Artists & Communities Host Site: City of Hammond
5925 Calumet Avenue
Hammond, IN 46320
Web site: www.ci.hammond.in.us/

Millennium Artist:
Amie Dowling
Choreographer and Performer
Massachusetts
E-mail: Dancegen@aol.com

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The residents of Hammond, Indiana celebrated their similarities and their differences, their diverse traditions and cultures, in the community-wide dance extravaganza "Arts Inside Out," marking Amie Dowling's Artists & Communities residency with the City of Hammond and the Mayor's Hammond Commission for the Arts and Humanities.

The City's involvement in Artists & Communities grew from the vision of Mayor Duane W. Dedelow, Jr., of arts participation revitalizing his community by building a spirit of learning, positive self-esteem, and motivation. Sharing that vision, Amie Dowling brought almost 15 years' experience, both in the U.S. and overseas, of engaging people of all ages and abilities in multidisciplinary dance performances in unconventional settings.

Discussing her approach to community arts, Dowling stated, "the work I am passionate about brings people who come from varied social, economic, and racial backgrounds together by using dance and theater to create pieces that speak to the differences between individuals."

Working with an artistic team of two student interns, Kristen Wisniewski and Elaine Long, two community consultants, Kathleen Dominiak and Janet Moran, and San Francisco-based dancer/choreographer Tom Truss, Dowling was able to foster relationships with over a dozen dance groups from the Hammond region during her brief three month residency.

Residency activities centered on a series of workshops for skilled and unskilled dancers alike. Sessions included energetic dance movement for younger participants and creative strength and flexibility movement for seniors. As part of their work, participants shared stories and created personal journals that were then used as the basis for new performance pieces.

In early August 2000, the streets and buildings of downtown Hammond became the setting for "Arts Inside Out," the residency's culminating event. Audiences explored the downtown neighborhood, where around every corner they discovered a smorgasbord of dancing, music, and spoken performances.

The day was a showcase for the diverse face of Hammond: traditional Irish dancing, salsa performances, a gospel choir, contemporary Indian dance, a swing dance demonstration, a special needs dance group for dancers with disabilities, ballet, and traditional and contemporary Puerto Rican dance. A Scottish bagpipe orchestra, historical readings, tap dancing, a Suzuki School musical ensemble, hip hop and jazz dancers, folkloric Latin American dance, and a church-based praise stepping performance all demonstrated the cultural vitality of this former industrial center.

The CORE Dance Troupe, a multicultural group evolved from Amie Dowling's earlier workshops, was also featured, as was a specially choreographed fire fighting routine by City of Hammond firefighters.

"Arts Inside Out" very successfully reintroduced residents of Hammond to the downtown area, building on the efforts of the Mayor's Commission to encourage economic development through the development of a vibrant and attractive arts district.

MILLENNIUM ARTIST BIO

Amie Dowling is an educator, choreographer, and performer who has been involved with community-based arts for the past fifteen years. Dowling is currently Artistic Director of the Dance Generators and a guest artist in the Five College Dance department.