Wild Space at LakeShore Park
Wow. There's not much I can say about Wild Space's performance of "Vanishing Point" besides, well, What a cool town I live in.
It wasn't just the performance -- which seemed more "performance art"-y than dance I'm used to (especially since I usually associate dance with music, and this had no music.) It was the audience as well: all gathered at the new park to see what Wild Space was going to do with it, on a perfect indian summer evening with just enough leftover fog and clouds to make the lighting that more ambient.
We gathered on the bridge to begin, and waited for the ship to come in, delivering the dancers. The cool thing about this performance was that it took us on a tour of the park. As one ensemble would finish their bit, we'd walk a couple dozen yards to see the next part. So Wild Space did what I'd predicted they'd do: they showed me the bauty fo this park.
Dancers frolicked on the rocks, they climbed on bridges. One of the more compelling segments was a group of figures dressed in ghostly white who moved across a rocky prairie so slowly you didn't really see them move. They simply just got closer. They eventually turned away and seemed to vanish into the inner pool of water.
There were humorous moments, as well, as dancers simulating fishermen made us laugh, and moments of romance as the piece ended where it started (having brought us around the circular trail of the park) on the dock.
Wild Space director Debra Loewen came out afterwards, to applause from the crowd, and thanked us profusely for coming, gushing that she was so glad to live in Milwaukee, a city that would support and appreciate a show such as this. I think we all are just as glad to live here, for much the same kinds of reasons.
It wasn't just the performance -- which seemed more "performance art"-y than dance I'm used to (especially since I usually associate dance with music, and this had no music.) It was the audience as well: all gathered at the new park to see what Wild Space was going to do with it, on a perfect indian summer evening with just enough leftover fog and clouds to make the lighting that more ambient.
We gathered on the bridge to begin, and waited for the ship to come in, delivering the dancers. The cool thing about this performance was that it took us on a tour of the park. As one ensemble would finish their bit, we'd walk a couple dozen yards to see the next part. So Wild Space did what I'd predicted they'd do: they showed me the bauty fo this park.
Dancers frolicked on the rocks, they climbed on bridges. One of the more compelling segments was a group of figures dressed in ghostly white who moved across a rocky prairie so slowly you didn't really see them move. They simply just got closer. They eventually turned away and seemed to vanish into the inner pool of water.
There were humorous moments, as well, as dancers simulating fishermen made us laugh, and moments of romance as the piece ended where it started (having brought us around the circular trail of the park) on the dock.
Wild Space director Debra Loewen came out afterwards, to applause from the crowd, and thanked us profusely for coming, gushing that she was so glad to live in Milwaukee, a city that would support and appreciate a show such as this. I think we all are just as glad to live here, for much the same kinds of reasons.
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