Tag a friend you're going to dance with at Forklift Fantasia: The Shape of Water! 🪩
Don't forget to get tix at bit.ly/fldwfantasia
Come Dance With Us
Happy #LaborDay! We at Forklift are honored to make dances that shine a light on the work and movement that keeps our cities and communities moving. 🚚⚡🏙️💦🌳
“This is event is for pretty much all of Austin.” 🐕🦺🐾
Thanks to We Are Austin for giving “Dances for Dogs,” our collaborative event with Austin Animal Center a shout-out yesterday morning! 🌞
Stay tuned for free tickets coming out in the next few weeks.
WesWorks: A Performance with Wesleyan University Facilities Staff
As students head back to virtual and in-person classrooms this month, we're thinking of the work it takes to keep schools and campuses running--and who the people are who do that work.
WesWorks, a performance with Wesleyan University Facilities, invited audiences to witness and celebrate the virtuosic and skilled work of Wesleyan’s campus staff as performed by the employees themselves, building connections across campus communities.
Thanks to Wesleyan University College of the Environment, Wesleyan University's Center for the Arts and Wesleyan Physical Plant for supporting this project!
We're riding into this week like Francis Rodriguez, Forklift assistant choreographer on our project with Austin FC, trying her hand at some heavy machinery while job shadowing.
In order to collaborate with workers on dance-making, our choreographers join the staff as they work, asking questions, imagining possibilities, and getting down to work.
Here's what Francis took away from her experience, "Having the opportunity to shadow the stadium operations departments during Austin FC’s first season was extremely special."
"The amount of care and pride everyone pours into their work is palpable and is the structure behind what makes match days so vibrant. I’m immensely grateful to everyone I had the pleasure of working alongside and want to thank them for welcoming me into their home at Q2."
Prepared to be blown away by the talent of the staff that support Austin FC!
Here's Forklifter Arturo Hernandez, an assistant choreographer on the project and huge FC fan, getting in the swing of clearing the grass as he job shadows the grounds staff.
"I've been to every Austin FC home game this season and have had the pleasure to watch from both the perspective of a fan and also from the eyes of their employees," said Arturo. "Though the two are extremely different I now carry an immense gratitude for the work that goes into bringing this electric atmosphere to life."
"From sun up to sun down this staff works endlessly all week till the final whistle is blown on match day. I don’t just cheer for the players on game day anymore but also the incredible staff that has turned this inaugural season into one of the most exciting atmospheres in Austin."
We're excited for our choreographed video of the workers of the Q2 Stadium to premiere at tonight's game!
Reflect on 20 Years and Toast to Forklift's Future!
It's hard to believe we've been dancing at Austin's pools, baseball fields, and parks with community members for twenty years! Our Forklift Danceworks' Platinum Party: A 20th Anniversary Celebration is only a couple weeks away on October 28 at 7pm.
With plenty of room to roam at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, the Platinum Party will have interactive stations from a sprinkling of our iconic projects.
🚣🏻Embrace your inner Venetian at the gondola booth
⚾ Swing by the baseball booth to measure your pitching speed with the Texas Playboys
😎Be one of the cool kids at the Lifeguard Stand, with summertime vibes
⚡PowerUP with a gourmet slider and some electrifying stats
🚒Sidle up to a fire truck to toast some of Austin's bravest
🌳 And, we'll have a special performance moment from a mystery city department among the Umlauf's trees, with live music from Graham Reynolds.
Get your tickets here! https://ci.ovationtix.com/34872/production/1078962
Take Me Out to Downs Field
"Just take me out to Downs Field honey, I'm ready to go!"
#FBF to last year when we spent time on Downs Field both in person and virtually in our collaborative project with Six Square Austin's Black Cultural District and Huston-Tillotson Baseball celebrating the rich history and bright future of this meaningful field in East Austin.
Watch to learn more about Downs from people with lived connections to the field and who use it today. ⚾🌟🐏
As we celebrate our 20th year, we’re reflecting on the people we’ve danced with and the performances we’ve created together. #Forklift20
Meet Hands Full of Cash Car Club 🙌
Hear more about Hands Full of Cash Car Club, a family that loves cars and helping their community from Rogerick Davis, founder and president of the club.
Davis performed in “Givens Swims” with Forklift and the East Austin community in 2019 and shared his thoughts about the rich traditions of car clubs, barbecues, and gatherings at Givens Park and in East Austin in the talk “We Are Here! Living the Legacy of Dr. Givens” in the summer of 2020.
Make sure to check out Hands Full of Cash on Facebook to see their cars and learn about how they support the community!
Crane Solo from "The Trash Project"
"There is something so moving, literally and figuratively, when watching Anderson swing the arm of his yellow crane around like a long-lost love; a beauty in the mundanity of machinery, and the unanticipated grace in its masculinity," wrote Barbara Purcell in Sightlines.
Watch this clip to see Don Anderson's moving performance with a crane from Andrew Garrison's documentary "Trash Dance." The music accompanying the movement "Dance for a Crane Solo" is the first track on our upcoming album with Reynolds "Trucks Don't Dance."
We're excited to celebrate the album release with Laurie Gallardo, Graham Reynolds Music, and the Forklift crew this Thursday, March 11 at 7pm CST. If you're not already joining us, contribute $20 at bit.ly/trucksdontdance to attend!
I Sing the Utility Electric by Allen Small
"Whenever you see one of us, even though things may be powering down, know that we are there. We're Austin Energy, we'll leave the lights on for ya...We will keep power UP!" ⚡⬆️
We can't say thanks enough to the workers of Austin Energy for powering our city up amongst dangerous conditions last week.
Hear more about how Austin Energy keeps the lights on from this slam poem by Allen Small, who worked at Austin Energy for more than 27 years.
"I Sing the Utility Electric" was performed as part of our dance PowerUP with Austin Energy in 2013.
#}