Arts Everywhere, Indi Cowie and Dorrance Dance team up in four-day UNC residency

All around UNC's campus Tuesday, Arts Everywhere will be hosting the Dorrance Dance and Indi Cowie Footwork Battles, which is an event showcasing the art of an award-winning tap company and an international soccer freestyler. 

These Footwork Battles will begin at 12 p.m. on Tuesday in Davis Library, the Carolina Union, the Undergraduate Library and South Building.

Arts Everywhere is an initiative that began in 2016 with Chancellor Carol L. Folt’s vision that arts should be accessible to everyone at UNC. Since then, Arts Everywhere has been steadily growing and launched an app Monday. 

Rachel Ash, associate director for Arts Everywhere, said the program “wanted to do something really playful that made sure as many people got to experience the dancers' energy, vibrancy and amazing talent.”

The event is also a chance for people to see how the arts are intersectional. Indi Cowie’s freestyle soccer skills are just as much of an intricate art as the tap company’s dance numbers, which the event will highlight.

“I hope people will see that the arts and the athletics have more in common than they think,” Ash said. 

This event is part of a four-day residency with the Dorrance Dance Company, spearheaded by Chapel Hill native Michelle Dorrance. This is an opportunity for as many people to see the dancers as possible. 

Rachael Head, a sophomore at UNC and the Arts Everywhere social media coordinator, said that this event is trying to show students how accessible the arts are, in addition to making sure that everyone has an arts experience while in college. 

“The arts really have the power to connect people,” Head said. This is another purpose of the initiative.

Madison Logan, a first-year student and the student coordinator for Arts Everywhere, joined the initiative because she liked the energy and atmosphere that surround the arts.

This event will showcase that same energy and atmosphere, and will show how athletics and traditional arts can join forces into something that students can enjoy. 

Logan said the event is “showing in both ways how both of these skills are an art.”

Ash encourages students to get involved with Arts Everywhere, whether that means by becoming an Arts Ambassador or downloading the new app.

“We are bringing it to everyone. Anyone can experience it, even if you aren’t personally involved with it,” Logan said. 

@alliebecca

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