Here are 5 things to do this weekend in Johnson County, including University of Iowa Dance Gala
For folks tapped into the busy-ness of midterm elections that culminated with Election Day on Tuesday, you can use this weekend to decompress and have some fun in the Iowa City area.
Visit the Hancher Auditorium on Friday or Saturday for a captivating dance performance from the University of Iowa, or see Nashville-based singer Garrett Speer at Elray’s Live and Dive for three days of concerts.
Or, continue with holiday shopping — yes, Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet — with a holiday market in Iowa City.
Here are five things to do this weekend in Johnson County.
University of Iowa Dance Gala 2022 at the Hancher Auditorium
The University of Iowa Dance Gala returns Friday and Saturday at the Hancher Auditorium after two years of virtual and limited presentations.
The 2022 dance gala features choreography created by the UI Department of Dance faculty, including works that touch on the topics of mental illness and community.
The performance, titled “In Motion,” will include 46 undergraduate and graduate students, said Eloy Barragán in an email to the Press-Citizen.
Barragán is an associate professor in the Department of Dance and the artistic director for the 2022 gala.
He choreographed “Unfinished,” which explores schizophrenia, a disorder that affected the brothers of Barragán's close friend, according to the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The 2022 dance gala will also premiere a new work by FLOCK, a co-choreography German and American dance company.
The annual dance gala began in 1981, featuring performances by majors and non-majors, according to the UI Department of Dance.
Tickets can be purchased online at the Hancher Auditorium's website. Both shows start at 8 p.m. The performance will be available to view online on Sunday on the UI Department of Dance’s website.
ArtLinks at Public Space One
Iowa City area residents will have the unique opportunity to view and respond to works created by incarcerated artists at Public Space One on Sunday.
This event is presented by the Justice Arts Coalition.
The Justice Arts Coalition is a national organizations that brings together teaching artists, arts advocates and artists who are or have been incarcerated and their allies, “harnessing the transformative power of the arts to reimagine justice,” according to its website.
The national coalition hosts programs, including online learning opportunities, has a program directory for arts-based workshops and courses nationwide, and presents events like the one at Public Space One, titled ArtLinks.
ArtLinks is an opportunity for folks to view work by incarcerated artists in the coalition’s network and provide feedback through hand-written letters that the coalition will send to the artists.
“Time and time again, we hear how much it means to the artists to know that folks on the outside are seeing, appreciating, and being impacted by their work,” according to a program description on Public Space One’s website. “Knowing that you took time to engage with their work, and that it spoke to you, brings them hope and validation and inspires them to keep creating.”
Visit Public Space One’s website to RSVP to attend ArtLinks. The event will be from 2-3 p.m. at PS1’s 538 S. Gilbert St. location.
Holiday Market at the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center
Stop by the Robert A. Lee Recreation Center on Saturday for the return of the annual holiday market.
Local vendors will have a variety of handcrafted, seasonal gifts and food for visitors to purchase.
There is no entry fee for the holiday market.
The holiday market will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you can’t make it to Saturday’s market, there will be another holiday market on Dec. 17, perfect for any last-minute gift shopping.
Visit Iowa City’s website for more information about upcoming events.
Celebration of Coralville at the Iowa Children’s Museum
Attention, all Coralville residents.
The Iowa Children’s Museum is celebrating the community by inviting residents of Coralville to visit the children’s museum Friday evening.
Admission will be $1 from 6-8 p.m.
All admission and freewill donations, according to the children’s museum website, will be donated to the Coralville Community Food Pantry.
Visit the Iowa Children’s Museum’s website for more information.
Garrett Speer at Elray’s Live and Dive
Nashville-based country artist Garrett Speer is performing for three days at Elray’s Live and Dive in downtown Iowa City starting Thursday evening.
Speer grew up in Fort Myers, Florida, and has been singing and playing guitar since he was 13, according to his website.
The country singer is best known for his song “We Drink Beer” in 2019, or his more recent release “Fixin 2,” earlier this year.
The self-described Taco Bell addict will return to Iowa to perform at Deringer’s Public Parlor in Cedar Falls on Dec. 3.
Speer will perform Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m. at Elray’s Live and Dive. Visit the performance venue's website for more information.
Paris Barraza covers entertainment, lifestyle and arts at the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Reach her at PBarraza@press-citizen.com or (319) 519-9731. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Things to do this weekend in Johnson County include UI Dance Gala 2022
