Update: Due to impending weather, the date has changed to Saturday, April 17, 2021 with two shows, one at 7 p.m. and one at 8:45 p.m.”

After an uncertain year, the Dallas Arts District returns to celebrate live dance and music at the 128,000 square foot outdoor venue Annette Strauss Square of AT&T Performing Arts Center. 

One of the district’s signature events, Changing Perspectives, will spotlight 10 performing arts companies for Dallas Arts Month. It blends cultural music and Ballet Folklorico, ballet and contemporary modern dance. 

Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico. Photo: Scogin Mayo

Lily Cabatu Weiss, executive director of Dallas Arts District, said the program will offer a safe experience for families to witness a live, in-person show. She added it reimagines traditional Dallas arts. 

“Experiencing the arts under the stars in an outdoor environment, and again it’s less intimidating because you’re not in formal seating,” Weiss said. “You could bring your blanket or your low beach chair and you’re out on the outdoor grassy area of Annette Strauss Square.”

The yearly celebration of Dallas artists will no longer be a block party with streets closed off. Instead, this year, Changing Perspectives will be masked, socially distanced and limited in the otherwise 2,000 capacity venue. 

Changing Perspectives seeks to “entice our community to attend a free event without feeling any kind of intimidation,” Weiss said.

The night of entertainment will bring together groups that rarely share the same stage. Groups such as Percussion Things, Anita N. Martinez Ballet Folklorico, Cry Havoc Theater Company, Texas Ballet Theater, and B. MOORE DANCE will perform in the first half of the evening performances, In the second half, companies Bandan Koro African Drum & Dance Ensemble, Bruce Wood Dance, The Dallas Opera Orchestra members, Dallas Black Dance Theatre and Dezi 5 will take the stage. 

In the past year, a survey found that arts organizations have lost more than $95 million during the pandemic. Mara Richards Bim, the founder of Cry Havoc Theater, said in a press statement that the event will help bridge what we’ve lost this year — connection. 

“Artistic creation plays a vital role in bringing communities together to process collective grief and to find renewed joy,” Richards Bim said, “…what we hope, is the first step on our journey home to live, performing arts in Dallas.”

To manage capacity, the Dallas Arts District asks patrons to RSVP.

Got a tip? Email Mia Estrada at mestrada@kera.org. You can follow her on Twitter @miaaestrada.

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