Rescheduled Fairy Ball bringing fall magic to OKC’s Paseo Arts District
A trio of costumed children dance during the 2010 Fairy Ball in the Paseo Arts District. The 2011 event is set for 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday outside on the "Fairy Green" at Dewey and NW 28. Photo provided by Skip Largent
From Friday’s Weekend Look section of The Oklahoman.
Rescheduled Fairy Ball bringing fall magic to the Paseo
Children, parents and the young at heart are invited to celebrate the wonder of turning flowers into wearable art, dancing with light hearts and free spirits and spending twilight outdoors Saturday night at the annual event.
The whimsy of the Fairy Ball is returning this weekend to the Paseo Arts District, although about six weeks later than originally planned.
Midsummer usually means magic in the Paseo Arts District, but the 10th annual ball had to be postponed from Aug. 6 to this Saturday because of the record summer heat wave.
“I’ve had a lot of phone calls this week, so I think word is getting out. I think we’re going to have a lot of people out there; we may have more than we would have originally,” said Jo Wise, executive director of the Paseo Arts Association, on Wednesday. “It’s supposed to be a beautiful night, in more ways than one.”
Children, parents and the young at heart are invited to celebrate the wonder and enchantment of turning flowers into wearable art, dancing with light hearts and free spirits and spending twilight outdoors at the Fairy Ball Saturday night on the “Fairy Green” at Dewey and NW 28, just west of Paseo Grill. Since dusk comes earlier in the fall, the event has been shifted to 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday.
“We’re emphasizing the fanciful … but the deep levels are to draw out this authentic sense of the creative child,” said organizer Lorrie Keller. “It’s the children that make it what it is, the joy and wonder they bring.”
For the past decade, Theatre Upon a StarDanceSwan, a nonprofit multigenerational Paseo dance company, has been organizing the all-ages event, sponsored by the Paseo Arts Association and Kirkpatrick Foundation. It has become one of the district’s most eagerly anticipated events.
“This is the one that everyone with kids looks forward to,” Wise said. “It’s just make-believe at its best.”
Keller begins fielding calls about the ball just after Christmas, and the event annually draws about 500 people.
Fairy Ball attendees are invited, but not required, to dress as fairies, elves, and other whimsical creatures or to wear festive clothing.
The celebration will begin at 7 p.m. with Flower Magic, in which participants use real flowers, palm leaves and ribbons to add crowns or wings to their costumes. Artists also will show children how to make a “fairy folly,” a cluster of streamers they can wave while they dance.
“The more they dance, the more the folly will dance,” “One of the first things that we put in anybody’s hands when they take a creative movement or a creative dance class are ribbons. Those ribbons really teach them to move … in a very lyrical and graceful way and extend the energy in their body out into space,” said Keller, artistic director of Theatre Upon a StarDanceSwan.
At 8 p.m., the StarDanceSwan dancers will create their own fairy folly in a semi-improvised performance that will entice attendees do their own carefree dancing until 9 p.m.
Oklahoma City composer/multi-instrumentalist Steve McLinn will play his original “electrical acoustical fusion magical music” using a variety of instruments. His music fits the enchanted mood and also encourages attendees to dance, Keller said.
“He’s got some new music this year for the 10th anniversary,” she said. “He just motivates the movement and all the dancers.”
For many, the Fairy Ball has become a family tradition. Former StarDanceSwan members come back every year for the event, and several families attend the ball annually. “We’ve watched some of the kids grow up to very little to teens and preteens,” Keller said.
Parents or other adults who attend often enjoy the festivities as much as the youngsters.
“Every woman remembers when you were a little girl and you wanted to be a princess or a fairy. We all go through that phase. And whenever they find out that we’re having a Fairy Ball, it just sounds so magical,” Wise said. “I’m looking forward to it as much as anyone else. … It’s a fantasy, and there aren’t many fantasy events for kids anymore that are nonthreatening, clean and fun.”
Unlike many fantasy events, the Fairy Ball isn’t tied into a particular movie, comic book or other commercial product. In that sense, it is an old-fashioned celebration of creativity and imagination.
“For anyone that just wants to escape what’s going on right now — and there’s a lot to escape — for a couple of hours on a weekend, it’s a nice alternative,” Wise said. “I really do think it’s the most creative event in the city for kids.”
Going on
Fairy Ball on Paseo
When: 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Fairy Green at Dewey and NW 28, just west of Paseo Grill.
Admission: Free, but donations will be accepted to offset expenses. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Information: 525-2688 or www.thepaseo.com.
-BAM
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