Dance Works: Stories of Creative Collaboration

Ride along with choreographer Allison Orr and her civic collaborators as they reflect on their dances together

In 2001, Allison Orr made a dance with 13 City of Austin firefighters. Over the next 20 years, her unique practice of collaborating with city employees flowered into civic storytelling through movement at public pools, tableaus of power line workers shimmying up 40' poles in front of 5000 people, and intricate choreography of trash trucks on a misty tarmac. Part memoir, part guide, the artist reflects on her major collaborations and shares interviews with people she's made dances with over the past two decades. Power line workers, sanitation workers, and firefighters reflect on their memories of performing with Forklift and the lasting impact those dances made. Alongside larger conversations in the arts, Orr offers a look at how to create community-based art projects, how the creative process can bring people together to address civic issues, and the beauty of choreographing the day to day. An appendix and online companion include budget information, full cast and crew lists, participant survey results, and more.

ISBN-13: 9780819500243

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Wesleyan University Press

Publication Date: 04-04-2023

Pages: 192

Product Dimensions: 7.20(w) x 9.60(h) x 0.80(d)

ALLISON ORR is founder and artistic director of Forklift Danceworks based in Austin, Texas and a Distinguished Fellow in the College of the Environment at Wesleyan University. LIZ LERMAN is a MacArthur Fellow and founder of Liz Lerman Dance Exchange.Doug Borwick, author of Building Communities, Not Audiences and Engage Now! A Guide to Making the Arts Indispensable

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements

Foreword, Liz Lerman •Beginnings

Chapter 1: Dances with firefighters, Venetian gondoliers, people and their dogs, and Elvis impersonators (1999-2004)

Chapter 2: Trucks don't dance (2005-2009)

Chapter 3: The employees of electric service delivery (2010-2013)

Chapter 4: Dances for a historic baseball field, city trees, neighborhood pools, zoom rooms and more (2014-2021)

Appendix One: The Steps: A Review of Forklift's practices for collaborative performance

Appendix Two: Major Works Show More