The Arts & Resiliency Gathering

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The Arts & Resiliency Gathering from Oct. 25th through 29th, 2023, unites acclaimed artists who specialize in art-making that promotes resiliency and community well-being. The workshops and evening performances are open to all but also focus on direct engagement with individuals in the LGBTQ+, Veteran, military, people with disabilities, healthcare, and caregiver populations in the Colorado Springs region. Sponsored and funded by the Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience at UCCS and various national and local partners, this well-being-focused series of events is the first of its kind to be held in Colorado Springs.

Artists

Multi-event Discount

Individuals registering for multiple events will receive the following discount: 
3 events = 10% off
4 events = 15% off
5 events = 25% off

Concerts

The Arts & Resiliency Gathering Concerts offer a calming and invigorating outlet for audiences to experience sound, movement, and expression in three innovative performances. These events embrace our dreams and promote the awareness of beauty in the mundane, everyday acts around us. These concerts provide us an opportunity to explore and cultivate empathy and well-being for ourselves and each other.

 

Click on the plus(+) symbol below to learn more about the various workshops.

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Reflections with Stephanie Winters & Chris Rosser
When: Thu, Oct. 26, 7:30 pm
Location: The Chapman Foundation Recital Hall
Performers: Stephanie Winters and Chris Rosser


A multimedia experience where live music, spoken word, and film create a liminal space where dream and reality coexist, and the conscious and unconscious mind meet. Cellist Stephanie Winters will guide the audience to explore the question, “How can our trauma become the source of our healing and resiliency?" Multi-instrumentalist and composer Chris Rosser will create a live soundscape with oud, piano, and electronics. Film by Merri Cyr. Music by Rosser, Winters, and the Sarabande movements from the iconic Six Suites for solo cello by J.S. Bach.

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EnterPlay: An Immersive, Contemplative Concert
Fri, Oct. 27, 7:30 pm
Location: The Chapman Foundation Recital Hall
Performer: Katie Down

Music therapist/performer, Katie Down and UCCS Visual and Performing Arts department students will create a contemplative soundscape for the audience to experience in surround sound as the players slowly move throughout the theatre. Audience members will be invited to experience with all their senses as sounds subtly weave throughout and embrace the space. Katie will guide the sonic interplay with gestures to create a cohesive tapestry of sound and sensation.  

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(A) Way Out of My Body with David Dorfman Dance
When: Sat, Oct. 28, 7:30 pm 
Location: Shockley-Zalabak Theater
Performers: David Dorfman Dance

(A)Way Out of My Body investigates the “out of body” experience as a metaphor for our body politic. David Dorfman propels dancers through space and time in search of personal truths. With breath-taking lighting and visual design by theater-maker Andrew Schneider and an original score by the company's four-person house band, led by singer/songwriter Elizabeth de Lise, Dorfman’s newest work beckons the audience into the otherworldly-ness of dreams, desires, and connectivity, as well as potential new worlds awaiting discovery. 

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Workshops

The Arts & Resiliency Gathering Workshops offer the community the opportunity to explore various art forms with guest artists trained in trauma and resiliency methods. Each workshop promotes diversity, equity, inclusivity, and belonging through carefully crafted practices that foster care, curiosity, and playfulness. Participants are encouraged to express their stories through poetry, movement, and photography, as well as to engage in deep listening through sound baths and song. These workshops encourage us to listen to our bodies, our histories, and our environment, thereby strengthening ourselves and our community connections.

 

Click on the plus(+) symbol below to learn more about the various workshops.

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Thursday, October 26

Self-Honoring Poetry Workshop with Ashley Cornelius
When: Thu, Oct. 26, 12:00-1:30 pm
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructor: Ashley Cornelius 

Join Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate, Ashley Cornelius, for a poetry and healing workshop on self-care. This workshop will celebrate rest, joy, and self-care. There will be a guided discussion, mindfulness activities, and writing prompts to encourage participants to get creative and to tend to themselves. Poetry is an incredible modality for healing, and writing prompts are a vehicle for processing and connection. We have to pour into ourselves before we can care for others. All levels and interests are welcome!

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Friday, October 27

Caring for Caregivers Poetry Workshop with Ashley Cornelius
When: Fri, Oct. 27, 10:00-11:30 am
location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructor: Ashley Cornelius 

A poetry and healing workshop for caregivers. Caregiving is a gift and a lift. This workshop will celebrate the beauty of those who are in helping fields and validate the need for rest and healing. There will be a guided discussion, mindfulness activities, and writing prompts to encourage participants to get creative and create beautiful artistic works. All levels and interests are welcome!  

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Saturday, October 28

Revolutionary Joy Workshop with Ashley Cornelius
When: Sat, Oct. 28, 4:00-5:30 pm
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructor: Ashley Cornelius 

Join Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate, Ashley Cornelius, for a workshop on joy! Joy is revolutionary! When we practice deep joy for ourselves, we are performing revolutionary acts. This workshop will use poetry to bring out participants' experiences of joy and translate them into poetry. There will be a discussion and writing prompts to help capture and describe our joy in poetry. All levels and interests are welcome!

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Sound Bath and Meditative Poetry Experience with Katie Down and Ashley Cornelius
When: Sun, Oct. 29, 10:00 - 11:30 am
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructors: Ashley Cornelius and Katie Down 

Join Ashley and Katie in a special sonic meditation of music and poetry. Listeners will be guided and invited to sink into a meditation and poetry reading with sound, experiencing the power of words that invite the listener to rest and relax. The meditative poem “Invitation” by Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate, Ashley Cornelius, was created to support grounding, healing, and affirmations. Participants will be invited to bring their whole selves to this sound and poetry workshop and be refreshed and cared for in the process.   

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Friday, October 27

Song as Resource
When: Fri, Oct. 27, 3:00-4:00 pm
Location: Margot Lane Studio
Instructors: Stephanie Winters and Chris Rosser  

A workshop with singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Chris Rosser and cellist Stephanie Winters. Sharing their original repertoire, the artists will bring the participants into the performance of their songs and poems with opportunities to move, sing, and body drum. The guiding idea is that music deepens our listening and the magic of connection within ourselves and others. 

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Saturday, October 28

Take It Lying Down or Simply Sit
When: Sat, Oct. 28, 9:00–10:00 am
Location: Overlook Studio
Instructor: Stephanie Winters 

A workshop on becoming more aware through physical movement. Cellist and Guild Certified Feldenkrais Practitioner Stephanie Winters will invite you to slow down, lie down or sit, close your eyes, and gently move. No matter your mobility or fitness, you can experience more freedom and comfort in your body. Chairs and mats will be provided. All are welcome! 

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Wednesday, October 25

The Art of Storytelling: Discovering ways to tell your story through photography
When: Wed, Oct. 25, 9:30-11:30 am 
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Solarium
 
Instructor: Robert Gray
Note: 12 tickets available to the public

This workshop will teach basic photography skills as well as techniques needed to be present in the moment. We will focus on resiliency and give you the tools needed to tell your story in a productive and healthy manner through photography. You will leave the workshop with an understanding and practice of how the exposure triangle works, as well as a brief introduction to Gestalt Theory and why it is used in photography. This is a two-hour session with a mix of indoor class time, as well as an outdoor hands-on training session.

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Thursday, October 26

The Art of Storytelling: Discovering ways to tell your story through photography
When: Thu, Oct. 26, 2:00-3:30 pm 
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructor: Robert Gray

This workshop will teach basic photography skills as well as techniques needed to be present in the moment. We will focus on resiliency and give you the tools needed to tell your story in a productive and healthy manner through of photography. You will leave the workshop with an understanding and practice of how the exposure triangle works, as well as a brief introduction to Gestalt Theory and why it is used in photography. This is a two-hour session with a mix of indoor class time, as well as an outdoor hands-on training session.  

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Friday, October 27

The Art of Storytelling: Discovering ways to tell your story through photography
When: Fri, Oct. 27, 4:30-6:30 pm
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructor: Robert Gray

This workshop will teach basic photography skills as well as techniques needed to be present in the moment. We will focus on resiliency and give you the tools needed to tell your story in a productive and healthy manner through of photography. You will leave the workshop with an understanding and practice of how the exposure triangle works, as well as a brief introduction to Gestalt Theory and why it is used in photography. This is a two-hour session with a mix of indoor class time, as well as an outdoor hands-on training session.  

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Saturday, October 28 

The Art of Storytelling: Discovering ways to tell your story through photography (in collaboration with Katie Down’s concurrent Sound Bath workshop)
When: Sat, Oct. 28, 12:00-2:00 pm 
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructor: Robert Gray and Katie Down

This workshop will teach basic photography skills as well as techniques needed to be present in the moment. We will focus on resiliency and give you the tools needed to tell your story in a productive and healthy manner through of photography. You will leave the workshop with an understanding and practice of how the exposure triangle works, as well as a brief introduction to Gestalt Theory and why it is used in photography. This is a two-hour session with a mix of indoor class time, as well as an outdoor hands-on training session.  

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Thursday, October 26 

Choreographing Life with David Dorfman Dance
When: Thu, Oct. 26, 12:15-1:30 pm 
Location: Overlook Studio
Instructor: David Dorfman Dance
Note: 10 tickets available to the public

Students will study choreography as social and personal commentary. Working in class on both solo and group projects, students will be encouraged to find compositional means for exploring areas about which they are passionate. Selections of Dorfman’s repertory works may be taught as aids in broadening individuals performing range. Exposure to these dances will provide a common basis for the study and discussion of different aspects of the choreographic process. 

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Movement is Necessary (for Everybody) with David Dorfman Dance
When: Thu, Oct. 26, 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Location: Overlook Studio
Instructor: David Dorfman Dance

For David Dorfman Dance, the movement of our precious bodies – in any way, shape, or form – is important. In a world, filled with daily obstacles of all kinds, how do we navigate toward positive change, resilience, and empathic behavior? Our answer is to dance through life with each other. We need to move in new directions and discover paths we have only dreamt of. By employing improvisation combined with choreographed sequences, dancers of all ages and experiences can find joy and discovery in this workshop. We will have fun, and no previous dance experience is necessary!

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Friday, October 27 

Dancin’ Seniors Workshop and Discussion with David Dorfman Dance
When: Fri, Oct. 27, Workshop: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm & Discussion: 12:00 - 1:00 pm 
Location: Overlook Studio
Instructor: David Dorfman Dance

Modern Dance Company, David Dorfman Dance leads “Dancin' Seniors.” Tailored to our Senior population, the movement of our precious bodies – in any way, shape, or form – becomes all-important. By employing improvisation combined with choreographed sequences (line dancing, disco, and more!). Seniors with any level of dance experience (or none!) can find joy and discovery in this workshop. In our unpredictable world, filled with daily obstacles of all kinds, how do we navigate toward positive change, resilience, and empathic behavior? Our answer is to dance through life with each other. We need to move in new directions and discover paths we have only dreamt of. 

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Movement is Necessary (for Everybody) with David Dorfman Dance
When: Fri, Oct. 27, 4:30 - 6:00 pm
Location: Overlook Studio
Instructor: David Dorfman Dance

For David Dorfman Dance, the movement of our precious bodies – in any way, shape, or form – is important. In our unpredictable world, filled with daily obstacles of all kinds, how do we navigate toward positive change, resilience, and empathic behavior? Our answer is to dance through life with each other: safely and with magical risk appropriate for the occasion. We need to move in new directions – discover paths we have only dreamt of. By employing improvisation combined with choreographed sequences, dancers of all ages and experiences can find joy and discovery in this workshop. We will have fun, and no previous dance experience is necessary!  

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Saturday, October 28

Kinetic Play with David Dorfman Dance
When: Sat, Oct. 28, 10:15-11:30 am
Location: Overlook Studio
Instructor: David Dorfman Dance

David Dorfman Dance has worked throughout the world for decades combining text and movement to access personal, political, and humorous stories – blending seamlessly both literal and abstract notions of presence, equity, and agency. During this workshop, participants will move, write, and speak to their most pressing issues. As our intent is always to “get the whole world dancing,” to this end, no previous dance experience is required – just a willingness to explore. If we can all move together, especially with people unfamiliar to us, we can make a more empathic world in real-time. The workshop will be collaborative and improvisational, exploring the complex relationships between thought, emotions, politics, principles, power, social inequality, and movement/dance/text. 

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Moving with Momentum with David Dorfman Dance 
When: Sat, Oct. 28, 12:00-1:30 pm
Location: Overlook Studio
Instructor: David Dorfman Dance

Moving with Momentum ranges in style from release-based post-modern work connecting with the floor to an eclectic standing modern class. Concepts such as a weighted and grounded approach to movement, harnessing the body’s momentum and force (‘throwing your weight around’ in small spaces), emphasis on intent, focus, texture, and compositional choices through improvisation will be included. We will have fun!

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Thursday, October 26 

Music and Sound in Healing Modalities: Trauma-Informed Care and Nervous System Regulation Through Creative Arts Therapies
When: Thu, Oct. 26, 10:00-11:30 am 
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Solarium
Instructor: Katie Down

Participants will be introduced to techniques used in Music Therapy, Sound Healing, and Deep Listening©, while engaging in discussion and hands-on experiences in these healing modalities used in trauma-informed care, nervous system regulation, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

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Saturday, October 28 

The Art of Listening as an Act of Compassion with Katie Down
When: Thu, Oct. 28, 12:00-2:00 pm 
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Solarium
Instructor: Katie Down

We hear and register sounds but when we take the time to listen with all our senses, we can begin to connect in ways that deepen our relationships with one another, with nature, and with all external forces. The art of listening is a practice that invites the listener to be curious, non-judgmental, open-eared, and open-hearted to all sonic information, and begin to dance with that information energetically, musically, physically, and mentally. Participants will be introduced to various ways in which we listen through games, exercises, and group improvisation. We will experience a sound walk with Mindfolds to experience the way in which we can listen through touch, stillness, and ears to the earth.   

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Joint Sound Bath and Meditative Poetry Experience with Katie Down and Ashley Cornelius
When: Sun, Oct. 29, 10:00 am
Location: Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities, Main House
Instructors: Katie Down and Ashley Cornelius 

Join Katie and Ashley in a special sonic meditation of music and poetry. Listeners will be guided and invited to sink into a meditation and poetry reading with sound, experiencing the power of words that invite the listener to rest and relax. The meditative poem “Invitation” by Pikes Peak Region Poet Laureate, Ashley Cornelius, was created to support grounding, healing, and affirmations. Participants will be invited to bring their whole selves to this sound and poetry workshop and be refreshed and cared for in the process.     

Click to Purchase Tickets

Ent Center Ticket Webpage

Ent Center for the Arts Panorama photo

You can find all of the ticket transaction webpages for the Arts & Resiliency Gathering on the Ent Center website here.

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Event Sponsors

Arts & Resiliency Gathering Partner Logos v5

National Endowment for the Arts*, Lyda Hill Institute for Human Resilience, Kirkpatrick Family Fund, Colorado College Creativity & Innovation Office, Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region, El Pomar Foundation, Kyle & Sally Hybl, Bee Vradenburg Foundation, KCME 88.7 FM, Green Box Arts, Dr. Charles Benight 

 

* This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Event Partners

Arts Resiliency Gathering Partner Logos

Inside Out Youth Services, The Independence Center, Visual & Performing Arts – UCCS, Department of English - UCCS, Heller Center for the Arts & Humanities – UCCS