Open for Dancing
2013 coming up September 18-22
Open for Dancing will celebrate its sixth season in 2013. Choreographers are being chosen now for this amazing and joyful festival. Past choreographers for Open for Dancing have included Monica Bill Barnes, Michael Bolger, Art Bridgman & Myrna Packer, Nikki Carrara, Jim Coleman & Terese Freedman, Andrea Haenggi, Joanna Haigood, Brian Jones, Noemie Lafrance, Daniel McCusker, Zach Morris, Amy Ragsdale, Marta Renzi and Christine Sandorfi. The festival has included hundreds of participants from the community as well as dozens of collaborating artists. We're looking forward to a new trio of gorgeous dances set in stunning Newport landscapes. Everything at O4D is free and open to the public.
A Sense of Place - Open for Dancing's documentary
Open for Dancing has been made into a feature length film by our videographer Rocco Michaluk of RI Film. We've finished up a successful Kickstarter campaign to fund the post-production costs. The film includes interviews with our 2011 choreographers, Zach Morris, Marta Renzi and Christine Sandorfi plus the film of their dances at Fort Adams, the Norman Bird Sanctuary and Ron Fleming's beautiful beech tree, in combination with footage from past Open for Dancing festivals and all the wonderful festival events, open-air ballroom dances, tai chi on the rocks, that go into this transformative festival every other September. This year, we remembered O4D on its off-year with a gala premiere of A Sense of Place at the Jane Pickens Theater and Event Center on September 20th.
Open for Dancing 2011
Record numbers of audience attended performances at Bellevue House, Fort Adams and the Norman Bird Sanctuary during Open for Dancing. Choreographers and participants braved some rainy rehearsals to complete their dances and the results were magnificent. A never-to-be-forgotten experience. Marta Renzi thanks us for "the chance to make a little magic in the woods." Christine Sandorfi is transitioning from choreographer to Sugar Plum and Zach Morris is working on his Steampunk Haunted House in New York, with memories of Open for Dancing as an "awesome experience."
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