Art in the Loop project Connect danced its way to its first performance Friday at Union Station. It's the first in a series of art projects coming to downtown KC between July and September.
Performers from the Kansas City Ballet performed "The Inspired Pedestrians," described as a "video and performance project capturing an idealized dance of pedestrian traffic."
Elizabeth Stehling created and directed the performance with an individual artist grant from the Art in the Loop Foundation.
"It's our effort to bring art and artists out of their galleries and off the stage and onto the streets of downtown," said Ann Holliday of the Art in the Loop Foundation.
A collaboration with KC Streetcar, the dancers took their performance from Union Station to Kauffman Center on the streetcar, performed at the Kauffman Center stop, then returned to Union Station for a final performance.
"It's our effort to bring art and artists out of their galleries and off the stage and onto the streets of downtown," said Holliday.
The foundation is partnering with a plethora of entities including: the city of Kansas City, the KC Streetcar Authority, KCMO's Office of Culture and Creative Services, KCMO's Neighborhood Tourism and Development Fund, KCMO's Municipal Art Commission, the Missouri Arts Council and corporate sponsors, who expect an economy boost to be the return on investment.
"Some of the businesses involved, they know that the folks that work for them are young creative people that they want to live where something interesting is happening, they want to work where something interesting is happening, and that's downtown and that's some of what our art will provide them," said Holliday.
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Brian Abel can be reached at brian.abel@kshb.com.
