Friends of Congress Square Park

CANCELLED: Celebration Barn's Happenstance Theater & Playshop
2019-07-12 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit) | Congress Square Park, Portland, ME, 04101, United States
***Sadly, due to a risk of thunderstorms, this event has been cancelled.***
PREPOSTEROUS! is Happenstance Theater’s sophisticated, family-friendly, pocket-sized theatrical clown circus!
These charming vintage clowns play circus animals sing as a human calliope, do the classic circus mirror routine, invent a number of ridiculous “entrées”, perform live music, and execute a very satisfying slow motion number involving a pie!
The show premiered in the summer of 2017 at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and has been performed at The National Theater as part of their Saturday Morning family series.
Following the hour-long performance, clowns will offer a playshop in physical theater/mime for audience members who want to learn how these fantastic performers do what they do!

CELEBRATION BARN:
Celebration Barn is an immersive physical theater center that annually draws over 200 artists from around the world who are seeking to train and create their own works. The Barn’s mission is to inspire creativity and community by harnessing the power of live performance.
Located in South Paris, Celebration Barn’s restored horse barn in the woods of Maine provides an inspiring natural setting away. Celebration Barn’s 46-year history fuels a super-charged atmosphere that encourages artists to play at their creative edge–nurtured and provoked by a community of collaborators–and launch performance in new directions.
Our alumni are currently performing on broadway, on television, and in internationally touring shows including Cirque du Soleil.
HAPPENSTANCE THEATER:
The Washington City Paper says, “Happenstance Theater’s ensemble comedy is a gut-busting kind of funny.” The Washington Post describes our work as “visually striking and whimsical without being precious” and calls Happenstance Theater “DC’s leading peddler of whimsy.”
HAPPENSTANCE THEATER, founded in 2006, is a professional company committed to devising, producing and touring original, performer-created visual, poetic Theatre. Our ensemble has been developing work together since 2012. We are multi-talented performers who craft all aspects of our pieces from concept to realization. Under the Artistic co-Direction of Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell, we harvest imagery from the past and re-contextualize it in performances that address eternal themes of life, death, and the ephemeral. With the simplest means – movement, silence, theatrical clown, music, text, physical comedy and beauty – we seek to elevate the moment when the performers and audience meet, to lift the encounter beyond the daily and pedestrian into the realms of dreams, poetry, and art. Meaning is often discovered by happenstance.
In 2016 Happenstance received three Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Ensemble, Outstanding Costume Design and Outstanding Lead Actor. In 2017 Happenstance received two Helen Hayes Awards for Outstanding Costume Design and Outstanding Musical Direction.

CANCELLED: Zumba Fitness Class
2019-07-16 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit)
***This event has been cancelled due to higher than comfortable temperatures. Look out for a time change in August to 9am morning classes to take advantage of cooler morning temperatures!***

Come break a sweat in Congress Square Park with a Zumba class taught by Kristin Sutton of Avant Dance Studio. Donations are encouraged – pay what you can! Suggested donation of $5-10. Expect to dance for 45 minutes.
Zumba involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included.
All ages and abilities welcome!

Zumba in the Square is a series! Join us for 45-minute classes every Tuesday at noon from June 11 through August 27.

CANCELLED: Zumba Fitness Class
2019-07-23 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit)
***This event has been cancelled due to rain. Catch them next week!***

Come break a sweat in Congress Square Park with a Zumba class taught by Kristin Sutton of Avant Dance Studio. Donations are encouraged – pay what you can! Suggested donation of $5-10. Expect to dance for 45 minutes.
Zumba involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included.
All ages and abilities welcome!

Zumba in the Square is a series! Join us for 45-minute classes every Tuesday at noon from June 11 through August 27.

24-Hour Theater Marathon with Chimera Theatre Collective
2019-07-27 19:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
Stage Frenzy is a 24 Hour Theatre Marathon where, over the course of 24 hours, theater artists of various backgrounds, skill-sets, and artistic processes will convene to write, direct, act, design, and perform a freshly written crop of original short plays. Stage Frenzy is an opportunity for theater makers to create theater in its purest form, with little opportunity to over-think or second guess artistic decisions. It is also an opportunity to take risks.
This is the time and place for participating artists to try something new, just for fun. To write that fantasy/scifi/horror play they’ve always wanted to write or that play that is half dance or includes puppets if that’s what they’ve wanted to explore. To direct in the round or immersively or with movement or puppetry or with bare minimum set. To act a role that’s completely off type in just 12 hours. To design on a shoestring budget with a small set and thrift stores at your convenience. To stage manage in 12 hours with other stage managers, doing a whole month’s worth of rehearsal process in a split second. To do something different: they’ve got 364 other days of the year to do what they know.

Presented by Chimera Theatre Collective.
Forged in Portland, Maine, in 2015, Chimera Theatre Collective is focused on melding together our collective life experiences and artistic tendencies to bring new and overlooked works, ideas, artists, and methods into the mainstream where they belong, while also finding ways to shift the perception of what makes conventional theater.

CANCELLED: Zumba Fitness Class
2019-07-30 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit)
***90*F weather and a fitness class at high noon don’t mix. We’ve cancelled this class due to high temperatures. Join us next week when the heat wave breaks!***

Come break a sweat in Congress Square Park with a Zumba class taught by Kristin Sutton of Avant Dance Studio. Donations are encouraged – pay what you can! Suggested donation of $5-10. Expect to dance for 45 minutes.
Zumba involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included.
All ages and abilities welcome!

Zumba in the Square is a series! Join us for 45-minute classes every Tuesday at noon from June 11 through August 27.

Nia Fitness Class
2019-08-05 12:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit)
Join local teacher Erin Curren for Nia – a fun and expressive fitness class – every Monday in August from 12-1pm! Though typically done barefoot, shoes are recommended for Nia in the park. $10 suggested, class cards available.
Nia is an exhilarating, non-impact fusion fitness class that draws from the Martial Arts, Dance, and Healing Arts. Have fun while getting a great workout that is easy on the joints and connects you to your awareness in motion. Participants will learn to personalize the five sensations of fitness while exploring new movement patterns that will leave them feeling energized and grounded in the present moment, loving the gift of the body! www.nianow.com
Nia Black Belt Instructor Erin Curren has been sharing the Joy of Movement all over the state of Maine for ten years. She brings her love of improv, expressiveness and enthusiasm to each and every class. www.erincurren.com

"Ideas, not Theories" Bicycle Band
2019-08-09 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
IDEAS, NOT THEORIES, is a theatrical percussion show, the performance features original music which explores the use of unconventional instruments such as: bicycles, tap and body percussion, water, brushes, as well as traditional percussion instruments such as marimbas and drums. All of the musical works are linked together through a story line, physical theater and comedy, and original characters making the complete performance a unique, quirky and creative artistic experience.
Stay after the show to learn how to play a bike and other unconventional instruments!
IDEAS, NOT THEORIES, had its premier in Monterrey Mexico, inside the Festival de Musica Nueva 2012 and has been performing regularly since then in the U.S (Boston, NYC, Maine), Mexico and Canada.
REYNALIZ HERRERA, creator, is a professional musician, percussionist, composer and educator based in Boston but originally from Mexico. She was born in Monterrey, Mexico in 1984, where she studied and began pursuing music at the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza, with maestro Noel Savon.
Reynaliz has performed in different countries like Mexico, US, Canada, Cuba, Spain, Germany and Italy, and has performed and collaborated with renowned ensembles such as: The National Arts Center Orchestra of Canada, The Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestre de la Francophonie Canadienne, The Boston Conservatory Orchestra, Mexican Dance Group: Danza Contemporanea en Concierto, and others.

Zumba Fitness Class
2019-08-27 09:00 - 10:00 (America/Detroit)
Come break a sweat in Congress Square Park with a Zumba class taught by Kristin Sutton of Avant Dance Studio. Donations are encouraged – pay what you can! Suggested donation of $5-10. Expect to dance for 45 minutes.
Zumba involves dance and aerobic movements performed to energetic music. The choreography incorporates hip-hop, soca, samba, salsa, merengue and mambo. Squats and lunges are also included.
All ages and abilities welcome!

Create with ME Festival hosted by Dead Flow It Society
2019-09-04 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Detroit)
***This event has been delayed by one hour due to weather. Join us from 7-9pm!***

Join us in Congress Square Park for a continuing series of open creative workshops and performances! This event encourages collaborative participation from the crowd for all age groups, and skill levels with art, poetry, dancing, crafting, and music. Throughout the night there will be live local art vendors, open workshops, and end with two headlining acts. Whether you are watching or participating, you are sure to leave with inspired creativity!
This event is hosted by The Dead Flow It Society. Kyler Henningsen and Nathan Lapointe are co-founders of Dead flow it Society and Family Banned Records. Both groups aim to support artists and enable them to maximize their potential through their creative work and in the community. Family Banned has pledged to give 25% of profits to charity. Mr. Henningsen is a father, coach , poet , artist, former board member of the Maine Artist Collective and front man for the rock group “Soul or Power.” Mr. Lapointe is an Actor, musician, singer, producer, and hip hop artist. He performs regularly locally as Unique Unknown. His new album, professionally produced for radio, “Just Another Day” will be the first released under Family Banned Records.

Try Your Hand International Calligraphy Festival
2019-09-07 10:00 - 13:00 (America/Detroit)
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.

Contra Dance with Portland Intown Contra Dance featuring Lake Effect with Katy Heine
2019-09-13 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
Join us for dancing in Congress Square Park!
If you can walk, you can contra. Truly. It’s an easy, enjoyable, and accessible dance form for most people. Contra dance is community social dancing to live music. It’s lively, joyful, welcoming, modern, traditional, and fun!
No partner is needed – you dance with everyone! Our community is diverse and intergenerational, so you know you’ll meet a lot of different people as you make your way down the line. Live music will be provided by Lake Effect, the fiddle and guitar duo of Upstate New York featuring musicians Matthew Sloboda and Chuck Abell. For more information connect with them on Facebook! Come enjoy some lively music, smiling and spinning people, or save us a dance!
Hosted by Portland Intown Contra Dance.

POSTPONED: Play Me a Story with Portland Stage
2019-09-14 14:00 - 15:30 (America/Detroit)
***Risk of rain and lower temperatures means we need to postpone this event until 2020. Stay tuned for a new date!***

Join us for a fun, interactive, and family friendly theatre event hosted by Portland Stage!
Experience the Fun & Magic of Theater with Play Me a Story! Enjoy a performance of children’s stories, then participate in an acting workshop with professional theater artists. Build literacy, encourage creativity and spark dramatic dreams!

Swing Night with Portland Swing Project
2019-09-20 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
Join Portland Swing Project for live music and dancing in Congress Square Park! All are welcome and no experience is necessary for lively fun!
Portland Swing Project spreads the appreciation of swing music and dance through weekly classes and events for all levels of experience. They teach, dance, perform and provide live and DJ’d music to venues throughout Maine. Absolute beginners welcome, no partner needed.

El Malo
2019-10-04 18:00 - 20:00 (America/Detroit)
Join us for music and dancing in Congress Square Park with El Malo!
El Malo is a contemporary Latin-Rock band out of Portland, Maine. They play a blend of classic salsa tunes and original instrumental Latin music that is sure to get any crowd up and dancing! No matter what your usual playlist may be, El Malo promises to create a musical common ground among its viewers! Come enjoy a diverse setlist of relaxing drum beats to lively horn section solos!

Planting Day with Yellow Tulip Project
2019-10-06 12:00 - 14:00 (America/Detroit)
Join us for the 4th annual community yellow tulip planting ceremony in Congress Square park! Come plant tulips in the Square and hear speeches, poetry, and musical performances from representatives of the Yellow Tulip Project!
The Yellow Tulip Project focuses on smashing the stigma that surrounds mental illness and building a community where people realize there is help and hope out there. The YTP is meant to let people know that “Hope Happens”. Their message is simple and clear: come together- plant hope gardens-build community, talk about mental health and smash the stigma- and we are proud of the way that The Yellow Tulip Project is spreading to communities across the US.
For more information or to get involved check out their website.

Pumpkins in the Square feat. Jenny Van West Music
2019-10-11 16:00 - 18:00 (America/Detroit)
Join us for the 5th annual Pumpkins in the Square! Friends of Congress Square Park is welcoming Fall and celebrating a successful season with:
Live music with Jenny Van West Music
Donuts and cider!
Pumkin carving and decorating! Bring your own pumpkin or buy one at the event (suggested donation $10). We’ll have a contest to show off the creations!
Fall arts and crafts!
Fun for the whole family. See you there!

Thriller Throwdown
2019-10-25 17:30 - 18:30 (America/Detroit)
Join us for the 7th annual Thriller Throwdown! What started as a flash mob of 30 dancers in 2012 now has grown into an annual event with more than 70 local dancers and hundreds of spectators. The Throwdown has moved to Congress Square Park and it’s now an all-out dance party! View a recent Thriller Throwdown on YouTube.

Gather in the square and watch our zombies re-create Michael Jackson’s iconic video, then stay for a Halloween-themed dance party!

If you want to participate in the Thriller performance:

The dance party is free and open to the public. If you’d like to be trained to be a part of the Thriller Throwdown version of Michael Jackson’s classic music video, you can sign up for classes at Avant Dance and Event Center. For more information, visit Avant’s website.

Chess in the Park!
2021-05-01 11:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Come play chess! All equipment, including masks and hand sanitizer, will be available on-site. Free and open to the public. Join the Meetup group here: https://www.meetup.com/congress-st-park-chess-club

Chess in the Park!
2021-08-07 11:00 - 14:00, 2021-08-14 11:00 - 14:00, 2021-08-21 11:00 - 14:00, 2021-08-28 11:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York)
Come play chess! All equipment will be available on-site. Free and open to the public.

Drumming Circle
2022-04-16 13:00 - 15:00, 2022-04-30 13:00 - 15:00, 2022-05-14 13:00 - 15:00, 2022-05-28 13:00 - 15:00 (America/New_York)
Non-instructional, free, open to all levels and a safe space for all.
BYO drums, although some will be available to share.

Chess in the Park!
2022-05-07 11:00 - 13:00, 2022-05-14 11:00 - 13:00, 2022-05-21 11:00 - 13:00, 2022-05-28 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York)
Come play! Chess boards and pieces provided, but please feel free to bring your own. All levels welcome.
Chess in the Park happens every Saturday starting at 11am till about 1pm.
