The Way of Water—El Paso is a March 2025 artistic residency and performance project with El Paso community members, local artists, and regional water experts. Presented in partnership with the University of Texas at El Paso/Department of Theatre and Dance and Center for Environmental Resource Management, Forklift artists will engage college students, scientists, and residents in a community-based dance making process, culminating with the presentation of a community performance, entitled Water Moves, an official event of UTEP World Water Week 2025: “Water: States and Transformations”
Water Moves – a community performance
Thursday, March 20th; 6:30-8pm
San Jacinto Plaza, Downtown El Paso
Free, no reservations required
Co-directed by Melissa Melpignano, UTEP and Allison Orr, Forklift Danceworks and featuring UTEP and Wesleyan University students, El Paso water experts and community members, the UTEP Concert Chorale and Mountain Movement Dance Company.
This project is supported by The City of El Paso—The Museum and Cultural Affairs Division, the Mid-America Arts Alliance, The Texas Commission on the Arts, The New England Foundation for the Arts, and donors to Forklift Danceworks.
Project partners include The University of Texas at El Paso’s Department of Theatre and Dance, College of Health Sciences—Dept. of Social Work, College of Science, and College of Engineering, Center for Environmental Resource Management, UTEP’s One Water Cluster, Wesleyan University’s College of Environment, Mountain Movement, and Eco El Paso.
To inquire about sponsorship opportunities to support the free, community event on March 20th, download this sponsorship deck, or email Rachael Garbowski, Associate Director of Development and Communications, at grants@forkliftdanceworks.org.
More about the University of Texas at El Paso Department of Theatre and Dance: The Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at El Paso is a vibrant community of nearly 160 students and 25 faculty and staff, committed to artistic and academic excellence, access, and impact. Our mission is to be recognized as an exemplary department in an R1 university and in America’s leading Hispanic Serving Institution. We value scholarly and creative research that aligns with the standards of a top-tier university, actively involving students in the process of discovery and knowledge creation. We provide open access education through BA and BFA degrees across various concentrations in theatre and dance, while fostering interdisciplinarity and community engagement. The Department’s motto “What is Your Story?” mirrors our investment in the values of access, belonging, and care. Through research, creative endeavors, teaching, and mentorship, we guide and support students from all backgrounds in their journey towards success and social mobility. By utilizing theatre and dance as platforms for advocacy, we strive to promote social justice in the Paso del Norte region and beyond. As a hallmark of our Department, we engage students, faculty, and staff in artistic practice through an annual season featuring about 12 theater, dance, and musical theater productions in the Wise Family Theatre, the June Sadowski Kruszewski Studio Theatre, and the Dinner Theatre, along with traveling, site-specific, and student-led performances.
