On Campus

DANCES FOR COLLEGE CAMPUS EMPLOYEES
2018-2021

On Campus: Dances for College Campus Employees is a set of dances for campus employees, created through multi-visit residencies at host colleges or universities. Featuring the skilled movement of a distinct group of employees, such as dishwashers, custodians, physical plant staff, or maintenance crews, the dances highlight the virtuosic work of staff as performed by the employees themselves.

Broadening awareness of the contributions of employees to campus life, On Campus aims to create a greater sense of community by allowing students, staff, and faculty to address equity and build connection through a community-based dance-making process. Rather than touring a specific dance, this project tours Forklift Danceworks’ unique artmaking method, which involves collaboration with campus staff based on the work they do.

The first in the series, Served, premiered in February 2018 and featured the movement and stories of Williams College Dining Services staff. From the Ground Up, a dance with Wake Forest University Facilities and Campus Services employees, premiered in October 2019. The third iteration in the series will take place at Wesleyan University in 2021.

Press

Arts + Culture Texas | The Berkshire Eagle | Williams Dining

Support

On Campus, a community-based artistic process, received a touring grant from the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project. Additional support comes from the National Endowment for the Arts‘ Art Works program, Williams College’s ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance, Wake Forest Department of Theatre and Dance, and the Interdisciplinary Performance and the Liberal Arts Center (iPLACe) at Wake Forest University.