SOMEWHERE TO OAKLAND
July 8–26, 2025 | Frank H. Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza | Free Community Events
BANDALOOP presents Somewhere to Oakland — a month of free vertical dance on the walls of Oakland City Hall and the Rotunda, live music, talks and community ritual featuring more than 50 local artists and partners, scenes from BANDALOOP’s latest work FLOCK, a poetic story of migration, and more!
Registration is highly encouraged for events with capacity limits and generally encouraged for all events (as available) for access and hospitality planning. We acknowledge sharing personal information may not work for everyone and support unregistered attendance as possible in the spirit of shared belonging.
Calendar of FREE Events
Tuesday, July 8
12–1PM Beginning At The Roots: Opening Ceremony; Movement, song, and a collective art project with BANDALOOP - no registration required.
📍 Great Jack London Oak Tree
Thursday, July 10
1:30-3:30PM East Bay Yesterday presents: The Long Lost Oakland walking tour with Liam O’Donoghue
📍 Great Jack London Oak Tree | Limit 25 people
AT CAPACITY - REGISTRATION CLOSED!
Saturday, July 12
12–1PM Destani's Piece: Circlesinging with Destani Wolf
Thursday, July 17
1:30-3PM We Bring the Story With Us: Letters to the Bay, From Everywhere We've Been, a writing workshop w/ Maya Chinchilla
📍 Rotunda | Limit 30 people | 🎟️ REGISTER4-6PM BANDALOOP Live & In Process*
📍 Rotunda / Kahn’s Alley | 🎟️ REGISTER
Saturday, July 19
12-1PM Destani's Piece: Circlesinging with Destani Wolf
📍 Rotunda | Limit 65 people | 🎟️ REGISTER1:30-4:30PM BANDALOOP Live & In Process*
📍 Rotunda / Kahn’s Alley | 🎟️ REGISTER
Thursday, July 24
1:30-3PM Connecting with Native Wildlife: Discover Your Inner Wild Archetype, a workshop with Amy Gotliffe, VP of Conservation, Oakland Zoo
📍 Rotunda | 🎟️ REGISTER5-7PM BANDALOOP Open Dress-Rehearsal with CO-LLAB Choir + Birds of a Feather Reception
📍 Rotunda | 🎟️ REGISTER
Saturday, July 26 | 1–5PM
BANDALOOP presents FLOCK: A Vertical Dance Theater Performance + Collective Nest Building + Butterfly Effect Art Making
📍 Kahn’s Alley, Rotunda, City Hall | 🎟️ REGISTER
* Watch BANDALOOP dancing on the wall in creative process
Join the journey and fly with us as a Project Supporter!
Your gift pre-registers you for all events above with special access and perks. Thank you for going above and beyond with BANDALOOP for Oakland Arts!
“As a 23-year resident of Oakland, I see this project as a love letter to the city my family calls home. I am deeply concerned that Oakland lives into its beauty, and that the many cultures that migrate and land here vibrate with belonging. ”
MORE ON Somewhere to Oakland
Taking flight in Frank H. Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza, Somewhere to Oakland will transform the iconic Jack London Oak Tree, the Rotunda Building, and Oakland City Hall into a flyway for vertical dance, community singing, and social art practice. This intergenerational project uplifts community voices through embodied storytelling that interweaves bird and human migration.
Somewhere to Oakland is a durational creation in public space all month, with a spotlight on accessible events taking place Thursdays & Saturdays. Co-directed by Artistic Director, Melecio Estrella, and Associate Artistic Director, Damara Vita Ganley, and originates from their own familiy migration stories, featuring multi-lingual musical score by Ben Juodvalkis and Destani Wolf.
Featured Artists + Collaborators:
BANDALOOP | Destani Wolf | Ben Juodvalkis | Liam O’Donoghue | Maya Chinchilla | CO-LLAB Choir | The Butterfly Effect | Sing Justice Choir | Rogelio Lopez | Aida Salazar | Satsuki Ina from Tsuru for Solidarity | Nino Fernandez
We acknowledge that not all individuals honored by this work may feel safe gathering in public space. We invite those who do to co-create a nest of embodied hope and connection.
Featured photos of the Frank H. Ogawa/Oscar Grant Plaza, Oakland City Hall, the Rotunda, Great Jack London Oak Tree; BANDALOOP Photos from the world premiere of FLOCK at The Momentary by Brooke Anderson.
