Nicole Wilkie leapt, spun, flicked her hair in the direction of the Robbie Burns statue, then crawled dramatically across the vertical wall underneath the stony-faced Scottish poet.
One of the opening events in the 11-day festival, the energetic and expressive dance attracted the gaze of about 25 people sitting in the Octagon sun, and was a suitable beginning - idiosyncratic, unexpected and slightly wild.
Nearby, at the entrance to the library, dancers Saira Lal, Hahna Briggs and Antonia Seidel were interpreting gestures and words overheard in a mall food hall, and presenting them in their own special way.
The Dunedin-based Gasp Dance Collective is running its Pick-a-Path: Dance in the City events at inner city sites throughout the festival.
Founded by Miriam Marler and Hahna Briggs, the community-focused group has 17 performers and six choreographers working to bring dance to the public.
''Our whole aim is to bring dance outside the theatre, and try and make it a bit more accessible to people,'' Ms Marler said.
''Dance can be an art form people don't understand, especially contemporary dance, and they don't want to go and see.
''I think often it's very abstract, and it can be hard for people to grasp.
''I often hear people say it's very beautiful, but what does it mean?''
Artists needed to make work that met the audience halfway, and the Dance in the City events were a way to ''create something that was free, family-friendly, and happening round the city''.
''The audience might choose to go, or they might be walking past and find it interesting, and stop and have a look.''
Ms Marler said the collective was interested in ''site-specific dance'', where dances were inspired by landscape or architecture.
Ms Wilkie's dance was inspired by the view of the harbour from where she danced, while the dancers outside the library were inspired by gestures they found in the Meridian food court, as well as overheard conversations.
The dances would continue every second day of the festival, until it ended.
