Just a few months ago, Pittsburghers learned that lead levels in their drinking water continue to exceed federal safety standards. Globally, the World Health Organization reports that 2.1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water at home.
Instead of getting angry, artists with Pittsburgh-based Courdance were stirred to take action. They’ll gather at North Shore Riverfront Park (near the Vietnam War Veterans Memorial) on Saturday to dance and make a difference as part of Global Water Dances. Meanwhile, dancers in more than 170 other cities around the world will also perform in “movement choirs” in the name of clean, safe drinking water.
“With the beautiful landscape of the three rivers, water is significant to the city of Pittsburgh,” says Kaitlin Flynn Goodwin, director of the young project-based company. “I wanted to use that as some inspiration to connect to the global community.”
Global Water Dances is the creation of international artists and experts in nonverbal communication who met while attending a conference about dance and the environment in July 2008 at Schumacher College in England. Their collective is certified by the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies, a nonprofit educational organization in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Rudolf von Laban, one of the institute’s namesakes, pioneered the concept of movement choirs, which refers to large groups of people who come together in a choreographed piece (although individuals can incorporate personal expressions into the moves). They’re often associated with spirituality, personal healing or, in this case, advocacy and awareness.
The first Global Water Dances took place in 57 locations in June 2011. This is the first time that Pittsburgh is involved
“I have always been interested in dance as public art, either through an outdoor performance or site-specific initiative. Summer is also a great time to share dance with the community free of charge,” Ms. Goodwin says. “I had been wanting Courdance to take part in a social action event, and after hearing about Global Water Dances, [I] thought it was the perfect opportunity.”
Each group must perform its dance at 3 p.m. local time on the same day. The site-specific performance must also consist of four sections: an opening ceremony, a dance by local choreographers to locally based music that’s connected to water issues in that community, a global dance that performers in all participating locations will do and an audience participation section.
For the local dance, Courdance will present “Streamlines,” a quintet that “explores the beauty and necessity of water, as well as the local impact of the lead pipe/contamination crisis,” Ms. Goodwin explains.
In November 2017, the Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority signed a consent with the Department of Environmental Protection that required it to replace 7% of its lead lines by the end of June because of high levels.
The global dance portion will be performed by a movement choir of about 15 that Courdance assembled. Shana Simmons Dance, another Pittsburgh-based dance group, also will participate with a piece called “Dama.”
So how does dancing by the river solve the world’s water problems? It doesn’t, but it gets people talking about them. Following the 2013 event, nearly 1,000 people were surveyed globally about the experience. Results found that about 75% of those who participated or watched a Global Water Dances performance had “an increased interest in water issues,” while 78% reported being “inspired to take action,” according to Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies’ website.
“We are hoping that audience members will see these issues in a new way by viewing the physical language of dance,” Ms. Goodwin says.
Other dance news
The way humans interact with one another is ever changing. That sentiment is at the heart of the new evening-length show “A Letter Compiled from All Letters” by director/choreographer Maree ReMalia, multimedia artist Gigi Gatewood, performer Lillian Cho and several other collaborators.
While the work is rooted in contemporary dance, expect a multi-sensory experience with a mobile set, video projection, text and songs. Check it out at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at the New Hazlett Theater on the North Side. Tickets: showclix.com or newhazletttheater.org.
Sara Bauknecht: sbauknecht@post-gazette.com or on Twitter and Instagram @SaraB_PG.
First Published: June 12, 2019, 11:30 a.m.
