Vertical Dance Returns to Vedauwoo July 14-16

July 6, 2006 -- Vertical dance returns to Vedauwoo July 14-16 as part of the University of Wyoming's 2006 Snowy Range Summer Theatre and Dance Festival.

Performances of "Vertical Dance, Children's Theatre, and Music at Vedauwoo" start at 11 a.m. daily at the Vedauwoo Recreation Area east of Laramie on Interstate 80. Tickets cost $6. Due to limited seating, dogs also will be charged admission. For tickets and information call (307) 766-6666 or visit www.uwyo.edu/finearts.

Shuttle buses for the entire performance will take patrons from the outer, free parking area outside of Vedauwoo into the Box Canyon area beginning an hour before the event. The performance venue is another five to 10 minute walk from the shuttle drop-off. Shuttle patrons are advised to arrive no later than 10:30 a.m.

Vertical dance is a unique blend of modern dance using ropes and the natural contours of rock to allow free-flowing aerial movement. Since 1998, the presentations in the natural rock formations at Vedauwoo have offered Wyoming and northern Colorado audiences a breathtaking set to view dance.

Margaret Wilson and Neil Humphrey have choreographed the performance and created a UW program in vertical dance. Wilson, assistant professor of theatre and dance, also directs the 2006 Snowy Range Dance Festival and concert series.

"The rock faces at Vedauwoo are our stage, and the choreography will emphasize the relationship the dancers have to this surface," says Wilson, who notes that the rock wall face allows dancers to explore movement unrestricted by the confines of gravity.

"The dancers explore the natural rock surface, but are also able to take flight from the surfaces and explore movement with multiple revolutions or suspensions that seem physically impossible," she adds.

Once again, UW music faculty member Kevin Hart has composed original music for the Vedauwoo vertical dance. This year's composition, "Stonewall Sketchbook," consists of free improvisations recorded on location using a frame guitar.

"Working with original music has been an inspiration for choreography," Wilson says.

New this year to the Vedauwoo show is the addition of a children's theatre performance and live music. Assistant Professor of Theatre and Dance Cecelia Aragon will direct "Alicia in Wonder Tierra," an entertaining adventure loosely based on "Alice in Wonderland" with a touch of "The Wizard of Oz." The play charts the adventures of young Alicia on her mystical journey from a Mexican curio shop to the Aztec Temple as she comes to understand her cultural heritage.

Additionally, live music performances by Thomas Pfotenhauer, Rod Garnett and Peter Queal will resonate throughout the natural rock amphitheater, complementing the event.

"Vertical Dance, Children's Theatre, and Music at Vedauwoo" is co-sponsored by Cross Country Connection and Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest Service.

Photo

Defying Gravity -- University of Wyoming dancers defy gravity at the natural rock formations at Vedauwoo Recreation Area east of Laramie on Interstate 80. The art is a unique blend of modern dance using ropes and the rocks' natural contours to allow free-flowing aerial movement. Vertical dance returns to Vedauwoo July 14-16 as part of UW's 2006 Snowy Range Summer Theatre and Dance Festival. (UW Photo)

Posted on Thursday, July 06, 2006