Fort Wayne Dance Collective invites you to join them around a campfire to “whisper urban legends and scary stories under the light of the full moon” during their 15th annual Halloween show, Fireside Frights, from Oct. 18-20 at PPG ArtsLab. 

Spooky Stories, Urban Legends

FWDC’s professional company, their students, and Fort Wayne community members will be using dance to tell spooky tales, including some nostalgic classics. 

The legend of the Loch Ness monster will be told, along with some “Goosebumps-type stories,” said Mandie Kolkman, FWDC’s artistic director. 

One chilling story that will take center stage is The Green Ribbon. 

“The Green Ribbon is a popular urban legend from Alvin Schwartz’s book In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories,” Kolkman said. “It is about a woman that always wears a ribbon around her neck. After years of marriage, her husband finally unties the ribbon and removes it from her neck while she’s resting. Much to his surprise, he finds out that the ribbon is what was keeping her head attached to her body — she was decapitated!” 

Figuring out how to portray a decapitated character in a live performance is no small feat. Telling stories like this takes creativity, not only in terms of choreography but also in staging and costuming. 

“This show has kind of a retro, spooky vibe, which comes across in the costuming and the staging,” Kolkman said.

Hands-on Experience

Kolkman said the costumes create the nostalgic atmosphere of sitting around a campfire telling ghost stories, while the staging and effects help bring the supernatural aspects of the stories to life. 

Achieving such goals takes the work of many people at FWDC and the Fort Wayne community. 

“We will be partnering with the visual communications program at Ivy Tech,” Kolkman said. “The students will help produce original artwork that will be projected during the show to help draw the audience in.” 

According to Ivy Tech’s website, “Ivy Tech’s Visual Communications program is a launching pad for students looking to work in graphic design, web and media arts, photography, and user experience design. You’ll gain hands-on experience and graduate with a diverse portfolio of work to help you land a job.” 

Part of the “hands-on experience” students will get includes the opportunity to provide art for FWDC shows. 

“Partnering with the students at Ivy Tech is something that we’ve done for multiple years,” Kolkman said. “It’s a great way for them to learn the skills necessary for pursuing a career in the arts. Learning how to communicate with other artists and make those connections is important for them.”

The partnership between Ivy Tech and FWDC represents a symbiotic relationship, providing a mutual benefit to students and performers. Kolkman and her team have facilitated this partnership with the help of Ivy Tech professors Erin Salyers and Jared Applegate. 

Another educational collaboration in this show is FWDC’s continued partnership with local high school students. 

“We’ve had the South Side High School dance students in the show for multiple years,” Kolkman said. “It’s such a fun show, and we hear from many of them that this show is one of their favorite performances of the year.” 

In addition to seeing South Side High School dance students on stage with FWDC, the community may recognize them from their annual Dancing with the South Side Stars show, which raises money for meaningful causes. In 2023, they raised $4,500 in donations for Riley Children’s Hospital. 

It takes a village

If being part of the Halloween show sounds like fun, you’re in luck: Anyone can audition. FWDC annually invites members of the community, regardless of dance experience or ability level, to audition for the Halloween show and other shows throughout the year.

“Auditioning for the Halloween show exposes Fort Wayne community members to our unique arts community, and we are so excited to welcome them,” Kolkman said. “It’s a great way to work on artistry and meet new people at the same time.” 

The community collaborations don’t end there. The variety of scary stories being told is matched by the variety of choreographers who contributed to this show. 

FWDC, in addition to featuring their own choreographers, has partnered with artists from local dance schools to fill out this program. 

“This year, it’s been great to invite choreographic voices from outside of FWDC into the show.” 

The local dance schools, in addition to FWDC, represented by choreographers include Elite Dance Center, Mudita Movement, Three Rivers Dance Academy, and a Project Ballet alumni. 

Scary fun

If you’re looking for a fun way to get into the spooky season spirit, look no further than Fireside Frights. 

“This show is fun to be in and fun to watch,” Kolkman said. “We strive to create movement that is accessible to dancers of a variety of skill levels while also pushing the envelope of artistic expression.” 

It should be noted this show includes themes and effects that are frightening to children, so caution should be taken when considering bringing young audience members.