BETHLEHEM — The hills will be alive with the sound of … dancing and more this Saturday as Bethlehem celebrates the arts with the first Bethlehem Art Walk, held in conjunction with the Cultivate dance festival, a four-day celebration of dance.

From 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Bethlehem will host more than 25 local artists, 15 musicians and bands, and 25 dancers who will display their art and perform.

Everyone is welcome to the art walk, which stretches along Main Street and includes performance venues, businesses, studios and town buildings.

“The response has been fantastic,” Katherine Ferrier, the director/founder of Cultivate and the art walk, said. The mission of Cultivate, which is supported by the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire and the New Hampshire State Council on the Arts, is to bring cutting edge dance and performance to the area. “It grew out of Cultivate,” she said of the art walk.

Maps for the event, designed by Angel Larcom, will be available online and at the venues.

Ferrier, a dancer and visual artist, moved to the region in 2009 after spending time in New York City, St. Petersburg, Russia, and Raleigh, N.C. She said in Raleigh there was a monthly celebration of arts, artists, and creativity, and she thought, “Why not here?”

Also inspiring her were the WREN gallery openings. She noticed that the town seemed more alive during the event, with those who attended going to restaurants on Main Street and enjoying a glass of wine and dinner, providing, she said, “a little boost to the creative economy.”

The art walk includes three free dance classes for kids, starting with Shake and Shout at Bethlehem Town Hall from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

“The whole day is super family-friendly,” Ferrier said.

Local restaurants provide both wall space for artists and performance venues for musicians. The day also includes a flash mob from 1 to 1:30 p.m. at the WREN Farmers Market, and a 7:30 p.m. dance concert by the artists of Cultivate at the Colonial Theatre.

At Durrell Memorial Church from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., there will be handcrafted jewelry with Mary Pelletier.

At The Gables, landscapes and portraits by Craig Pursely will be on display, with abstracts and figures by Paula Wolcott at The Gallery at WREN, with the artists in residence from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nate Alberts entertains at Root Restaurant.

The restaurant also is the site for another exhibit of artistry, brewing, and beer tasting with the Woodstock Brewery.

Not to be missed is the free dance class for kids at the town hall from 2 to 3:30 p.m. The class is billed as Robot Invasion!

For a complete schedule, go to bethlehemartwalk.com.

- - - - - - - -

Sara Young-Knox may be reached at syoungknox@newstote.com.