Chloe Loftus loves to dance.
But she loves dance even more when it's outside the theatre.
The Nelson-based choreographer is bringing her outdoor work 'Us' to Wellington's street festival CubaDupa this weekend, and she's inviting Wellingtonians to take part.
"It's a delightful, serene, joyful flashmob effectively, inviting local community to take to the streets."
Speaking with RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump, Loftus says the event is open to anyone aged 14 or older.
Experience in dance isn't necessary, she says. 'Us' is a simple 16-count routine, moving to a steady medium beat.
Usually Loftus performs it to a recorded Nigel Kennedy version of a Fats Waller number "Sweet and Slow", although for CubaDupa, she's hoping to engage the services of some local musicians live.
Auckland Council’s 2017 Artist in Residence Chloe Loftus rehearsing at Long Bay Regional Park. Photo: Bryan Lowe, Auckland Council
So far, Loftus has persuaded locals in her home town, Nelson, along with folk from Wanaka and Dunedin to get out and slowly boogie on the streets. This weekend marks the work's North Island premiere.
The idea - as is the case with a lot of recent good ideas - came out of the Covid years.
"This [is an] invitation, bringing community back together and kind of taking back, reclaiming the streets and coming back together and [making] connection", says Loftus, who feels this is just as important now as it was during the lockdowns.
"In a time where there's a lot of separateness and isolation, there's a loneliness pandemic ... there's this wonderful sense of awe and connection when we move in unison."
Awe and wonder are key ingredients in Loftus' work, and for her, all the world's a potential stage.
Another work she's currently performing, with the wheelchair using dancer Rodney Bell, has her and Bell spending much of the time in mid-air, suspended from ropes and pulleys.
A quick look through her website will reward you with shots of Loftus hanging from the branches of trees and swings, as well as wheelchairs.
She says she always has an eye out for potential performance zones above and around her when she's in a new town.
Volunteers for 'Us' at Cubadupa won't need any head for heights, though - all the action will be at street level.
If you'd like to take part, you can sign up here.
If you've left it too late, or Wellington is too far, no worries - with most of the North Island, and a fair bit of the South still ahead of her, 'Us' could well be in a town near you soon.
