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DA NC E A BIL I T Y IN T ER N AT ION A L
P HOTO BY MICH A EL K E VIN DA LY
SPIN
WHO’S WHO AND WHAT’S
WHAT IN DANCE THIS MONTH
BY RACHAEL CARNES
One of the coolest things about summer is
dance performances happening outside in the
fresh air and sunshine — there’s something about
it that just feels right.
While we can’t seem to enjoy dance at, say,
Cuthbert Amphitheater (I’ll likely be smoted for
suggesting the thought), we can see some fun and
lively new dance in unusual venues.
If you’ve got cash for a ticket to the Oregon
Country Fair, the newish Dance Pavilion is the place
to enjoy a twinkling three-day dance festival. Grab
a strawberry lemonade, kick back and take in some
nifty new performances. Highlights include:
At 12:15 pm Friday, DanceAbility International
features dancers with and without disabilities.
Recently performing in Shanghai and Washington,
D.C. as well as Ashland’s Oregon Shakespeare Fes-
tival, the group won a National Endowment for the
Arts grant and a Hong Kong choreographer of the
year award for artistic director Alito Alessi.
And at 3 pm Friday, Axé Didé performs dynamic
interpretations of sacred and secular dances from
Cuba and Brazil, incorporating street dances with
samba grooves.
Don’t miss DJ Prashant & Jai Ho! Dance Troupe,
a “Portland-based dance troupe led by one-of-a-
kind Bollywood showman Prashant Kakad. This
all ages troupe — with various nationalities and
cultures represented — is united by their love for
all things Bollywood,” according to OFC’s website.
Catch ‘em at 3:15 pm Saturday and 2:30 pm Sun-
day.
#instaballet won’t know what they’re perform-
ing until you help make the dance. The company
is using crowd sourcing to create a new dance for
professional dancers in real time, with each unique
#instaballet performance based on the collected
ideas of the participating audience. During the
show, OFC says, “the #instaballet facilitator guides
the audience through the creative process, and no
dance experience is required to participate.” Can
you dig it? The fun begins at 12 pm Saturday.
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July 6, 2017 • eugeneweekly.com
And OMG: Rollerstar! Wendy Walz, according to
OFC’s website, “embodies the legendary disco-era
pastime known as outdoor roller dancing. Now one of
Venice [Beach]’s renowned resident skaters, Walz’s
distinct style incorporates decades of formal dance
training in ballet, modern, hip-hop and world dance.”
AND ROLLERSKATES. See Rollerstar in action at 2:45
pm Saturday and 2 pm Sunday.
And if you’re not heading to the OCF, there are
plenty of freebies this month.
#instaballet creates a new ballet with audience
input during the First Friday ArtWalk, 5:30 to 8 pm
on July 7 at Capitello Wines, 540 Charnelton.
And EUGfun! presents Pop Up Dance Boutique
with Joy Master Kemy Joseph at noon July
12 in the Park Blocks, Deaf Communication and
Dance at 12:30 pm July 20 in the Downtown Eu-
gene Public Library and Urban Jazz Dance Com-
pany’s American Sign Language dance: an expres-
sion of deaf culture through ballet, African, jazz and
other forms of dance, performed by hearing and
deaf dancers from the Bay Area, at 5:30 pm July 20
in the Hult Center Plaza.
Or stop by the Obon and Taiko Festival for some
free dance and drumming. Obon is a traditional
Japanese event honoring the departed, especially
ancestors and loved ones, by celebrating their
memories through storytelling dances. 6-9pm in
Alton Baker Park, July 15.
And with the languid summer days you need a
creative outlet. The Northwest Screendance Ex-
position is accepting entries for its first 60-Second
Cellphone Screendance Challenge through July 31.
“We’ve seen so many people making screen-
dance with their cellphones that we wanted to give
them a venue to show their work,” explains expo di-
rector John Watson.
The rules are simple: Film your dance on your
cellphone and then edit it with one of the many
free movie-making apps available for your phone.
Films, including titles and credits, must be exactly
60 seconds, no more and no less.
Why 60 seconds? Watson got the idea while
watching a 60-second screendance competition
held in Europe. “I was amazed at how much feel-
ing could be packed into a single minute. And it’s a
natural fit with the idea of using your cellphone to
create screendance.”
Upload completed films to Film Freeway via the link
on the Expo’s website. The entry fee is $10 per film. The
top five entries will be screened at the 2017 Expo, to
be held Oct. 13-14. The first-place finisher will receive
$100. Selected entries will be announced on Aug. 31.
Stay hydrated, and don’t forget your sunscreen!