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| Photo: Gabriel Osorio-Soto |
Summer: Performance Adventure in the Andorra Woods will conclude the one-year cycle
Wissahickon Reunion, on
Sunday,
July 22 from 10:15 to 11:15 AM. The
performance will take place along
the Central Loop of the Andorra Natural Area of the park. (see below for
directions). I will be joined for this performance adventure by dancers Beau Hancock, Jumatatu Poe, Olive
Prince, and Marion Ramírez; and musician Harold S. Smith.
Situated
in the northernmost part of Wissahickon Valley Park, the beautiful
AndorraNatural Area one of “the last wild places of Fairmount Park”. This lightly trafficked area of concentric paths is a
sanctuary for birds and other wildlife including white tail deer and red
fox. Audiences are advised to follow
directions and
come prepared for a
performance
adventure that includes a semi-vigorous 15 to 20 minute uphill hike on foot
to the performance site. Wear comfortable
walking shoes and give yourself plenty of time to get lost as you find the
performers along the Central Loop. The
paths will be marked with white flour to assist audiences in finding the
performers. Wear sunscreen and insect repellent. Wear a hat and sunglasses. Bring water. Check the weather forecast before you venture
out and dress appropriately.
Performances
take place rain or shine. Cancellations only in extreme weather. Check back here(
Branch Dances Blog) for last minute updates and suggestions.
About Wissahickon Reunion
Wissahickon
Reunion
revisits the award-winning One Year Wissahickon Park Project
which investigated correspondences between movement, the elements, physical experience, alignment and balance, consciousness, and
performance. Wissahickon Reunion consists of four outdoor performances, one
each season spanning from October 2011-
July 2012. Previous performances have
included Fall, October
23, 2011, Winter, January 15, 2012, and Spring, April 15, 2012.
“Merián Soto’s Branch Dances,
performed seasonally in the Wissahickon Park, don’t just do away with
traditional notions of performance, they reorganize whole landscapes… Soto has
been developing Branch Dances since 2005, showing this performance practice in
different parts of the Park, in all seasons, regardless of weather conditions.
My sense is that it takes more than one viewing in one location on one spring
day to experience the scope of the work, the nature of which demands that
audience members be prepared to brave the elements, and more importantly, to find
their way to the right spot on the map. However, once there, overcoming natural
barriers, such as rivers, and comfort zones, like getting out early on a lazy
Sunday, no longer seem so treacherous.”
Killian Kroll, thINKING Dance.net
Directions
to the site
Enter by way of the
Wissahickon Environmental Center, 300 W. Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19118.
Park
on Northwestern Ave and walk to The
Environmental Center/Tree House by
crossing Forbidden Drive and heading up
into the park on the gravel road (Old Northwestern Ave). OR, you can drive
across Forbidden Drive and up the gravel road to the small Environmental Center
parking lot.
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| Photo: Pepón Osorio |
Enter
the trails on the path in front of the tree house. There will be volunteers to assist you at
the crossroad.
Suggested Routes to performance Site
Easier- As you enter the trails in
front of the tree house take the trail to the right . Follow it as far as you can and turn left.
Continue on that path until you reach Cucumber Meadow.
Harder- As you enter the trails in
front f the tree house take the trail to the left. Continue to go uphill, always
bearing right. As you near the top there
will be one crossing where in order to continue uphill you will have to bear
left. Bear left and continue to
Cucumber Meadow.
Please
note: Bikes are not allowed on the
Andorra trails, (except
on the driveway to the Tree House and on the bypass, which connects upper
Northwestern Ave. with Forbidden Drive. Bikers are welcome to leave their bikes
at Tree House while on the trails.)
Wissahickon Reunion is supported by grants from the Boyer
College of Music & Dance and
OVPR of Temple University.
