Forklift Danceworks, an Austin-based dance company known for converting manual jobs into large-scale choreography, has a new three-part show coming to Austin from October 18 through November 8. The Way of Water — Colorado River is a site-specific performance series celebrating the river, its stewards, and the communities the river sustains.

The Way of Water is a longterm project that has been developed or is still in development for other bodies of water and cities: Austin's Onion Creek, Miami's waters, El Paso World Water Week Conference, and an upcoming performance in Venice. Every iteration will be different, because the choreography is made in collaboration with those who will perform it.

For this one-of-a-kind production, Forklift's founder and artistic director Allison Orr and her team collaborated with local river experts and Austin community members who interact with the Colorado River regularly, to create a dynamic performance series, where these "regular people" are the performers.

This is what Forklift does for every production, according to Orr. "I make dances with people who you might not think of as dancers, but whose work and whose contributions are essential to all of our lives," she says.

Orr explains that the people she works with have "embodied careers" with an expertise in movement: people like utility workers, sanitation workers, maintenance staff, custodial staff, and in the case of The Way of Water, Austin Water Utility staff.

"They might not call themselves dancers, but I think of dance in terms of movement designed in time and space," says Orr. "So it sure looks like dance to me."

For this particular Way of the Water, Orr says that the real "lead character" is the Colorado River itself. Each of three events in this sub-series are site-specific, located along the river at Laguna Gloria, across town for a city-wide scavenger hunt, and at the Austin Water Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend. In each event, Austinites are invited to deepen their connection to this very important river and those who take care of it, as well as learn more about what Orr considers "the central lifeblood of the city."

"The Colorado River is why the city is here," Orr says. "It's our single source of drinking water in the City of Austin, and we don't have enough fresh water resources for what we're anticipating in terms of growth... We gotta get more innovative and more creative about how we use our freshwater sources. And it's just critical that we understand our relationship to that river."

She goes on to discuss how important it is to understand our relationship with the Colorado River, and water as a whole, as climate change increases severe storms and droughts. Each of the parts of this series will educate the audience on matters like these in "fun, accessible, and creative ways," says Orr.

Aside from Orr, the artistic team on this project includes choreographer Rachel Nayer, composer Graham Reynolds, Butoh dance artist Rosemary Candelario, scavenger hunt designer Kate Murray, and media and production design by dadaLab.

The team also partnered with several advisors including Austin Water, Austin Youth River Watch, All Water Fishing Guides, Colorado River Alliance, the Travis Audubon Society, the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment, and the Contemporary Austin, to create a three-part performance series spanning three weeks.

• Part I: Source, October 18 from 11 am to 11 pm at Laguna Gloria, 2809 W. 35th St.
  The first show in the series will be a combination of meditation, ceremony, and celebration. This kickoff event will include stories and movement from Austin Water Utility personnel, river scientists, Candelaro, and birders from the Travis Audubon Society.

• Part II: Currents, October 18 through November 8, online and city-wide
  This river-wide scavenger hunt launches on October 18 at Laguna Gloria and online, allowing Austinites to participate at their own pace, connect with fellow river stewards, and learn more about the Colorado River. Prizes are available for those who dive deep into the experience.

• Part III: Confluence, November 7 and 8 at 7 pm, Austin Water Center for Environmental Research at Hornsby Bend, 2210 South FM 973
  The final event in this series is the "typical, big Forklift show, with big machines" according to Orr. This includes a large-scale river-inspired performance featuring stories and movement from Austin Water employees, scientists, youth river stewards, fly-fishers, birders, and activists, as well as visuals like lasers and projections by dadaLab, which says Orr are "blowing [her] away."

"This is the first project I've really focused on a river," says Orr, "And I hate to sound cheesy and goofy but rivers are mysterious. And I would even say this has been a really spiritual experience."

Free reservations for this big finale event will be available the week of October 14 via forkliftdanceworks.org.