Friends of Congress Square Park

Bandaloop (Vertical Dance)
2017-09-28 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
Portland Ovations goes beyond the proscenium with vertical dance pioneer Bandaloop. Seamlessly weaving together dynamic physicality, intricate choreography, and the art of climbing, Bandaloop turns the dance floor on its side. The company’s unconventional venues run the gamut from the New York Stock Exchange and Seattle’s Space Needle to natural wonders like Yosemite’s El Capitan and majestic cliff faces in China. Together Ovations and Bandaloop scale new heights with free performances on the facades of two of Portland’s most iconic buildings.
Join Portland Ovations and Bandaloop Thursday, September 28 in Congress Square Park & The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel starting at 12 PM.

https://portlandovations.org/event/bandaloop/
Sponsored by: The Westin Portland Harborview Hotel, Preti Flaherty, One City Center, Dirigo Management Company
Supported by: National Performance Network, National Endowment for the Arts, and NEFA
Season Media Sponsor: Maine Magazine, Maine Home+Design Magazine, and Old Port Magazine

Tracing Favorites: A Portrait of Portland
2017-09-27 15:00 - 18:00
Drop in to Congress Square Park between 3-6pm Wednesday, September 27th to tell a story of one of your favorite people, experiences, belongings – your favorite anything! – and have your portrait drawn while you do. Or, create a portrait of a story teller by tracing their face while they joyfully share.
This interactive art exhibit will build throughout the day. Together, we’ll create a huge “quilt” of just-made portraits of Portlanders, exhibiting the diverse joy that’s been shared.
No “art skills” needed. No “story telling skills” needed. Just walk on up and trace a favorite!
Meet your neighbors, express yourself, and join the tracing party!
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This event is co-hosted by Dela Here, Cincinati artist Gabrielle Lanza, and Nina Williams.

Portland Civic Design Fest in Congress Square Park
2017-09-23 10:30 - 16:30
September 23rd is Code for America‘s National Day of Civic Hacking, when people around the country will gather to “hack” their cities in a positive way by working on creative and innovative solutions to community challenges. In the world of “civic hacking” the ideas that really make a positive impact always involve ordinary people. So no matter your skills or background, you can make a difference!
Fancy an app for public art? Imagine a cooler parking sign?
What if civic engagement was more than just surveys and hearings? If ordinary people put our imaginations together, what could we build for our city?
Come to the Portland Civic Design Fest on Sep 23rd! A day of free-spirited collaboration to design & launch new projects for our community. Free for all ages & skills – high-tech & low-tech projects encouraged!
In Congress Square Park, between 10:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., you can:

Join in a fun brainstorm on what winter programming in Congress Square Park might look like this season!
Build a Musical Staircase!
And listen to live music!

This event is hosted by the Portland Global Shapers Hub, Maine Charitable Mechanic Association, and Code for Maine.
For more information, check out Portland Civic Design Fest.

Mapping Your Portland
2017-09-23 10:00 - 15:00
Join the Portland Society for Architecture for a mapping exercise that provides citizens – by way of a blank map of Portland – the opportunity to express what they love, don’t love, and wish were different about our great city. The maps will be collected to provide a unique vision of Portland.
Come by anytime! The event will provide blank maps, pens, and pencils for the project.
For more information on this project, see thecompletecity.com.

Contra Dance featuring Glen, Bethany & Dave, with Dugan Murphy!
2017-09-20 18:00 - 20:00
Portland Intown Contra Dance is up to growing a lively community through weekly zesty, joyful, intergenerational contra dancing to live music. They insist no partner and no experience is needed to have a delightful and connected dance. Dugan Murphy will teach each of the evening’s dances; he’s known for emanating joy and for teaching with the artful precision of clockwork. He’s joined by a trio comprised of Bethany Waickman on guitar, Dave Langford on fiddle, and Glen Loper on mandolin and tenor banjo. All three musicians are mainstays on the national contra dance circuit, combining in countless foot-stomping, electric collaborations inspired by traditional music from Ireland, England, the Balkans, and New England.

The Maribor Uprisings: Interactive Film Screening
2017-09-15 19:00 - 21:00
The Maribor Uprisings takes up urgent questions raised by these events, and by uprisings elsewhere, from the Arab Spring, through Paris, to Black Lives Matter. What sparks such popular outrage? How are participants swept up in—and then changed by—confrontations with police? Could something like this happen in your city?
The directors invite audiences to engage these questions through an unusual and participatory form. Drawing on the dramatic frontline footage of a video activist collective embedded within the uprisings, this film places viewers amidst the jostling crowds. It requires them to make their own choices about which cameras they will follow and therefore how they will participate. Like those who joined the actual uprisings, audiences in the theater must decide whether to listen to organizers and remain with those committed to nonviolent protest on Freedom Square or to follow rowdy crowds toward City Hall and almost certain conflict.
Co-director Maple Razsa (Colby College) will facilitate the screening.
‘‘Using organizational tactics such as the ones implemented during the Occupy Wall Street protests—the human microphone, call and response, etc—the audience works together to form a unit of politically and ideologically motivated action.’’
For more information, read the Portland Phoenix interview with Maple Razsa from July 2017: http://www.portlandphoenix.me/news/cover-story/item/6838-the-maribor-uprisings

Summer Swing Dance with Tom Whitehead’s Rites of Swing
2017-09-13 17:00 - 19:00
This group is lead by vocalist, guitarist and pianist, Tom Whitehead. The ensemble also features Michael Arciero on guitar, Kris Day on upright bass and Don Whitney on drums The sound evokes the smooth, acoustic feeling of Django Reinhardt’s gypsy jazz style, but with a distinctly American flavor of vocal standards from the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s.
Whitehead sings in a mature, improvisory style that is greatly complimented by Arciero’s dynamic and virtuosic lead guitar playing. Day and Whitney provide a seamless and effortless rhythmic foundation that swings hard, but is never overbearing. This group sails along like a Clipper Ship of a bygone era – smooth, elegant, powerful and a real joy to listen and dance to.
Portland Swing Project is a local organization with a passion for swing music and dances of the 1920s to today. We teach, dance, perform and provide live and DJ’d swing music spanning a century to local venues. We’re also some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet – we have a bunch of fun so come join us! For information on weekly classes and dances, private lessons and special events, check out www.portlandswingproject.com.

Try Your Hand (Calligraphy Art Interaction)
2017-09-09 10:00 - 13:00
Did you ever wish you could write in another language? Or have beautiful penmanship in your own? Here’s a chance to Try Your Hand at an international calligraphy event at Congress Square Park!

People from around the world will show you how to write in their native script, such as Cyrillic, Japanese, Arabic. You’ll also have a chance to try Medieval and Modern Latin alphabet calligraphy. You’ll learn a few words and perhaps a proverb from the different cultures and be able to make a keepsake pendant with your choice of two languages. Come out and do something different at Congress Square Park!

Supplies will be provided and instruction is free.

Check Mates! Chess in the Square
2017-09-09 09:00 - 12:00
The Check Mates! is a casual community chess club for everyone (all ages and experience levels)! Come for just a game or stay for as long as you like!

We have 10 New Weighted Tournament Style Chess Sets for Community Members and Visitors of All Ages for use to Play on Congress Square! All made possible by SPACE Gallery, The Friends of Congress Square and YES Books!

We look forward to meeting you soon! HAPPY CHESSING!

*This event is weather permitting. If it gets too cold, Check Mates! will meet at the nearby Coffee by Design on Congress Street.*

Big World (Eclectic Electric)
2017-09-08 18:00 - 20:00
Eclectic Electric, BIG WORLD is a band that focuses on taking compositions from Jazz and other musical genres to explore the musical form through improvisation. Performing Original Compositions along with Sonny Sharrock’s songs from “Ask the Ages”, “Funky President” by James Brown and “Dance of Maya” by Mahavishnu Orchestra gives BIG WORLD a springboard for creating wavelengths of tactile sound firmly rooted in the essence of each song while paying homage to the original.
John Clark (Electric Bass)
John McCain (Guitar)
Andrew Roseman (Drums)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Presented by PMA Films
2017-09-07 19:00 - 22:00
Come to a viewing of this masterpiece film!
(This event was postponed due to rain. The original show date was August 18, 2017.)

Dark Follies
2017-09-01 20:15 - 21:15
Dark Follies celebrates nine years of street vaudeville with a special Old School Dark Follies show! They have live music, comedy, flow arts, dancers, fire performing, acrobatics and special rhythmic treat.

Caroline Cotter & Friends
2017-09-01 18:00 - 20:00
Caroline Cotter is a Maine artist with a captivating soprano voice and award-winning songwriting. With inspiration collected from world travels, her music is the offer of a journey – from an intimate Parisian salon, through the mountains of Colorado, to the coast of Maine, by the side of a bluegrass festival campfire, and into the depths of the human heart. Cotter’s debut album, Dreaming as I Do, an eclectic mix of melodic honesty, reached #5 on the Folk DJ charts in February 2015.
In addition to performing solo, Caroline also performs with Maine-based bluegrass/folk band, The Gather Rounders, as well as 5-piece swing group, C.C. & The Swing Set.

Bayside Trio w. Port Tango Dancers
2017-08-31 18:00 - 20:00
Come enjoy contemporary chamber music by these accomplished musicians!

(This event was postponed due to rain. The original show date was August 18, 2017.)

Bright Star World Dance
2017-08-30 18:00 - 20:00
Bright Star World Dance brings you an evening of Belly Dance and Latin Dance. Come see performances by Rosa Noreen, Joie Grandbois, Dark Follies, Anna & Lazaro of Danza Latina, and the Bright Star belly dance student troupes! Learn some new movements in all different styles from these friendly and welcoming teachers. Tap your toes, shimmy your hips, and immerse yourself in the rhythms of the music!

Films in the Square: LA LA LAND
2017-08-27 19:30
Join us every Sunday evening at dusk for Films in the Square co-presented by Portland Summer Films. Bring a lawn chair, sit back and enjoy classic films in an outdoor venue. June 4th through August 27th.
Co-Presented By:

Sponsored by:

Hurry Down Sunshine
2017-08-26 12:00 - 14:00
Stan Davis and Brian Kavanah play a wide range of acoustic guitar -folk songs, blues, rock, and even originals!

Novel Jazz Septet
2017-08-23 18:00 - 20:00
Novel Jazz is back by popular demand!
“Novel Jazz” is a band that re-interprets the great works of jazz icons, Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. For over a decade, they have been mining the rich musical collections of these legends (together they wrote ~3000 compositions, of which most jazz lovers are familiar with only about ~2% of these!). Through regular trips to the Duke Ellington Collection at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. (and more recently, the Strayhorn Collection at the Univ. of Chicago), Novel Jazz locates original scores of their lesser-known/rarely recorded compositions, which they then arrange for the band and bring back to life. It is not uncommon to find their writings, poetry and personal letters mixed in among the music manuscripts in the Smithsonian archives, all of which they weave into the stories of each tune. Novel Jazz relishes bringing this music back to life—but (very important)— they do it with a 21st century spin. They always also mix in their better known standards for balance. They play regularly around New England, in opera houses, theaters and concert halls.

Films in the Square: CHARLOTTE'S WEB (1973)
2017-08-20 19:30

Contra Dance featuring Volution, with Dela Taylor!
2017-08-16 18:00 - 20:00
Portland Intown Contra Dance is up to growing a lively community through weekly zesty, joyful, intergenerational contra dancing to live music. They insist no partner and no experience is needed to have a delightful and connected dance. Dela Taylor will teach each of this evening’s dances, bringing her humor, and fresh, light calling style. She’ll be joined by Volution, a dynamic band that deftly moves from tunes with energy and zest to those with room and gravitas. Adams Carney is on fiddle and sometimes accordion, Helen Newell is on another fiddle, and Nolan Rogers is on cello, playing both tunes that hold places of honor in the New England folk tradition and tunes inspired by European links.

Films in the Square: THE VISITOR
2017-08-13 20:00

Tiger Bomb (Reschedule from June)
2017-08-12 18:00 - 20:00
TIGER BOMB are an all-girl all-original glam inspired group fronted by Lynda Mandolyn (formerly of San Francisco all-girl band, Fabulous Disaster), and Chris Horne (formerly of Portland, ME all-girl band, The Brood). They’ve combined forces for their latest rock & pop explosion – Tiger Bomb! Backed by the dynamic duo of Andrea Ellis on bass & Cindy Allison on drums, this ‘feline frenzy’ is catching on quick here in Portland. Tiger Bomb fuses catchy all-original songs with tight harmonies, ferocious guitars, and a cool high-energy attitude…
Their full-length debut album will be out this summer on Dionysus Records… mastered by Joe Foster (My Bloody Valentine), with cover art by the renowned Lisa Petrucci.
Tiger Bomb are veteran musicians, with very danceable “family friendly” songs, perfect for a Friday night at the par The group has played regular shows at Bayside Bowl; The Space Gallery, H.O.M.E. and other local venues, as well as many out-of-state venues.

Inanna-Sisters In Rhythm w/ special guest Marita Kennedy-Castro
2017-08-11 18:00 - 20:00
Inanna- Sisters in Rhythm makes its first appearance in the park, with a special guest appearance by Marita Kennedy-Castro!

Inanna-Sisters In Rhythm is an all-women’s percussion and vocal ensemble dedicated to cultural diversity, education and healing through the language of music. Blending western vocal harmonies with the polyrhythms or West Africa, the Middle East and Brazil the women of Inanna create a multicultural beyond tradition.

Together for more tan 26 years, the band has recorded six full length albums; been invited to schools to teach drumming and culture to youth; and performed extensively throughout New England and most recently in Florida.

The band takes its name from the ancient Sumerian goddess Inanna, who was worshipped more than 4,000 years ago when it is believed that the drummers were predominantly women.

Summer Swing Dance with the Hadacol Bouncers
2017-08-09 18:00 - 20:00
Summer Swing Dance with the Hadacol Bouncers and Portland Swing Project!
The Hadacol Bouncers formed in the summer of 2013 for a Portland, Maine swing dance festival and never looked back. The group is a joint effort by co-band leaders Tom Whitehead (piano) and Peter Dunphy (banjo). Tom has a multi-style background in blues, New Orleans R&B and Bebop piano, and Peter has been playing New Orleans and Chicago style jazz since he was fourteen. When forming the group, Tom and Peter handpicked some of their favorite musicians from the Portland and Portsmouth jazz scene. The Hadacol Bouncers play the music of Fats Waller, James P. Johnson, Louis Armstrong and more. The music is a fun hybrid of New Orleans Jazz, Chicago-style Jazz, novelty songs and other classics from the great American songbook. Hadacol has a traditional lineup of banjo/tenor guitar, piano, tuba, drums, trombone, soprano sax/clarinet and trumpet/cornet.The music is fresh and bright and great for dancing! .www.hadacolbouncers.com
Portland Swing Project is a local organization with a passion for swing music and dances of the 1920s to today. We teach, dance, perform and provide live and DJ’d swing music spanning a century to local venues. We’re also some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet – we have a bunch of fun so come join us! For information on weekly classes and dances, private lessons and special events, check out www.portlandswingproject.com.

Films in the Square: A MONSTER CALLS
2017-08-06 20:00

MAMM's Ultimate Rock Camp Showcase
2017-08-04 18:00 - 20:00
Are you ready to ROCK, Portland? Students from the Maine Academy of Modern Music’s Ultimate Rock Camp will perform at Congress Square on First Friday on August 4th. Students will play a mix of popular songs and original tunes that they learn and write while at the camp. This two week summer camp also allows students ages 11+up to meet professionals from the music business while on field trips to local radio stations and recording studios. It’s the total rock star treatment!
For more details or to register call (207) 899-3433 or visit www.maineacademyofmodernmusic.org/camps. Beginners are welcome and scholarships are available to those in need of financial aid.
About MAMM:
Song by song, Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) aspires to provide Maine youth with the discipline, freedom, and guidance to appreciate the thrill of making contemporary music, instilling in them the power of self-expression. MAMM is dedicated to building leadership through the musical arts.

Circus Olé and Feast of Fools
2017-08-04 17:00 - 18:00
Come one! Come All! The circus is coming to town! Elephants, lion and tigers, penguins, giraffe, and a dragon oh my! This animal-free circus provides non-stop entertainment while raising awareness about the treatment of live-performing animals! All animals are made of papier maché and are human powered.
Performing artists in aerial silk, stilt walking, hoop dancing, contact juggling and giant puppeteering hail from as far away as Portland, Boston, and from Western Maine. There is sure to be something to dazzle all ages at this animal-cruelty-free circus!

Maine Music + Health Drum Circle
2017-08-02 18:00 - 20:00
Group music making is a great way to build community, practice self care, and spread joy. Maine Music & Health will host a drum & song circle – bring your own percussion or try one of ours, sing along, dance, or just enjoy the rhythm. Any age, any ability. Will be ASL interpreted as well for the deaf/HOH community.

Films in the Square: PEE WEE'S BIG ADVENTURE
2017-07-30 20:15

CE: Fenix Theatre Co. Presents Three Sisters
2017-07-29 19:00 - 21:00
Join Fenix Theatre Co. for one night only in Congress Square Park!
You can also catch a show at their regular venue — Thurs-Sat, July 13th-Aug 5th at 7pm @ the stage at Deering Oaks.
Fenix is very excited to announce that they will be taking a break from Shakespeare for the summer of 2017 and heading to Moscow (or striving to!) with Anton Chekhov’s dramatic masterpiece THREE SISTERS!
Building on their workshop of the play at Bowdoin College last spring, they are thrilled to use the visceral and brilliant translation by Stepan Simek, professor of theater at Lewis and Clark College and collaborator at Portland Experimental Theater Ensemble (Oregon). Professor Simek’s work as a director was honored by the 1996 Drama League of New York with the “Drama League Directing Fellowship,” and his translations of two contemporary Czech plays earned him the 2006 “PEN America Translation Award.”
