LIVING LANDSCAPES
Saturday, September 30, 5:30-7:30pm
Are you a fan of being in nature? Are you a fan of film? Are you a fan of dance? If you said yes to any of these, then this event is for you!
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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 can arrive between 5:30-6:30pm and experience their own personalized nature walk with live site-specific dance along the trails. Walks can begin on your own time, happen before or after (or both!) the film screenings. Film screenings begin at 6pm and 7pm in the covered barn area. |
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Location: Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve
614 Dorseyville Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15238 Nature Walks + Live Performances: 5:30-7pm, come at will Film Screenings: 6pm/7pm in the covered barn area. Film runs approximately 20 minutes. Tickets: Nature Walk + Dance Installation: FREE to public Film Screenings: $10 To fully support this project, there will be a suggested ticket option of $30. |
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WHO:
Presented by: Shana Simmons Dance Director/Choreographer: Shana Simmons Composer/Collaborator: 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 |
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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.
Simmons worked with editor, Julie Rooney (Denver, CO), who has a history of working with nature documentaries. Rooney and Simmons began an 8-month long process of discussing possible rough cuts, order and sequences, how nature documentaries are created and how this approach to the dance film might be similar, and the ability of storytelling through shots alone without a storytelling script. Long time friend and composer Andrew Griffin (NYC) and Simmons also discussed the themes, concepts, strengths and weaknesses of the film throughout this time. |
Text taken from interviews with Myrna Newman and Ariam Ford have inspired the dialogue and voices you hear throughout the film. The collaborations tap into each organization's missions, highlighting how they positively impact Pittsburgh, and how people can get involved in their local communities to initiate change.
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.
Living Landscapes is supported by:
The Pittsburgh Foundation
The Heinz Small Arts Initiative
Slippery Rock University
Generous Donors
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.
Living Landscapes is supported by:
The Pittsburgh Foundation
The Heinz Small Arts Initiative
Slippery Rock University
Generous Donors
Living Landscapes photo credit: Kitoko Chargois, Photo By Kitoko
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Watch a behind-the-scenes video of our process! |
MEET THE CAST:
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Choreographer/Director: Shana Simmons
Shana Simmons graduated from Point Park University with a BA in Dance in 2003. Simmons lived in New York City for four and a half years and performed with choreographers such as Noemie Lafrance "Agora", Alexandra Beller, Tomé Cousin, bigGRITS dance co, Debra Wanner/ Amy Larimer, Amanda Drozer, and was a company member of white road dance media. Simmons holds an MA in Choreography from LABAN in London, England. She performed and choreographed with companies and choreographers such as Flat Feet Dance Company, Stacy Abalogun and Nadine Doran-Holder and independently presented work at the Reverie Dance Festival in Ghent, Belgium. Simmons has performed her own works in New York City, Belgium, London, Chicago, Boston, and Pittsburgh. |
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Dancer/Rehearsal Director: Brady Sanders
Brady Sanders resides in Pittsburgh, PA and has performed with Dansz Loop Chicago, Inaside Chicago Dance, Thodos Dance Chicago, Attack Theatre in the Pittsburgh Opera, the Murphy/Smith Dance Collective, Jamie Erin Murphy and Shana Simmons Dance. As founder and Artistic Director of the Pride of Cincinnati Dance Ensemble, Brady is passionate about offering students professional level performance experiences. Brady’s choreography was most recently seen at the 2016 newMoves Contemporary Dance Festival in Pittsburgh, PA and the 2017 APAP conference in New York, NY. He is currently teaching, performing and choreographing extensively throughout the Pittsburgh area and across the Midwest. |
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Dancer: Auset T Fullard
Auset T Fullard is a graduating senior, receiving her BFA in Dance Performance, at The University of the Arts! She is a dancer interested in developing her artistry through all mediums. This accumulation of skill and resources will help her to orchestrate an affordable dance school based in Pittsburgh PA; dedicated to offering students multimedia art instruction for them to use as tools to develop who they are, not just within dance, but as people and artists! Auset’s certifications in Pilates Mat and Franklin Method: Art of the Plie Workshop is only the beginning to her thirst for knowledge. Through experience she will help to make a mark within the feedback loop of dance. |
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Dancer/Intern: Adrienne Elion
Adrienne Elion is a Pittsburgh Native, and glad to partake in the city's arts once again. She graduated from Shenandoah University in December of 2019, and is home completing her Master's Degree in Performing Arts Leadership and Management, and finishing her certification in Pilates. Adrienne is thrilled to build new relationships within her city, like with Shana Simmons Dance, and can't wait to expand her network to further artistic relationships in both sides, performance and administration. |
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Dancer: Alx Golembiewski
Alx Golembiewski is originally from southern California where they trained in both classical and neoclassical forms of dance. Alx moved to Pittsburgh at the age of 16 to train under the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater school and received training in modern, ballet, and jazz techniques for four years. Alx uses their creativity and dynamic movement almost as a second language and they strive to share that experience with others. Alx has been a part of SSD projects since 2018. |
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Dancer/Apprentice: Lexi Jordan
Lexi Jordan is 20 years old and from Merritt Island Florida. Lexi is trained in ballet, jazz, and modern and is now continuing her dance training at Point Park University. Other than dance, Lexi loves 2D art and fashion, experimenting with line work, patterns, and color. Lexi believes fashion is another way to express herself and have fun. "When it comes to my art, it is important to stay authentic to myself and be present in what I am creating while having fun in the process." |
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Costume Designer: Jamie Erin Murphy
Jamie Erin Murphy is a Pittsburgh based choreographer, dancer and educator who is passionate about exploring the human body through movement. She graduated from Point Park University in 2007 and broke into the Pittsburgh dance scene soon after. Jamie has worked with Attack Theatre, Staycee Pearl Dance Project, Texture Contemporary Ballet, Xpressions Contemporary Dance Company, The Pillow Project, Knot Dance, Zany Umbrella Circus, Opera Theater of Pittsburgh and was co-director of Murphy/Smith Dance Collective. Her choreography has been presented throughout Pittsburgh, as well as Ohio and New York. Jamie has an extensive teaching career and is currently a proud faculty member of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School where she teaches Modern, Jazz, Choreography, Dance for Parkinson’s, Adaptive Dance and Creative Movement through elementary school residencies. |
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Composer: Andrew Griffin
Currently the viola chair for the Broadway musical Ain't Too Proud, Andrew Griffin is an award winning violist, composer, and orchestrator. As an active copyist and editor, his credits include: Kidding (Showtime, feat. Jim Carrey); Ride the Cyclone (Off-Broadway); Planet Earth 2 (BBC); Lempicka (Williamstown Theater); Witness Uganda/Invisible Thread (Off-Broadway) and many more. His arrangements, orchestrations, and original compositions have also been performed by notable groups such as Simply Three, Sphinx Virtuosi, the Queens College Orchestra, and Alkali. Andrew received his bachelor’s degree with honors as a double major from Carnegie Mellon University under Toby Appel (viola BFA) and Nancy Galbraith (composition BFA), and a master’s degree (viola MFA) from Rice University under Ivo-jan van der Werff. |