Interactive and joyous Firebird pop up performances by Nejla Yatkin

As part of Chicago Park District’s Night Out in the Parks series, 2023 Guggenheim Fellow in Choreography Nejla Yatkin will surprise visitors in parks around Chicago with pop-up performances of her interactive and joyous Firebird dances. Accompanied by live music, the meditative dances are created in a sustainable relationship with nature. For four weeks starting on Thursday, June 8, Yatkin will perform 16 dance meditations that spark hope and deepen connections between people and their surroundings. At the end of each dance, park visitors of all ages will be invited to join in a collective bird movement meditation guided by Yatkin to prepare for the final Firebird Parade on Saturday, July 8. The full schedule and locations are below and online at www.ny2dance.com.

In many myths and cultures, the Firebird – or in Egyptian myth known as the Phoenix – is a messenger of hope and is considered as an agent for purifying the land and waters, bestowing fertility to wherever the Firebird visits. The mythical creature represents the union between the Earth and the Sky serving as the mediator and messenger between the two.

Before the start of each week’s park pop-up performance, Yatkin will lead free, family-friendly Firebird Workshops each Wednesday in four different cultural centers, including Indian Boundary, Lincoln Park Cultural Center, Ford Calumet Environmental Center, and Berger Mansion. Participants will learn new movement vocabulary inspired by bird-like gestures and shapes, develop movements through flocking, explore the beauty and complexity of bird sounds, learn how to use found objects and movements to create their own unique soundscapes, focus on breath and meditation practices, and create personal costume designs that reflect the transformative journey of the Phoenix.

The park pop-ups and workshops will encourage participants—and roaming visitors—to create their own firebird costumes, sounds, and movements that they can bring to the final Firebird Parade. Participants are invited to gather at the Caracol Gathering Space in the Burnham Wildlife Corridor on July 8 at 5:00pm for a performance of Firebird followed by a festive parade with costumes, sounds, and dances to conclude the Firebird ceremony.

FULL SCHEDULE

To RSVP, please reach out to Nejla at ny2dance@gmail.com

Chicago Parks where Firebird will PopUp

Week 1
Wednesday, June 7 @5:30-7pm Firebird Movement Workshop with Nejla Yatkin Berger Mansion (6205 N. Sheridan Rd. Chicago, IL 60660)
Thursday, June 8 @6pm Firebird Pop up West Ridge Park (5801 N. Western Ave. Chicago, IL 60659 (Nejla + Ulli)
Friday, June 9 @6pm Firebird Pop Up Wildwood Park (6950 N. Hiawatha Ave. Chicago, IL 60646) (Nejla + Ulli)
Saturday, June 10 @12pm Firebird Pop Up Shabonna Park (6935 W. Addison St. Chicago, IL 60634) (Nejla + Ulli)
Sunday, June 11@6pm Firebird Pop Up Legion Park (3100 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago, IL) 60659 (Nejla + Ulli)

Week 2
Wednesday, June 14 @5:30 -7pm Firebird Costume/Movement Workshop with Janet H Yang & Nejla, Indian Boundary (2500 W. Lunt Ave. Chicago, IL 60645)
Thursday, June 15 @6pm Firebird Pop up Clark Boathouse (3400 N. Rockwell St. Chicago, IL 60618) (Nejla + Patrick) Friday, June 16 @6pm Firebird Pop up Peace Garden (Lakefront Trail, Chicago, IL 60640) (Nejla + Patrick)
Saturday, June 17 @12pm Firebird Pop up Maggie Daley (331 E Randolph St Chicago, IL 60601) (Nejla + Patrick) Sunday, June 18 @6pm Firebird Pop up Promontory Point (5491 S. Jean-Bapaste Pointe DuSable Lake Shore Drive Chicago, IL 60615) (Nejla + Patrick)

Week 3
Wednesday, June 21 @5:30-7pm Firebird Movement Workshop with Nejla
Lincoln Park, (2045 N. Lincoln Park West Chicago, IL 60610)
Thursday, June 22 @6pm Firebird Pop Up Bessemer Park, (8930 S Muskegon Ave
Chicago, IL 60617) (Nejla + Patrick)
Friday, June 23 @6pm Firebird Pop Up Arcade Park, (11132 S. St. Lawrence Ave. Chicago, IL 60628) (Nejla + Patrick) Saturday, June 24 @12pm Firebird Pop Up Jesse Owens Park (8800 S. Clyde Ave. Chicago, IL 60617) (Nejla + Patrick) Sunday, June 25 @6pm Firebird Pop Up Vidum Park (5010 W. 50th St. Chicago, IL 60638) (Nejla + Patrick)

Week 4
Wednesday, June 28 @5:30-7pm Firebird Sound and Movement with Ulli and Nejla. Big Marsh (11555 S. Stony Island Ave. Chicago, IL 60617
Thursday, June 29 @6pm Firebird Pop Up at Gage Park (2411 W. 55th St. Chicago, IL 60632) (Nejla + Patrick)
Friday, June 30 @6pm Firebird Pop Up McKinley Park (2210 W. Pershing Rd. Chicago, IL 60609) (Nejla +Patrick)
Saturday July 1 @12pm Firebird Pop Up Humboldt Park (1440 N. Humboldt Boulevard Chicago, IL 60622) (Nejla +Patrick)
Saturday, July 8 @5pm Firebird Parade at Caracol Gathering (Space South of McCormick Place Bird Sanctuary, approximately 2400 S. Lake Shore Drive, at Burnham Wildlife Corridor.) Start and End at Caracol Gathering Space, (Rain date for parade, Sunday July 9)

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Tags: Chicago, Firebird, Firebird pop up performances, Nejla Yatkin