Ryan Heffington is an Emmy Award-winning choreographer and director. Also a resident of Twentynine Palms, he is now investing his decades of creative vision and expertise into a residency titled D E S E R T R A D E. The residency features workshops and programs that utilize the arts to enhance community, collaboration, and connection.
Made possible in part by funding from the Tourism Business Improvement District, the residency intends to promote art and culture in the Hi Desert and beyond. D E S E R T R A D E is based on a 12-acre property in Twentynine Palms; Heffington has already renovated the property’s main house, and there are four mid-century bungalows and two workshop spaces for future artists to stay and collaborate.
“It was never in my dreams to open a residency, but it kind of fell into my lap. I saw it as a place where people can gather, people can celebrate, people can commune, and support one another, and that would be through workshops and teaching. The goal is to create healthier, happier humans.”
The residency launches this Friday (May 17) with the SAND TO SKY Series, composed of curated events over the next three weekends, headlined under Art, Wellness, and Dance, respectively.
A film screening is the first offering to kick off this weekend; other events include cross-media workshops, exhibitions, a land-to-table meal, a live model creative experience, and more. Heffington’s show RETROPerspective will debut on May 30 and run for the final weekend. Lauded as his most personal choreographic work in over a decade, the show is a multidisciplinary depiction of Heffington’s life over the last 15 years.
“Our friend Jessica Hundley is leading Art & Alchemy. It is magic; through creating we can create something out of nothing. I think when that happens our being changes, our state of mind changes. That’s the theme: alchemy, changing, making art, making magic. I think we can do it through food, art, collage, painting, drawing, and I definitely think we can do it through dancing.”
D E S E R T R A D E is a nonprofit organization; its 501c3 status will go into effect in July. The SAND TO SKY Series also initiates a fundraising campaign for the residency to continue property renovation and allow for the expansion of workshops and programs offered. Prices vary by event, ranging from free or donation-based events to ticketed experiences at $500.
Visit desertrade.com for a complete list of the offerings featured in the SAND TO SKY Series.
Tickets can be purchased by event at linktr.ee/desertrade29.
