‘Second Saturday’ dance series to come to an end

in Pittsburgh remotely resembling “Second Saturdays.” In fact, Ms. Porter has yet to find another like it, even on a global scale.

“People would come from all over the place, and they had never seen anything like this before.”

“Second Saturdays” became known for its light touch.

“But you do have to direct it. You can’t just open the doors and let it go,” Ms. Porter explains. “It’s like guiding smoke. You can’t hold on to smoke and you can’t make it do things, but you can kind of suggest … gentle little puffs of smoke, gentle little nudges and you can shape the vibe, the flow and the energy of the night.”

The adventurous artists says the time has come to turn this easygoing format into something hard once more.

“I want to be challenged again,” Ms. Porter says. “’Second Saturdays’ is like water to me. We could do it forever — it doesn’t need funding, we don’t advertise. It just does its thing.”

She’ll be turning to the idea of sessions, with musicians and dancers discussing the process, verbalizing their ideas and evolving from there, breaking down even more performance barriers. Who knows what will happen?

In the meantime, there will be one last happening on Saturday, filled with memories and new moments.

“It was the perfect vehicle at the perfect time, and it served us very well,” she says.