This weekend, a local dance collective hopes to transform the Millibo Art Theatre into a haunted manor, with the audience stepping into a mysterious masquerade.

The MAT will be hosting the Kinect Dance Collective for a performance of “Mayhem in the Mansion.” The two-act show will feature a blend of contemporary, jazz and hip-hop dance with drama and aerial artistry, said Anastasia Keating, marketing manager for Kinect Dance.

Choreographed by Britney Smith, the new show will be set in an imaginary mansion called Beaumont Manor during an eerie masquerade. Keating described the performance as fast-paced and high-energy.

“Our audience, when they step into the theater, we are having them be guests at the party,” Keating said. “There’s misfortune and there’s mystery in this mansion that we’re dancing in, and we’re trying to figure out what’s going on.”

Kinect Dance Collective was founded in 2017 by a group of five dancers. A local nonprofit, it aims to provide a supportive environment for dancers and to offer professional dance shows to the community, Keating said.

“All of our dancers work outside of Kinect Dance Collective,” Keating said. “We juggle a lot of interests, and so Kinect Dance Collective for us is our time where we can get together and bond over dance and still have a professional dance environment without giving up other aspects of our lives.”

Keating, who will also be performing in the show, said the dancers are looking forward to performing at the MAT.

“We love this venue because it’s up close and personal. The first row of seats is about 6 feet from the stage, and you’re eye level with the audience,” she said. “You can really clearly see all of the dancers and their facial expressions. You’re making eye contact with them, which, from the dancer perspective, we love being able to engage with our audience in that way.”

Overall, Keating hopes the show makes for an entertaining and exciting night for the audience.

“Working in the entertainment industry, we want it to be an escape from reality, where our audience can step into the show and just forget about everything else for a couple hours and just enjoy dance, enjoy the performance, and kind of be fully immersed in an imaginary world for a little bit,” she said.