Shifting Gears returns Labor Day weekend with dancing and biking

By Abigail Sibilski, Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association

The Schenk-Atwood-Starkweather-Yahara Neighborhood Association is proud to again support Shifting Gears, Isthmus Dance Collective’s bike and dance event, returning for a sixth year Sept. 7, from noon to 6 p.m.

Part bike ride, part outdoor performance festival, Shifting Gears links three parks — Brittingham, Wirth Court and McPike — with an afternoon of live dance, from classical Indian and flamenco to tap, jazz funk and aerial work. All three parks are connected by being just off the Capital City Bike Path.

The idea is simple: get neighbors outside, moving and watching art together. Bicyclists can join one of three guided group rides, each starting from a different spot — Machinery Row Bicycles, 601 Williamson St.; Motorless Motion Bicycles, 640 W. Washington Ave.; or Worthington Park (led by the Radical Adventure Riders). Each route hits all three parks in a different order, so no single stop gets overwhelmed.

Attendees can also get to the parks on their own schedule and own mode of transportation — there’s no wrong way to take part.

Each park hosts three repeating sets of short performances, so you can catch the full lineup no matter where you start, plus a mini dance lesson at each stop where the audience is invited to join in. The day wraps up at Working Draft Beer Company, 1129 E. Wilson St., with an after-party and raffle, with proceeds going toward honoraria for the artists.

SASYNA provided a grant for shade tents and porta potties — each a small thing that makes a real difference when people are outdoors for six hours on a holiday weekend.

Between sets, Isthmus Dance Collective encourages dance viewers to take a moment to slow down and connect with their body, explore dance and notice the feelings that come up watching and participating.

Click here for full route maps and schedules.