🎨 Fall Arts Pop-Ups
Small adventures. Big plot twists.
Not every creative journey needs a ten-week commitment.
This fall, Calliope is partnering with students from WCU’s School of Stage & Screen to offer 9 FREE pop-up arts workshops for the community as part of their training in arts education.
These one-day workshops invite kids and teens to try something new, build a skill, and make something alongside emerging teaching artists. Offerings range from tap, filmmaking, ballet, jazz, rhythm, and flexibility to creative writing, fashion and personal style, and storytelling.
Come for an hour or two. Explore a new interest. Meet other creative people in your community. And, at the same time, help WCU students grow as the next generation of arts educators.
All workshops are free to attend. Donations are welcome and help Calliope continue offering accessible arts programming in our community.
Browse the full workshop lineup below and join us for one—or try several!
REGISTRATION OPENS SEPTEMBER 16 for this series.
Fall 2026 Pop-Up Workshops
Flexibility for Everyone! Build Your Stretch Routine
Instructor: Sophie
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 2026
Time: 5:00–6:30 PM
Age Group: Ages 11–14
Flexibility isn’t just for dancers and athletes—everyone can build it! In this inclusive, movement-based workshop, participants will learn safe and effective stretching techniques, explore new ways of moving their bodies, and identify personal flexibility goals. Each participant will leave with ideas for building a stretching routine they can continue at home while gaining a better understanding of their own body, limits, and possibilities.
Tap Fundamentals
Instructor: Hannah
Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
Time: 2:00–4:00 PM
Age Group: Ages 13–18
Explore the building blocks of tap in this fun, beginner-friendly workshop! Participants will experiment with basic tap sounds, steps, and rhythms while discovering how individual sounds can be combined to create sequences of movement. By the end of the workshop, students will create some rhythms of their own and learn a fun tap combination to add to their dancer toolbox. No previous tap experience required—just come ready to learn, create, and have fun!
Battement Your Way to Broadway! A Beginner Ballet & Jazz Workshop
Instructors: Sophie & Maddie
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Time: 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Age Group: Grades 4–6
Get back to the basics of ballet and jazz in a workshop designed for young dancers who want to move, create, and have fun! Participants will explore foundational technique through games, barre work, across-the-floor exercises, and beginner-friendly combinations in both styles. Along the way, they’ll have opportunities to add their own creativity and personality while building the technique that helps performers move with confidence.
Dress to Express
Instructors: Hannah & Joyner
Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Time: 4:30–6:30 PM
Age Group: Ages 13–18
Explore fashion as a form of creativity and self-expression! Participants will discover a variety of fashion styles and inspirations before creating personal fashion vision boards using images, markers, and templates. Then they’ll put their ideas into action by transforming and styling provided thrifted clothing pieces into an original runway-ready look.
Brief Encounters: Writing Short Stories
Instructor: Maddie
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2026 (No School for JCPS)
Time: 3:00–4:30 PM
Age Group: Grades 4–7
Turn an idea into a story of your own! Participants will explore the building blocks of short-story writing by choosing a theme, inventing one to three characters, and imagining an adventure for those characters to experience. Step by step, they’ll bring those pieces together into an original short story and discover how writers turn their ideas into narratives.
You’ve Got Rhythm
Instructor: Joyner
Date: Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Time: 4:00–5:00 PM
Age Group: Elementary, approximately ages 5–9
Make some noise while discovering how rhythm works! Participants will explore whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes along with basic rests, giving each rhythm its own sounds and patterns. Using rhythm sticks, students will practice patterns together before putting their new skills to work by playing along with a song as a group.
Finding Your Personal Style
Instructor: Niyah
Date: Friday, November 13, 2026
Time: 4:00–5:30 PM
Age Group: Upper Middle School & High School
Personal style is one way we show the world who we are. In this creative workshop, participants will explore what inspires their individual sense of style and create a personal look book or mood board that captures the colors, shapes, clothing, and aesthetics they love. They’ll consider ways to bring that inspiration into their own wardrobes and finish with a hands-on fashion design project that lets them put their ideas into action.
Fun with Films: Storytelling with Storyboards
Instructor: Spencer
Date: Saturday, November 14, 2026
Time: 3:00–5:00 PM
Age Group: Elementary School
Every movie starts with a story! Young filmmakers will use imagination, art, and collaborative activities to create a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Participants will develop their own ideas, create a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Participants will develop their own ideas, create a storyboard, and work with classmates as they discover how an imagined story can become the foundation for a film.
Lights, Camera, ACTION!
Instructors: Niyah & Spencer
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Time: 5:00–8:00 PM
Age Group: High School & Upper Middle School
Go behind the scenes and discover what it takes to make a movie! Participants will explore the fundamentals of filmmaking—including storytelling, screenwriting, camera work, lighting, directing, and acting—while working with real filmmaking equipment. In small groups, students will collaborate to develop, shoot, and perform in their own short films, experiencing the filmmaking process from the first idea to “Action!”