Dogtown Dance Theater will put on its third annual Mardi Gras celebration this coming Saturday, March 1 and Fat Tuesday, March 4.
Dogtown Dance Theater will put on its third annual Mardi Gras celebration this coming Saturday, March 1 and Fat Tuesday, March 4.
Both days will feature parades followed by three hours of performances at the Dogtown Dance Theater. Saturday’s parade will begin at 3 pm and will be motorized. Tuesday’s parade will remain strictly pedestrian and will start at 5:30. Both processions will follow the same one-mile route, beginning on 15th and Bainbridge streets in Manchester.
“All of it is very participatory,” said Elli Morris, the event’s organizer. “We want to get people involved in it, and enjoy it. It’s not about sitting and watching, it’s about being and participating.”
The celebration will serve as a fundraiser for Dogtown Dance, a community theater place that hosts both performances and a variety of different dance classes. “[Some theaters] are really expensive, and Dogtown is very available to artists. It’s a space where people can say, ‘hey, I have an idea!’ and where they can actually make it happen,” said Morris.
Walking in the parade is free, but automobile floats must pay a fee of $75 (non-profits can get in for $30). Tickets to the performances run $10 and kids 12 and under get in free.
So, what can you expect in terms of performances at Dogtown? “We have professional ballroom salsa, professional pole dancers, aerial silks, belly dancing, modern dance, jugglers, tarot card readers, live music… there’s so many performances,” said Morris. “They’re all short, so that it still feels like you’re outside in the street and just happening on something.”
The goal of the event is to facilitate a community feeling similar to that created by Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
Puppet shows, face painting, food trucks, Hardywood beer, flower throwing, a live gold statue! Dogtown is going all out and wants everyone to be involved. “Something is always happening and you get to be a part of it,” said Morris. “It’s real active. Throwing it out, being crazy, that’s what it’s all about!”
The event will differ from New Orleans’ Mardi Gras in that it’ll be a bit more family friendly. “We’re not going to be drinking out on the streets during the parade,” said Morris. She estimates that Tuesday’s crowd will be a bit older, since the parade starts later. “It’s not going to be a get drunk, show your [boobs] type thing,” she laughs.
You can get more info from RVA Mardi Gras’ website.
