Wild Space Dance to perform in parking lot
Wild Space Dance will perform socially distanced parking lot shows July 28-30 that artistic director Debra Loewen hopes will serve as template for future performances during the coronavirus pandemic period.
“Drive-In Dance” shows will take place at 8 and 9:30 p.m. July 28-30 in the Interstate Parking/ICC lot at 178 N. Jackson St. Wearing masks and avoiding direct physical contact with each other, dancers will perform lit by headlights and hunting lanterns.
Admission is free but reservations are required via wildspacedance.org.
Capacity is limited to 20 cars per show; people in those cars will be required to wear masks, Loewen said. Wild Space will email safety details and a digital soundtrack for the performances to each registrant.
Wild Space has made site-specific shows a way of life for decades now, performing atop a Pabst Brewery parking garage, in Mitchell Park Domes greenhouses and in old buildings in transition. The “Drive-In Dance” shows grew out of Wild Space Dance family members gathering together to dance in parking lots, wearing masks and maintaining a safe distance, Loewen said.
“Small is beautiful and that’s kind of what Wild Space has always been,” she said. “Small is safe at this point.”
More than 10 dancers will perform, though the lineup will vary a little from show to show. It’s impossible to dance in unison outside, she said, pointing that footing on the lot can be variable.
Lighting cues will be kept simple. Dancers have heard the soundtrack but won’t be wearing headphones or strictly following it.
Cars will be directed to specific spots, with enough distance between cars so doors can be opened, though Loewen is not encouraging people to get out of their cars.
Loewen called “Drive-In Dance” a bare-bones production. “We have no money,” she said, noting there was no time to seek grant support. No one’s getting paid, but donations received will go to pay dancers and crew.
Assuming this goes well, she plans to continue parking lot performances this year. “I’m even imagining a winter dance, with snow in the parking lot.”
In spite of the humorous complexities of giving direction while wearing a mask, and rehearsing early in the morning and late at night to avoid heat, Loewen has found preparing this production vastly superior to sitting in front of a computer screen.
“Being outdoors in this space, I have the best studio in the world right now,” she said.