Feet all over Eugene are tired of being confined to sweaty shoes all winter, and this weekend’s Fourth Annual Eugene Dance Festival offers locals a chance to set them free. The celebration — which includes University teachers and student performers — caters to all ages and levels. “Dance Into Diversity,” taking place at WOW Hall, located at 291 W. Eighth Ave., will include workshops and performances in many movement genres, from ballet to tango to breakdancing.
Scheduled events kick off Saturday at 10 a.m. Saturday’s workshops include a DanceAbility class at noon, designed to help people of all ages and levels explore their bodies’ movement potential, a theater session for children ages 10 and over, adults and seniors at 2:15 p.m. and Argentine Tango at 4 p.m. Participants can dance through the evening with a salsa class followed by performances from local dancers.
Dance Theatre of Oregon company directors Marc Siegel and Pamela Lehan-Siegel will teach “Dance Kaleidoscope” Sunday at 11:15 a.m. The workshop will explore a plethora of disciplines, including ballet, disco, jazz and modern. Graduate dance student Sara Ebert will teach a hip-hop class at 1 p.m., followed immediately by Darryl Shaft’s breakdancing workshop. More breakdance is in store for the day as well.
In addition to dance, the WOW Hall lobby will host a clay workshop and the Gallery boasts its new display, “Dancing on the Walls.”
Tickets are $5 to $10 on a sliding scale, plus $4 for Saturday night’s festivities. Weekend passes are $25 to $50. For a complete schedule, call 342-3273.
— Jacquelyn Lewis
