SOS Dance Festival puts dancers all over town

Goose Route Arts Collaborative will host the first ever SOS (‘Shepherdstown on Site’) Dance Festival May 31-June 2. Eight dance artists from as far away as Phoenix, Arizona and as close as Jefferson County have been invited to participate in this event showcasing site-specific dance. Free performances will take place between 2 – 8 p.m. at a variety of sites all within walking distance of one another in Shepherdstown. In addition to the performances, two master classes will be offered to the public during the weekend.
Sites at which dance performances will take place are Dickinson & Wait Craft Gallery, Bistro 112, Mellow Moods Caf & Juice Bar, Encore Apparel in Motion, Princess Street Urban Garden, St. Agnes Chapel, Knutti Hall Garden and the Town Run at Jefferson Security Bank. Dances will take place three times at each site, and the exact schedule is available at www.gooseroute.org.
Audience members who see all eight performances and get their ‘dance card’ stamped at each site are eligible to win one of several prizes that have been donated by area businesses. ‘Dance cards’ and the performance schedule can be picked up on Saturday, June 1 at the SOS Dance Festival headquarters at the War Memorial Building, 102 East German Street. A special dusk performance evoking the image of human fireflies will take place at 7:30 p.m. at the Knutti Hall Garden.
The master classes will take place Saturday and Sunday mornings. On Saturday, June 1, from 9-10:15 a.m., visiting yoga instructor Dominica Knapp will teach a Prana Flow Vinyasa master class, and on June 2, from 9:30-11 a.m., visiting dance artist Nicole Bindler will teach a movement improvisation master class. Both classes take place at the War Memorial Building. The cost for either is $12 in advance (registration can be done online at www.gooseroute.org) and $13 at the door.
“This festival promises to be full of spontaneity and fun,” Goose Route director Kitty Clark said. “The dance artists will not find out which site they will be performing in until they arrive on Friday, May 31. With less than 24 hours to craft their pieces, the artists will be working with the aid of adrenalin and the festival should be exciting for dancers and audience alike.” She added, “I am thrilled to be partnering with the business community in presenting this event. Their cooperation in opening their doors for dance artists to come in and perform in a spontaneous way has been tremendous.”
Artists participating in the festival are Joshua Legg, Winchester, Va., with Andrea Kilmer and Sean Miller, both of Jefferson County; Anna Thompson, originally from Frederick, Md., but now based in Pittsburgh, Pa.; Sharon Mansur, professor of dance at University of Maryland, College Park; Stephanie Miracle of College Park, Md.., with Erin Crawley Woods (originally from Berkeley County) and Jessie Laurita Spanglet; Nicole Bindler and Andy Hayleck from Philadelphia, Pa.; Rachel Wolfe from Brunswick, Md.; Melissa Rex and Kyle Rivieccio from Phoenix, Ariz.; and Kitty Clark with company members Amy Hatzis and Mariel Procter.
This project is funded in part by the Arts & Humanities Alliance of Jefferson County. For more information, visit www.gooseroute.org or call 301-693-5303.