Firebird Free Dance Pop-ups by Choreographer Nejla Yatkin Return to Chicago Parks

As part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in Choreography Nejla Yatkin will surprise visitors in parks around Chicago with pop-up performances of her interactive and joyous Firebird dances for visitors to attend free of cost. Accompanied by live music, the meditative dances will be created in a sustainable relationship with nature. For four weeks starting on Thursday, June 8, Yatkin will perform 16 dance meditations that spark hope and deepen connections between people and their surroundings. At the end of each dance, park visitors of all ages will be invited to join in a collective bird movement meditation guided by Yatkin to prepare for the final Firebird Parade on Saturday, July 8. The full schedule and locations are below and online at www.ny2dance.com.

In many myths and cultures, the Firebird – or in Egyptian myth known as the Phoenix – is a messenger of hope and is considered as an agent for purifying the land and waters, bestowing fertility to wherever the Firebird visits. The mythical creature represents the union between the Earth and the Sky serving as the mediator and messenger between the two. 

“My creative work is very much influenced by my pastoral nomadic heritage,” shares Nejla Yatkin. “Similar to my nomadic heritage in which people travel seasonally to regenerate the land, I travel from place to place and put down creative seeds. My ‘nomadic’ creative practice has taken me to all continents of the world and has connected me, in a very intimate way, with diverse communities everywhere. From my multi-cultural background, I weave multiple cultural influences into choreographic tapestries of my own design. I explore multifaceted identities in solo dances, choreograph trans-cultural ensemble dances for stages and sites, collaborate on plays and film/video projects, and educate young and professional artists.”

Before the start of each week’s park pop-up performance, Yatkin will lead free, family-friendly Firebird Workshops each Wednesday in four different cultural centers, including Indian Boundary, Lincoln Park Cultural Center, Ford Calumet Environmental Center, and Berger Mansion. Participants will learn new movement vocabulary inspired by bird-like gestures and shapes, develop movements through flocking, explore the beauty and complexity of bird sounds, learn how to use found objects and movements to create their own unique soundscapes, focus on breath and meditation practices, and create personal costume designs that reflect the transformative journey of the Phoenix.

The park pop-ups and workshops will encourage participants—and roaming visitors—to create their own firebird costumes, sounds, and movements that they can bring to the final Firebird Parade. Participants are invited to gather at the Caracol Gathering Space in the Burnham Wildlife Corridor on July 8 at 5:00pm for a performance of Firebird followed by a festive parade with costumes, sounds, and dances to conclude the Firebird ceremony. 

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