GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A performance of dance and poetry will take place at July's Second Saturday at The Art Center July 9 from 6-8 p.m.

The one-night event is an excerpt of a longer piece to be performed at the Performing Arts Festival in August at Colorado Mesa University.

Dancer and choreographer Connie Monroe based the work on “the urban myth or curse of the Grand Valley” which claims that if you take dirt with you from the Colorado National Monument and move away, you are cursed to return to live in the Grand Valley, Monroe said.

The dance, titled “Myths and Curses” is Monroe's personal exploration of the myth, she said. When she moved away five years ago, she hadn't expected to return, until family circumstances changed.

The legend, or “curse” often attributed to the Ute Indians, was debunked by historian Dave Fishell “which leads us to urban legends and where do they come from,” Monroe said.

The first half of the evening will include a dance and poetry reading based on the urban myth. Poets Luis Lopez and Suzanne Bronson have created original poetry for the event.

Spontaneity in art-making and improvisation as a tool for choreography will be the theme for the second half of the evening.

“As a choreographer I use improvisation a lot,” Monroe said. “I want movement that is genuine.”

Monroe said she will likely dance during the improvisational section.

Two or three musicians will provide the sound score for the performance, Monroe said.

This Second Saturday is sponsored by Z's Orchard and Produce. This event is free and open to the public.

Second Saturdays spotlight artists, artistic disciplines and artistic movements throughout history to educate, inspire, and create an appreciation for the arts, according to The Art Center. The narrative arts is also celebrated through poetry, short stories and plays often coupled with dance, music or the visual arts.

GO&DO What: The Art of Dance & Choreography, Spontaneity and Improvisation Where: The Art Center, 1803 N. Seventh St. When: 6-8 p.m. Sat., July 9 Cost: Free Info: 243-7337, www.gjartcenter.org

First ever local performing arts festival premieres August

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — A group of performing arts organizations has joined forces to put on the inaugural Grand Valley Performing Arts Festival Aug. 4-7 in Colorado Mesa University's Moss Performing Arts Center and outdoor quad.

The event includes an exciting array of dance, theater, music, and poetry productions and workshops, with a host of activities and entertainment for adults and children of all ages and performances by 25 different groups.

The highlight of the festival will be the Main Stage Show “Melody in Motion” on Friday and Saturday night in Robinson Theatre at 7:30 p.m. The production features an amazing multimedia dance tribute to the Colorado National Monument “Art on the Edge ~ Dancing on the Rim,” dazzling scenes and songs from the musicals “Quilters,” “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” and music by renowned cello and piano duo Tyme and Katherine Mientka.

The weekend kicks off Thursday with a free children's theater workshop and performance of the play “Fairy Tale Extravaganza” by local playwright Shawn Clingman in the college's Black Box Theater, coordinated by Creative Avenue's Youth Theater Project. Children and youth ages 8 to 18 can come that morning and join in the show, with rehearsals beginning at 9 a.m. and ending at 2:30 p.m. for most cast members. The performance is at 6 p.m. that evening.

On Friday the entertainment starts at 5 p.m. with free musical performances and poetry readings.

The festival runs all day Saturday, with events from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. both indoors and out at the college. All activities except the Main Stage Show are free. The “Kid Zone” area has child friendly activities — instrument-making workshops (drums, rain sticks, masks), music theater, a puppet-making workshop and puppet theater. The multi-cultural outdoor stage features continuous performances by many local dance and music groups, from classical guitar to Middle Eastern and Latino dancers.

There will be dance classes for all age groups in the dance studio, and entertainment featuring acts from choral and barbershop singers to poets to the play “Beauty and the Beast, Junior” by Showtime Productions in the Recital Hall and the Black Box Theatre. A documentary film about the Colorado National Monument will be shown and the Grand Junction Centennial Band performs on the lawn at 6 p.m.

Sunday brings a matinee performance of the popular musical “Seussical” at 2 p.m. in Robinson Theatre. Tickets are $5 per person. The play is produced by The Theater Project, a troupe of adult actors, who will do a slightly shortened version of the original musical geared to young audiences.

“It's wonderful to think that families can come and spend an hour or two or three and have so many exceptional things to chose from”, said Connie Monroe, one of the festival's organizers and choreographer of the “Art on the Edge” dance piece, “especially the kids, since they're at the age when they fall in love with so many different art forms.”

The festival's Thursday, Friday, and Saturday daytime performances, classes, and workshops are free to attend. Tickets for the evening performance in Robinson Theatre are $10 for adults and $5 for children and students under 18 and are available at local City Markets.

For information and a detailed schedule see the website at www.GVPerformingArtsFestival.org, or check out the Facebook page (Grand Valley Performing Arts Festival).

GO&DO WHAT: Grand Valley Performing Arts Festival WHEN: Aug. 4-7 WHERE: Colorado Mesa University, Moss Performing Arts Center COST: Free, unless otherwise noted INFO: www.GVPerformingArtsFestival.org