Thanks to my husband, Dan, I am now acquainted with an amazing artistic company called "Project Bandaloop." Located in Oakland, CA and under artistic director, Amelia Rudolph, Project Bandaloop "creates a blend of dance, sport, ritual, and environmental awareness. Inspired by the possibilities of climbing and rappelling, the choreography draws on aerial, vertical and horizontal movement to craft dances, many site-specific. The work explores the relationship between movement and gravity and stimulates viewers' awareness of their natural and built environments." (quote from the mission statement)
There's tons to love here: the fusion of dance and rappelling to create a surprising new art form; the focus on relationships in and with nature; movement that is grounded by gravity and yet able to achieve moments of elegant freedom. I'm inspired by the vision and creativity of this group; the artistry is lovely. When viewing their videos (and there are several on their website) I experience feelings that must have been similar to those of Gerard Manley Hopkins when he penned "the Windhover."
I caught this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding Stirred for a bird,
—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!
The link Dan sent me was for OC Caprice, a mid-air jig performed at the Orange County dance festival. Amazing... Enjoy...
http://projectbandaloop.org/oc-caprice.html
(click here for the rest of Hopkins' poem)
