Forklift Danceworks

06/17/2026

Through The Way of Water, Forklift Danceworks connected thousands of community members to the people, places, and systems that shape our relationship with water. The impact demonstrates how community-based practice can spark connection, learning, and civic engagement.

💧Explore the creative process, partnerships, and community outcomes behind these two projects centering the Colorado River and Onion Creek. Full Impact Report available here ---> https://shorturl.at/tfKlb

❤️A heartfelt thank you to the artists, collaborators, community partners, supporters, funders and participants who helped bring this work to life. Your knowledge, creativity, and commitment made this journey possible.

Music by Graham Reynolds Music
Videography Austin Film Society
VO Allison Orr

06/03/2026

Registration is now open for the National Convening on Community Based Practice | September 23–25, 2026.

Artists, organizers, educators, students, and cultural workers from across the country will gather for conversations, activations, workshops, and knowledge-sharing centered on collaborative and community-based practice.

Learn more + register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-convening-on-community-based-practice-registration-1990116864113



Photos by Jonica Moore Photography

05/11/2026

Attention all artists, civic leaders, scholars and cultural workers!

This Fall, Forklift will host a National Convening in Community Based-Practice, here in Austin Texas, September 23-25. Joined by presenters such as Liz Lerman, Allison Orr, Marty Pottenger, Mark Valdez, Stephanie V. McKee-Anderson and Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, we’ll host workshops and events that explore the growing national demand for models that bridge arts, civic systems, and community engagement.

The event is free but registration is required. Registration will be open on June 1, 2026 on our website.

Forklift is joined by partners including Wesleyan University’s College of the Environment, the Department of Theatre and Dance at The University of Texas at Austin, the Austin Community College Dance & Drama Departments, and Planet Texas 2050.

05/03/2026

"What sets Allison apart is her focus on community, how she uses something people share — a type of work, a neighborhood, a heritage — as the basis for not just a performance but also a celebration of the people who share that thing," said Robert Faires, former arts editor for the Austin Chronicle. "She shows us how everyday movement is dance and how we're all connected through dancing."

Wonderful piece on Allison Orr, recipient of the 2026 Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Artist Award in Austin American-Statesman by Michael Barnes.

The Austin dance maker behind Forklift Danceworks is among the 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award recipients.

05/01/2026

Congratulations Allison Orr

05/01/2026

We are honored to share that Artistic Director Allison Orr is a 2026 Doris Duke Artist Award recipient! The largest prize in the United States dedicated to individual performing artists, the award recognizes artists shaping the future of their fields. Join us in celebrating Allison and her fellow 2026 Doris Duke Artists!

,

04/03/2026

Next up for our 25 Stories for 25 Years, meet Mari Tall, a dancer in The Way of Water — El Paso (2025). Her participation on this project widened the scope for what it truly means to engage with her community with intention. Mari is also apart of the Forklift team - she is one of our Wesleyan University interns. Thank you, Mari for sharing your story with us. ❤️

Do you have a Forklift memory from the past 25 years that’s stuck with you? 🤔 Whether you’ve been in the audience, or on our community stage — we want to hear from you. Visit the link in our bio to submit your Forklift story today!

Image 1-4: The Way of Water — El Paso(2025)
Photos by Veronica Garcia

02/12/2026

⚡️Anyone else catch a familiar scene during the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime show? Here’s a “Throwback Thursday” with an excerpt from PowerUp, a performance featuring the employees and machinery of Austin Energy performed September, 2013 at Decker Power Plant, Austin Texas.

“Hookin’ Made Easy”
Featuring Austin Energy Distributor Lineworks: Eric Brown, Mark Herndon, Johnny Martinez, Ryan Moore, Benny Ray, Kevin Thress.

Choreography: Allison Orr, Krissie Marty. Music Composition: Graham Reynolds.

01/30/2026

Congratulations to our very own AW Change Maker, ALLISON ORR

01/08/2026

Forklift fans are the best ever! Over 100 people contributed to our end-of-year campaign, and we raised over $70,000+! We’re especially grateful to the anonymous donor who matched end-of-year gifts dollar-for-dollar.

THANK YOU for helping to keep Forklift’s mission moving forward! With you, and because of you…We are dancing strongly into 2026.

📸 : The Way of Water — Miami rehearsal. Photo by Jonica Moore.