From a UW press release:The University of Wyoming's 2009 Snowy Range Summer Theatre and Dance Festival concludes Aug. 22-23 with three vertical dance performances at Vedauwoo.
In addition to watching dancers twist and turn from ropes dangling from Vedauwoo's rock formations, the audience will listen to a musical story of the history of the rocks, animals and plants in the area, narrated by Australian storyteller Paul Taylor.
Performances begin at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 22, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 23. Tickets cost $6, and may be purchased at the Fine Arts ticket office or the Union ticket office. For more information, call the Fine Arts ticket office at (307)766-6666.
"Each year, we try to bring a new story or idea to the vertical dance performance at Vedauwoo," says Margaret Wilson, University of Wyoming dance professor who choreographs the event. "We are delighted to have Paul working with us this year. The story will add a narrative component that will augment the choreography."
The performance area is 14 miles east of Laramie on Interstate 80 off the Vedauwoo exit. Shuttle buses will take patrons from the outer, free parking area outside Vedauwoo to the trailhead leading to the performance setting. Patrons should plan to leave Laramie at least one hour before the start of the performance.
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 audiences a breathtaking set to view dance, says Wilson. She is assisted by Neil Humphrey, UW geology and geophysics professor, who coordinates the rigging and choreography.
Photo: Kathryn Rochelle dances in the air during a previous University of Wyoming vertical dance performance at Vedauwoo. (Skip Harper Photo)
