Some would think dancing with ropes is relatively straight-forward: rig up some harnesses and rope, play some music, and perform. But Rope and Harness Vertical Dancing (Vertical Dance for short), is not quite that simple, according to Theatre and Dance Associate Professor Margaret Wilson.
Thursday evening, dance faculty and students performed alongside Lights Along the Shore, an acoustic quartet, at the Berry Biodiversity Conservation Center.
Three pieces were performed: two included students, while the final piece was led with student choreography. Wilson said that students had been rehearsing over a week and a half before the performance.
“The performance at the Berry Center went really well,” said Meghan Critchley, a senior Dance Science major who performed Thursday. “It was nice to do a performance that was so up close and personal with the audience.”
1999 was the year of inception for Vertical Dance at the University of Wyoming.
“My colleague, Neil Humphrey, went to a workshop up in Canada on vertical dance,” said Wilson. “He thought this would be a great opportunity to see if we could do vertical dance at the university.”
Classes started so to develop vocabulary and hone dancer training. Since then, classes have been offered to students.
Dance Science major Peta Comelli has danced since the age of three and now, as a senior in college, vertical dance has become her favorite style.
“One if the biggest challenges of vertical dance is learning how to move in the harness,” said Comelli, “but it is so rewarding once you do because it allows you to experiment with movement that otherwise wouldn’t be possible.”
Wilson said that maintaining physical strength is a challenge. As a result, the vertical dance classes are often only offered to dance majors, as they have developed the strength and knowledge to handle the complexity of the genre.
“It is representative of the dance we do here,” said Wilson. “Our program is split pretty evenly between ballet and modern, so there is an aesthetic line that is probably informed from ballet. Some of the movements and sort of being off center and the more physical partnering that we do does draw more from modern.”
Performances take place biennially at Veedauwoo.
“It is great to combine art and recreation,” said Wilson. “We get to bring art outside.”
“Vedauwoo was one of the best experiences that I’ve ever had,” said Critchley. “We seemed so small compared to rocks and mountains, and it was pretty amazing to be a part of that environment. The stage was so much bigger: instead of looking out into an auditorium, we could see out for miles. “
“Dancing in nature is a very grounding experience, and influences movement in a new and exciting way that differs greatly from the studio,” said Comelli
Wilson says that the university has been very supportive and the public has been very interested. The fact that UW has vertical dance has landed the institute recognition from Dance Magazine.
