Breckenridge International Festival of Arts
August 3, 2016 / / by: Nicole DeCesare
The Breckenridge International Festival of Arts, or BIFA, is a multi-arts program consisting of extraordinary showcases, performances, artworks, spectacles, and more in varying locations throughout Breckenridge. Each event is inspired by themes of environment and mountain culture that seams beautifully with the town of Breckenridge. This 10-day festival brings together an eclectic mix of dance, music, visual arts, film and family entertainment.
Learn more at Breck Create.
Exhibitions + Installations
The Herd
When: August 12-21, 2016: All Day
Where: Old Masonic Hall – 136 South Main Street, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
An installation from Tasha Lewis, The Herd entails colorful sculptures of antelopes, gazelles and impalas bounding and leaping through the room, suspended in midair. Some of the animals are portrayed emerging and disappearing through the surrounding walls, engaging viewers with beauty of both natural and artificial worlds.
The Swarm
When: August 12-21, 2016: All Day
Where: Blue River Plaza – 2013 S Main St, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
Tasha Lewis crosses boundaries between art, nature and everyday life. Her installations include thousands of cyanotype butterflies printed on fabric and embedded with magnets, invading metallic surfaces around town.
Wertz + Dengate
When: August 12-21, 2016: All Day
Where: Old Masonic Hall – 136 S Main St, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
Conceived as a complementary exhibition to The Herd in the lower gallery of the Old Masonic Hall, artworks by Robert Wertz and Andrew Dengate with be featured in the upstairs gallery.
Contemporary Circus
L’homme Cirque
When:
August 11 @ 5 pm
August 12 @ 11 am + 2 pm
August 13 @ 11 am + 2 pm
August 14 @ 11 am + 2 pm
Where: South Gondola Lot – 170 Watson Avenue , Breckenridge CO
Cost: $20 Adults, $10 Kids
L’Homme Cirque is a one-man circus that features acclaimed Swiss circus artist David Dimitri performing a bold and innovative mix of acrobatics, dance and music. This show encompasses everything including a human cannonball to a daring high-wire act.
Music
Sila: The Breath of the World
When: August 13, 2016 @ 4 – 5:15 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center Lawn – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
Experience the “ecological listening” that this unique composition by John Luther Adams celebrates. The conductor will let the orchestra musicians have free reign and play at their own tempo, as long as each sustained tone or rising phrase lasts the length of a full exhalation.
The Safekeeping of Memory
When: August 13, 2016 @ 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: $7-40
The Breckenridge Music Festival presents The Safekeeping of Memory with guest conductor, Steven Schick, Maya Beiser on the cello and Kathryn Hatmaker on the violin. Reflect on the human connection to the spiritual and natural world in this mystical performance that features a combination of music, the written word, and video projections.
Calexico
When: August 17, 2016 @ 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: $30 Advance, $35 Day of Show
Calexico is known for crossing musical barriers and embracing a multitude of diverse styles and sounds. Their latest album, Closer to the Sun, continues to blend alternative country with Spanish horns, Portugese fado, surf guitar, and ambient jazz.
Dance + Physical Theater
Ascension + Quake
When: August 20 @ 12 – 12:30 pm + 2 – 2:30 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center Lawn – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
In Ascension, members of the STREB Extreme Action Company scale a 21-foot long ladder while it rotates at different speeds, showcasing the physical and mental strength of its performers. During Quake, the dancers tumble, hurl and perform feats on an explosive springboard.
SEA (Singular Extreme Actions)
When: August 21, 2016 @ 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: $35 Adult, $10 Kids
Envisioned and created by Elizabeth Streb, this daredevil event intricately weaves dance, extreme sports, circus arts, and daring stunt work into a must-see performance that pushes the boundaries of gravity, force, action and reaction.
Spectacle
Saurus
When:
Aug 17 @ 11 am + 1 pm
Aug 19 @ 11 am + 1 pm
Aug 21 @ 11 am + 1 pm
Where: Blue River Plaza – 2013 S Main St, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
The biggest beats to have ever walked this earth will stomp their way through downtown Breckenridge, turning Blue River Plaza into a prehistoric landscape. Created by Dutch artists Close-Act Theater, this awe-inspiring performance features stilt-walkers outfitted in 18-foot-tall dinosaur-like costumes roaming the streets of Breckenridge.
STX
When:
Aug 18 @ 11 am + 1 pm
August 20 @ 11 am + 1 pm
Where: Blue River Plaza – 2013 S Main St, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
STX is a choreographed drumming show created by the same artists behind Saurus, the Close-Act Theater. This amazing production features percussionists walking and drumming in sync while on stilts through the streets of downtown Breckenridge.
Film + Word
Cycle in Cinema
When: August 14, 2016 @ 6 – 9:30 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: $15 Adults, $5 Kids
This event invites cycling enthusiasts of all ages to ride their bikes down to the Riverwalk Center to enjoy a screening of independent bicycle-themed films from around the world.
The Moth Mainstage
When: August 18, 2016 @ 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: $25, $35
Into the Wild: The Moth in Breckenridge is a two-hour story-telling session featuring true, personal stories about dark wandering trails, startling discoveries, clinging to the compass and pressing on to see what lies ahead. The stories will have you on the edge of your seat!
The Moth is an acclaimed nonprofit organization that is dedicated to the art of storytelling.
Born to Fly: Elizabeth Streb vs. Gravity
When: August 19, 2016 @ 7:30 – 9 pm
Where: Riverwalk Center – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
Elizabeth Streb’s statute that “anything too safe is not action” propels this bold performance to new heights. The STREB company challenges the assumptions of art, injury, gender, aging and human possibility.
Wellness + Recreation
Trail Mix
When: August 11 – 21, 2016: Times Vary
Where: Illinois Creek Trail, Iowa Hill Trail and Moonstone Trail
Cost: Free
Trail Mix combines music, art, hiking and biking throughout the trails of Breckenridge with free outdoor concerts, environmental installations and 24 pop-up performances over the 10 days of the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts. Featuring artworks by Konstantin Dimopoulos, Dina Sanchez and more.
Yoga with the Birds
When: August 14, 2016 @ 8 – 9 am
Where: Riverwalk Center Lawn – 150 W Adams Ave, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
Channel your inner Yogi and enjoy a gentle stretch with Meta Yoga Studios in the quiet mountain morning. Listen to the music of nature with the orchestra’s flute and percussion section plays songbird songs by environmental composer John Luther Adams.
Workshops + Talks
Guerilla Butterflies: A Public Installation
When: August 12, 2016 @ 10 am – 2 pm
Where: Old Masonic Hall – 136 S Main St, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
The mastermind behind The Swarm (a BIFA installation) leads a workshop on the creation of her cyanotype butterflies. Then the artist along with community volunteers will get to unleash the swarm, placing them throughout Breckenridge, creating swirling formations of colorful winged creatures.
Thought Bubbles with Steven Schick and Maya Beiser
When: August 13, 2016 @ 10 – 11 pm
Where: Old Masonic Hall – 136 S Main St, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
Dynamic duo Steven Schick and Maya Beiser lead a lively evening of conversation and performance as they discuss and play the music they know and live. Join them with a glass of champagne and thought-provoking dialogue while exchanging stimulating ideas.
Kidaction
When: August 19, 2016 @ 1 – 3 pm
Where: Old Masonic Hall – 136 S Main St, Breckenridge CO
Cost: Free
Kidsaction is influenced by the fast-paced, high energy movement that kids experience around them every day. STREB invites children 5+ to come explore impact, velocity and the defiance of gravity through a combination of guided stunts and acrobatics. Based on the principles of safety, the STREB teams creates and exciting environment where kids can grow and learn!