Sunday, July 1, 2012

SUMMER: Performance Adventure in the Andorra Woods Sunday, July 22, 2012 @10:15 AM

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.

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.

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