Project Bandaloop bring vertical dance performances to Woodstock

From 23-27 October Woodstock School hosted the renowned vertical dance company, Project Bandaloop, founded and directed by Woodstock graduate, Amelia Rudolph '82. Project Bandaloop performed in the new Win Mumby Gymnasium on Monday, 26th October. On Tuesday, several Middle and High School students were given basic training on vertical dance by Project Bandaloop at the gym.

The 12-person troupe that visited Woodstock consisted of seven vertical dancers, riggers and safety experts, and the company's media team. During a special after-school function at the new gymnasium for all of the school, Project Bandaloop wowed students and guests alike with their gravity-defying dance performances. They performed three dances inside the gymnasium itself and included a bonus performance on the "pushta" below the Peace Terrace.

More than a dozen students, moved by the company's performances, attended a training session on vertical dance with Project Bandaloop at the gymnasium on Tuesday. These students mostly included the enthusiastice members of the school's new wall-climbing club. In this session, Rudolph and the rest of the troupe passed on tips on breathing and stretching exercises, rock climbing, forming basic shapes while dangling in mid-air, and a few dance moves that could be incorporated in ground and vertical performances.

Since 1991, as a pioneer in the field, Project Bandaloop has been making dynamic dances that reframe how people perceive their environment and the art form. Project Bandaloop performs in natural and urban settings to large and diverse audiences both nationally and internationally. They perform in theatres, dance on buildings, towers, bridges and skyscrapers, and create site-specific work in the mountains. Project Bandaloop also offers workshops and classes in our studio and residency activities on tour.

The company, under the artistic direction of Amelia Rudolph, creates a blend of dance, sport, ritual, and environmental awareness. Inspired by the possibilities of climbing and rappelling, the choreography draws on aerial, vertical and horizontal movement to craft dances, many site-specific. The work explores the relationship between movement and gravity and stimulates viewers' awareness of their natural and built environments. Project Bandaloop hopes to enrich the quality of life with their performances, out-reach and ability to bring dance to new audiences. Since 1991, the company has enjoyed performing for close to half a million people.

Click here for more information about Project Bandaloop.

Click here to go the Woodstock School YouTube channel.