Community Voices

Andrea Ariel community

Through Community Voices we want to create a dialogue and deeper connection
with our community about subjects we believe are meaningful to all of us.

Hello Community!

Community Voices Workshops are free and open to all!

Want to try something NEW? Do something CREATIVE and FUN? MEET new people?

Community Voices offers a safe space to be creative, share stories, move, engage in meaningful dialogues, and explore innovative ways to meet new people AND create something together.

All movement-based activities are designed for participation and adaption for ANY physical ability or level of experience, even while seated. NO DANCE OR THEATER EXPERIENCE IS NEEDED!

In the workshops we play fun movement and theater games and explore other creative-based structures to engage in an investigation about things that are important to us. The workshops create a shared experience that brings together our tools for creative play and ensemble practice to build community and inform the art of living.

Community Voices creates an opportunity to bring perspectives and stories beyond our own, to listen and learn from each other. These workshops inspire and guide the creation of our work by nurturing a deeper connection to the community we live in.

Community Voices Workshops will return in the fall of 2024!

A bit of history…..

Through Community Voices we hosted Act of Heart, a four-week, free workshop series bringing together community members to create and dialogue around the question “What does it mean to live with heart?” The workshops culminated in a movement action performance Act of Heart on the Long Center lawn at Austin’s Auditorium Shores. This event celebrated the heart of Austin in honor of World Heart Day and was created from material developed in the workshops and performed by 14 workshop participants! View PHOTOS and VIDEOS of this project.

In 2019 we held a series of workshops inviting the community to bring their perspectives and ideas to the creation of RALLY!, which premiered at the Emma S. Barrientos, Mexican American Cultural Center June 13-16, 2019.

Our current project BORDERLESS, premiering June 28-29, 2024, included a series of five workshops held at the Asian American Resource Center and the Carver Cultural Center inviting community members to participate in the creative development exploring the questions: What connects us and what disconnects as humans across ethnicities and cultures?

Quotes from Community Voices participants

“Learning to discover my creativity…. That my ideas are worthy. Fabulous experience! Thank you for giving me an opportunity to quickly connect with what I’ve seen as strangers.”

“Love the living sculpture part, the group community energy and bond that developed. Wonderful focus…. Great topic!”

“Sharing ideas is fun and rewarding, observing and listening to others is important. Everyone’s idea of “heart” is different, but all valid and interesting.”

“I enjoyed the variety of games and activities and the sense of group that emerged. The effort was honest and beautiful. I can participate with others without being self-conscious. The sculptures were so moving. The principles are universal and tie us all together. I really enjoyed moving with Andrea and all the participants. Everyone has so much to offer… all unique, yet all coming from the same source.”

“Exhilarating. Thoughtful. Connecting. Creativity. I can still move and I like to be in community sculpting! Andrea has a true heart and enthusiasm.”

“Beautiful! Insightful…built community and awareness.”

“I experienced connecting with people I didn’t know when I walked in. Eye-opening and it jogged my mind to think about heart. I am able to relax and take in a task to be completed without thinking about being perfect. A lot of people have different ideas about heart…They all find a place in the heart. Wonderful!”

“A creative extrapolation on polarity between one’s heart and the heart of the community. Learned about sharing and using abstract concepts to build a message. I had fun too!”

“Interesting and fun.”

“Very stimulating and moving.”