Living Landscapes: an environmental dance film + dance installation nature walk

Are you a nature fan?

Do you enjoy dance?

Do you enjoy film?

Then this event is for you!

Living Landscapes “the premiere,” is both a film screening and a dance installation nature walk held in the Audubon Society’s nature preserve at Beechwood Farms in the Fox Chapel area. Audiences will be able to partake in a nature walk via access to their trails and experience small, site specific dance installations along the way. Film screenings will be hosted in the covered barn area at 6pm & 7pm throughout that time (film runs a little under 20 minutes). The nature walk begins at 5:30 pm and runs continuously until 7pm, so audiences can walk before the film screening, after, or both!

The project started with Simmons interviewing Myrna Newman from Allegheny Cleanways and Ariam Ford from Grounded for this project to gain insight into their environmental nonprofit organizations, who they are, what they do, and ask what they feel are Pittsburgh’s prevalent concerns. These two amazing women had much to say and became the foundation for the text found in the film. The challenge of the film was to teeter the line between documentation and dance film, providing a little history and insight into current concerns while expressing reactions and emotions through dance on film.

Long time friend and composer Andrew Griffin (NYC) and Simmons also discussed the themes, concepts, strengths and weaknesses of the film throughout this time.

Griffin says about the composition, “I think the most challenging element has been finding the exact harmonic scape for the film. We’ve gone through many iterations of what the film could be, so the music that I was writing at the beginning of the process is no longer what matches its current state.”

The premiere event features dance installation works along the trails that will portray human bodies in nature with only the natural sounds of the trail to accompany. Audiences are encouraged to observe and reflect on the appreciation of this land, their environments, and how we relate as humans to it. It is the hope and goal of this production to emphasize that humans should understand they are a PART of nature, not an outsider looking in. There are individual ways we can daily contribute to a healthier climate and there are organizations doing amazing work to get involved with.

This production is supported by the Heinz Small Arts Initiative and the Pittsburgh Foundation.

WHAT:

Living Landscapes: an environmental dance film + dance installation nature walk

A premiere film screening with live dancers on a nature walk, this dual-medium production encourages engagement in environmental concerns and brings awareness to the top issues within Pittsburgh.

WHO:

Presented by: Shana Simmons Dance

Director/Choreographer: Shana Simmons

Composer: Andrew Griffin

Editor: Julie Rooney

Cinematographers: Arvid Tomayko, Cassie Dietrich

Film Dancers: Adrienne Elion, Auset Fullard, Alx Golembiewski, Lexi Jordan, Brady Sanders

Live Installation Dancers: Chandler Bingham, Nicole Jones, Malena Maust, Madisyn Montgomery, Brittany Nettles + roaming dancers

WHERE & WHEN:

Saturday, September 30, 2023

Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve

614 Dorseyville Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238

Nature Walk + Dance Installations: 5:30pm – 7pm (continuous)

Film Screenings: 6pm/7pm

Film runs approximately 20 minutes.

TICKETS:

Nature Walk + Dance Installation: FREE to public

Film Screenings: $10

There will be a suggested ticket option of $30 for both experiences at box office to support this project fully.