A variety of performances, ranging from live music to video poems to a silent disco party, will feature in this year’s edition of Bellevue’s annual Bellwether arts festival.
The City of Bellevue has chosen the Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE) to present the festival at four venues around the city and online throughout September. The Bellwether festival – showcasing arts and technology makers in in-person and digital settings – is sponsored by Amazon.
"Our community is ripe for meaningful collaborations between performing artists and trendsetters from our rich tech industry,” said Lora Unger, executive director of PACE. “Both shape what makes Bellevue a uniquely exciting place to live. By combining tech with dance, music, spoken word and visual artists, we're creating four innovative events free to the community that will delight audiences of all ages."
The celebration begins Monday, Sept. 4, with the launch of a digital residency series. The in-person events will follow over four Saturdays – Sept. 9, 16, 23 and 30. All details about the festival are available at Bellwether: Tech + Arts: An Innovative Dance.
Sept. 9, Spring District Park, 6-9 p.m.: Local choreographer Kathryn Van Meter leads audiences through an experiential demonstration, followed by a live concert from Sustain Music Project.
Sept. 16, Bellevue College, 2-5 p.m.: Live, immersive digital installation by Cole Devoy and video poem by Arabella Bautista inspired by underground rave culture.
Sept. 23, Marketplace at Factoria, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Student teams at the Digipen Institute of Technology showcase original game consoles, competing for a grand prize.
Sept. 30, Downtown Park, 1-5 p.m.: Silent disco party with DJ Indica and Earthseed Collective as participants listen to music on headsets and dance, including family hour and professional dance demonstrations. Tech tent and food trucks.
Van Meter, DeVoy, Bautista and Christina Medawar from Sustain Music Project will host digital residencies throughout September.
