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By: John Byrne, Artistic Director

Growing up, I always got a good laugh out of seeing old B Sci-Fi movies with the hand-made special effects, the miniature cities, King Kong and crafty “UFO’s” that were used to create scenes of high-drama.  The spectacle of watching actors overreacting in pandemonium to the threat of cardboard spaceships and crude alien creatures invade Earth made the movies fun and exciting!

This year’s June concert takes this 1950’s movie genre in all its absurdity and pairs it with a more modern and relevant theme.

As an organization, we have always worked towards being socially and environmentally responsible.  We recycle and reuse our costumes and sets and much of our paper printing is now moving into digital content.  Our families and community also have great compassion for the Earth, helping us by contributing to our costume and set needs, and many times carpooling to class and rehearsals!

On a recent winter night, as I drove through the industrialized city of Detroit, I saw hundreds of smoke stacks and pondered how oil rigs, factories and energy plants are developing across the planet at a radical rate.   I also thought about how many researchers are exploring ways of making energy more efficient and environmentally friendly.  We now have solar panels, citywide bike paths and even electric cars.  So I asked myself, “What if we could create energy by dancing?”

Suddenly, the idea of creating a show around aliens teaching humans to create energy and save the planet by dancing was born!

On June 10, 2016 Fort Wayne Dance Collective is delighted to present over 22 unique dance pieces, which tell the story of how a group of aliens, known as Mobiturns, will arrive on Earth in the year 2050, to save the planet.

Classes and artists from both the FWDC onsite school, as well as its outreach programs are collaborating to present Sci-Fi themed vignettes that present the good, the bad and the ugly of this epic story!

In SCI-FI FACTORY FIASCO you will see romance, betrayal, fantasy battles, resolution and a return to paradise where humans and aliens co-exist!  The upcoming concert promises lots of drama and plenty of heartwarming moments.

This year, our younger performers will perform first, during the show’s “Prequel” starting at 7PM.  This includes Creative Movement classes, as well as Modern I and Ballet I classes. The main show will follow, featuring our Youth, Teen and Adult performers.

I am amazed by the creativity that is brewing in each new piece, as I work with our teachers, choreographers and volunteers to put the show together.  We have had the pleasure to once again work with South Side High School and train a new group of SSHS students as theater technicians to run the upcoming show, under the mentorship of Tech Director Diane Gaby.

As a community organization, we welcome and depend of your creative contributions and time.  If you would like to volunteer to be on the show crew of SCI-FI FACTORY FIASCO, or your want to participate in any of our events or represent FWDC as an ambassador at upcoming summer festivals, please contact us!

I look forward to seeing you all on June 10th at the presentation of SCI-FI FACTORY FIASCO and starting the summer off with this fun new adventure on the stage!

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