Guest post from Andee Fisher, Producer and Marketing Coordinator, Kaeja Dance.
Porch View Dances (PVD) is an award-winning community dance festival that engages everyday people as creators, storytellers and performers – many of whom have never danced before. A tour guide leads audience members through Seaton Village, traveling from house to house to see new dance works created with professional choreographers and performed by local families in the front yards, and porches of their own homes.
Every year our route changes based on the families who apply and the journey that best highlights the neighbourhood. This year the route will take audience members through many of Seaton Village's laneways. Along the way we will be stopping in Karma Lane, famous for Karma Co-op Food, Perly Family Lane, which has had many garage doors recently beautified with gorgeous graffiti art, and Vermouth Lane, which might appear green and ordinary at first glance but surprises await.
“Rarely has such ordinary public property been so wonderfully converted to artistic use. City sidewalks became seats for kids to watch, back alleys were opened up and became cultural corridors. The boundary between what was public and what was private, what was ordinary and what was special, was danced into a beautiful blur.” Adam Vaughan, MP Spadina - Fork York
Now in it’s 5th year, PVD has gone National with Porch View Dances in Toronto, Ottawa, Kitchener, and similar projects in Moncton, BC.
Our next steps are to spread the Porch View Dances model and bring dance to new neighbourhoods, new cities and even new provinces!
For those who are looking to do events in neighbourhoods and be involved in community engagement work, our best advice is to get out there. Get to know the streets that are popular, the places people love and congregate, involve yourself in other community activities and be an active listener!
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Thanks for a great post Andee!