Place.
“The idea is, how do we break down and remove barriers to accessing dance,” Atkinson said. “And remind people that they can dance, that they have agency with their bodies, and can use movement as a creative tool. All people are dancers, and can use movement for creative expression and to connect with each other too.”
#Instaballet frequently works with groups that may not otherwise have access to arts education, including youth in foster care, children recovering from trauma, and children with disabilities.
“These are groups of children in our community who often don't get access to art experiences like this, and tremendously benefit from a chance at creative expression, but also a chance at experiencing agency,” Atkinson said. “It is a transformative experience, and we need the community’s support to keep doing it and do more of it.”
Atkinson said she hopes audiences attending both the collaborative event and the June 28 performance will not only enjoy the process, but see the value in creative empowerment.
“Look what the youth in your community have made. Look how capable they are,” Atkinson said. “This is a chance to showcase who they are and what they can do.”
The Friday event takes place at Capitello Wines in Eugene from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the Oregon Bach Festival family concert will be held June 28 at the Hult Center, beginning at 11 a.m.
