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The members of Project Bandaloop dance company talk about their unique combination of dance and rock climbing.
Project Bandaloop takes dance in a new direction by blending it with sport in the form of rock climbing and rapppelling. Their latest project, Crossings: Stories of Gravity and Transformation, was originally performed during an 18-day crossing of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. Moving across the range from east to west, the company stopped to create site-specific work at beautiful places along the trail.
Several members fo the company chatted with ARTSEDGE after a working rehearsal for the theater version of Crossings, performed at the Kennedy Center.
Was there a narrative basis for the choreography in Crossings?
You couldn’t recognize them or draw straight lines, like 'this moment is what happened out in the wilderness'—but someone got sick, and someone’s knee was hurt; people went off on solos, and did stuff on their own. The group bifurcated, and took on different challenges, and the piece took on those ideas. We definitely put them into the choreography as elements of the way the group kind of worked together.
Were all of you climbers as well as dancers? Had any of you done rock climbing before?
I had never climbed before this group, but I’ve been with this group for a while, and now I’m a pretty dedicated climber. Prior to this when Amelia (Project Bandaloop's Artistic Director) first asked me, “Are you interested in doing a show where we’re going to integrate rock climbing and dance?” I had no idea what to expect, but I went ahead and said yes and now I’m really glad I did, because it’s just a great integration.
On the rock face, how do you know when a dance begins and ends?
We talk to each other. We have a huge sequence that can span anywhere from...they can be two-minute sequences, and sometimes they can be 12 to 15 minute sequences. So there’s a lot of communication going on between us out there. And a lot of it is choreography, learning the sequences. And oftentimes we get musicians. Sometimes they even bring PA systems and we get to hear music. So then we’re more like the traditional dancer, dependent on the normal cues and things of that nature.
Where else do you perform, besides wilderness settings?
A lot of cities and urban settings. We do so many inaugurations of buildings, whether they’re brand new or there’s an event going on. Generally, we do more of those events than we do indoor performances.For example, the Space Needle in Seattle, and there was one event called the Power of Houston, for the electrical company out of Houston. We also danced on a building called Vasca De Gama in for the World’s Fair, in Portugal. We danced in Argentina on a library, and water tanks. Just all over.
What challenges did you have on the rock face, as opposed to dancing at a 90-degree angle to the floor? What kind of adjustments did you have to make?
It takes so much focus. It just takes a lot of focus to be in the dance. There are times when you can just go through the choreography. When you’re on the floor you can kind of mark something, to get a feel for it. But when you’re on the wall it takes more focus to hold the feeling of the performance. You can’t mark it as easily either. Because you’re in the apparatus, in the harness, and it’s very restrictive in some ways.
It’s so different because of texture. We can take this piece and do it outside, but I’m going to have to deal with all the cracks, the fissures. I’m going to have to deal with level changes. Like one thing Suzanne and I just did, there was a part where we’re running, but then there was a big kind of a jump down. So, we had to integrate that into the choreography.
Where do rock climbing and dance intersect for you?
Climbers are really dedicated to their art form. And we all know dancers are obsessed their art form. So, I think in a lot of ways they have a lot of parallels.
Your body is the tool that you’re using in both things. So it’s about refining your ability to reach a goal, which can either be expression or to ascend something. But there’s something similar, because you’re really striving for it, and putting yourself out physically.
What role do fear and adrenaline play in the experience?
We talk about fear of heights as being a really helpful thing, especially with us, in terms of the kind of work we do. It’s pretty good to hold on to that fear. It encourages you to be safe. We check each other; we triple check each everything. In terms of safety, you check yourself, your neighbor checks you, and the rigger checks you. That kind of fear brings a lot more safety to the piece.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to be a dancer and wants to do what you’re doing?
Growing up, even the first half of my dance career, I could never have imagined doing something like this, because something like this didn’t exist. So, I would tell those kids, the thing that you may end up doing may not even exist yet. It may be what you envision. Think outside the box, because it might not even be around yet.
ABOUT THE ARTIST: Project Bandaloop honors nature, community, and the human spirit through dance. The company, under the artistic direction of Amelia Rudolph, creates a blend of dance, sport, ritual, and environmental awareness. Since 1996, the company has enjoyed performing for close to half a million people.
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