# OFA Dance Open Studios ## OFA Dance Open Studios In OFA Open Studios, students and community members are invited to observe the creative process and engage with the artists. ![RootsUprising dancers in mid-movement as part of Open Studios](/sites/g/files/omnuum13031/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2026-08/TOP_2026_Spring_OFA_Dance_Open_Roots_Uprising_040426_WEB_OFA_OpenStudios_%28MelissaBlackall%29_-21.jpg?itok=SKl-V_zL) ## expand\_more ## Open Studios The OFA Dance Program hosts and supports professional artists at various stages of their creative process. Students and community members are invited to be in the room during in-process rehearsals, sharings of works-in-process, and research sessions as part of OFA Dance Open Studios. Each Open Studio may include Q&A, embodied participation, observation, and dialogue between the audience and artists. Through this feedback exchange, the community deepens their understanding while helping to shape the work. All are welcome and encouraged to attend multiple Open Studios (read below for more details), as each one will be in a different stage of the process and engaging in different experimentations. See below to learn more about the work, curricular connections, and upcoming OFA Dance Open Studios and Informal Showings! Open all sections Close all sections ### OFA Dance Open Studios: 2026 MIDDAY Movement Series Rough Drafts Artists expand\_more You're invited to witness three works-in-process by 2026 choreographers of Boston-based dance organization [MIDDAY Movement Series Rough Drafts](https://www.middaymovement.org/rough-drafts) program: Mira Göksel, Simon Montalvo, and Aiden Marshall. Get an inside look into the creative process of new dance works which span investigations into Black Futures; solidarity-building through collective power; and an ode to to the ongoing revolutionary acts done by journalists, protestors, and artists alike in Türkiye, fighting for autonomy. These works will later be presented at the Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (ICA/Boston) on October 23, 2026. ## Date/Time Saturday, September 12, 6-8pm ## Location Harvard Dance Center, Studio 1, 66 Garden St., Cambridge, MA ## Attending All open studios are free and open to the public! [Please RSVP by registering through the OFA's registration portal.](https://ofadap.fas.harvard.edu/ords/ofa/r/office-for-the-arts/login) (For non-Harvard affiliates, follow the instructions to create a Harvard Guest account) ## Accessibility The Harvard Dance Center is wheelchair and mobility device accessible. If you have questions about the accessibility provided or anticipate needing any accommodation to participate, please email or 617-496-0314. ### OFA Dance Open Studios: Ella Wechsler-Matthaei/Soca Fusion expand\_more You're invited to witness two open rehearsals of a new evening-length work by dance company Soca Fusion, led by Ella Wechler-Mattaei. The work is rooted in Soca, Caribbean, and Carnival traditions, celebrating joy, resilience, and embodied expression within the Black diaspora. Created by a collective of dancers, choreographers, and live musicians, it traces a journey from everyday life to the liberation of Carnival, blending Soca, Caribbean folklore, West African, hip hop, dancehall, and Afrobeats movement vocabularies. Through performance and community workshops, Soca Fusion centers Black embodied knowledge, invites multi‑generational engagement, and expands the national dance landscape by elevating dance forms historically under‑represented in U.S. concert contexts. Ella is also a regular Teaching Artist, teaching Soca Fusion as part of the OFA Dance Program's Community Courses. ## Dates/Times Friday, October 2, 6:30-8pm Friday, October 30, 6:30-8pm ## Location Harvard Dance Center, Studio 1, 66 Garden St., Cambridge, MA ## Attending All open studios are free and open to the public! You're encourage to attend more than one to get deeper into the work. [Please RSVP by registering through the OFA's registration portal.](https://ofadap.fas.harvard.edu/ords/ofa/r/office-for-the-arts/login) (For non-Harvard affiliates, follow the instructions to create a Harvard Guest account) ## Accessibility The Harvard Dance Center is wheelchair and mobility device accessible. If you require elevator access to Studio 2 (lower level), please let the host at the front know and they will provide instructions. If you have questions about the accessibility provided or anticipate needing any accommodation to participate, please email or 617-496-0314. We welcome a conversation with you! ### Curricular Course Connections expand\_more A goal of the both the Residency and Open Studios is to facilitate meaningful connections between the artists and Harvard students, specifically via collaboration and connection to undergraduate coursework. Please check back for curricular courses connecting to the work. ### Accessibility expand\_more The Harvard Dance Center is wheelchair and mobility device accessible. If you have questions about the accessibility provided or anticipate needing any accommodation to participate, please email or 617-496-0314. We welcome a conversation with you! --- Attachments- [ picture\_as\_pdf New\_OFA\_Reg\_Primer\_8\_25.pdf ](/sites/g/files/omnuum13031/files/2025-08/New_OFA_Reg_Primer_8_25.pdf) ---