Choreographer Chloe Loftus said her show Us — held in and around the Octagon about 6pm yesterday — was all about fostering community.
Performers in the processional mass movement event were recruited through a public appeal and had only an hour-long rehearsal before they hit the streets of central Dunedin.
"It’s been beautiful seeing the uptake and the enthusiasm," Ms Loftus said.
Often arts festivals had only professionals coming in, and opportunities for participation were limited to children, she said.
"We’re literally weaving community into the arts festival."
Yesterday’s event was the third development of the show, which started at the Nelson Arts Festival and then to the Festival of Colour in Wanaka before Ms Loftus was invited to bring it to the Otago Daily Times-supported event in Dunedin.
The idea had come in 2020 as a way to bring people back together through participation in shared artistic activity after Covid-19-related disruptions, Ms Loftus said.
"What I love about doing open-call community projects like this is the diversity of people taking part."
She hoped that participants would see the city in a completely different light next time they were walking down the street.
