Dallas-based dancers Avery-Jai Andrews and Lauren Kravitz’ group Agora Artists is internet hosting the fourth annual Mini Motion Fest, an all-day occasion involving a wide range of dance workshops and a night live performance, at Arts Mission Oak Cliff on August 5. Mini Motion Fest prices $20 for the entire day or $5 per class and the choreographic workshop is free.
Andrews and Kravitz based Agora Artists, a non-profit group that gives programming and assets for native dancers and choreographers. In response to their web site, “By way of workshops, boards, and different artistic property Agora Artists goals to assist particular person dancers keep an energetic and sustainable artistic life.”
Avery-Jai Andrews and Lauren Kravitz met in 2007 at Booker T. Washington Excessive Faculty and each went on to review at NYU Tisch Faculty of the Arts. After performing overseas and throughout the nation, respectively, the pair returned to Dallas advocating for native arts.
Andrews mentioned she was in search of different dancers who’re on the identical journey round her.
“The phrase ‘agora’ is a Greek phrase and it means to assemble. And in Portuguese it means now,” Andrews mentioned. “That’s a very wholesome lens to take a look at how Agora Artists operates- we’re a group of artists, geared toward supporting makers within the artistic course of, serving to them to be taught the instruments and abilities wanted for self-producing.”
Agora Artists focuses on the artistic course of greater than the top product. With occasions like Mini Motion Fest, Andrews and Kravitz hope to domesticate connections inside the native dance group.
“Mini Motion Fest is the primary occasion that Avery-Jai and I produced collectively again in 2019, and was the catalyst for what Agora Artists is right now. We had been each envisioning how we may construct a group in Dallas and the way we may deliver dancers collectively as a result of Avery-Jai had a tough time discovering a powerful freelance group of dancers.”
Mini Motion Fest first began out as an experiment the place Andrews and Kravitz invited different Texas-based artists to show a dance workshop throughout the day and carry out afterwards.
Kravitz mentioned the competition felt open and accessible to each educated and non-classically educated movers.
“It was this actually, actually invigorating day of motion and there have been many alternatives for individuals to observe,” Kravitz mentioned. “Dancers are taking workshops and likewise see the skilled dancers within the night live performance, after which numerous house in between are moments for individuals to attach in dialog.”
Kravitz mentioned that Oakcliff’s want for monetary accessibility and the various group helped Agora Artists and Mini Motion Fest thrive.
Kravitz mentioned that they’re decided to maintain the barrier of entry tremendous low and that her and Andrews make a degree to individually join with dancers in varied components of the trade from faucet dancing to Bharatnatyam.
“Oakcliff was the one place that I discovered the place I actually felt welcomed,” Andrews mentioned. “And the place I felt the management was asking, ‘What are you curious about? What do you wish to do?’ It’s a really artistic house geographically how the neighborhood actually invitations individuals to come back out.”
“And being in Oakcliff offers us a possibility to to be in dialog with what accessibility appears to be like like to ask in new audiences that haven’t felt as welcomed elsewhere,” Kravtiz mentioned.
Mini Motion Fest is open to all excited about dance or these wanting to come back out for the day. The occasion’s schedule runs from 10 am-10pm, ending in a culminate dance celebration.
“Each single 12 months, we’ve had somebody with no relationship to bop come to at the very least one of many workshops. We actually are attempting to maintain this open to all and the those who we usher in are normally actually attune and acutely aware of who’s within the room and are capable of craft the expertise to essentially swimsuit and help the people who find themselves there.”
Andrews and Kravitz agreed they’re assured about this 12 months’s competition as producers. And as dancers, they’ll each be collaborating within the workshops and the night live performance and are excited to see the day come collectively.
“[The festival] is the factor that refills my cup,” Andrews mentioned. “It’s good individuals, good meals, outdated buddies coming collectively and new buddies.”
“I believe dance lessons permit you to simply form of join in a extra visceral means that doesn’t essentially want numerous phrases but it surely’s similar to I’m right here,” Andrews mentioned. “You’re right here and we’re shifting.”