When curtains closed and stage lights went dark during COVID, many artists turned to screens and outdoor performances as an outlet for their work. BIODANCE artistic director Missy Pfohl Smith and independent choreographer and Garth Fagan Dance company member Ethan Beckwith-Cohen each felt a pull to create in nature, rather than depend fully on technology for their artistic expression.
Separately, they experimented with outdoor events in 2020. Beckwith-Cohen presented “Dances, Distance and Dusk” on the lawn at the Memorial Art Gallery. Pfohl Smith collaborated with other local artists to create “Dance beCAUSE,” an outdoor performance at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
When warmer weather allowed for it in 2021, Pfohl Smith and Beckwith-Cohen joined forces to form the first iteration of “Wander & Wonder.” This year will be the fourth version of the annual event, drawing audiences to outdoor spaces long after theaters have reopened and social distancing was discontinued.
The event continues to attract artists and viewers because it offers a unique opportunity for audiences, including those who may just be walking by, to feel a sense of connection with both people and nature. Beckwith-Cohen found a special beauty in this aspect of the event when togetherness was limited due to the pandemic. “Dance is a function of community and community building,” he said. “I wanted to find a way where we could dance with each other in the same space.”
That space became the grounds of the Rochester Museum and Science Center, which continues to contribute greatly to the magic of the site-specific event. The audience travels from one spot to another throughout the evening to view different performances.
“A lot of us engage with RMSC, but when you add dance and music it completely changes how you view a location,” said Beckwith-Cohen. “That’s the power of site-specific work. It calls attention to a space and its possibilities in a way we might not have otherwise considered.”
“Wander & Wonder” is open to submissions of all kinds of artwork, but requires artists to create new pieces directly related to the site.
“It’s a forum for people to experiment and present new pieces,” said Pfohl Smith. “We care about the quality of the artist and the inquiry, but it’s about creating something that partners with the landscape.”
Pfohl Smith and Beckwith-Cohen will present their work alongside a diverse collection of artistic collaborations ranging from technical modern dance to performance art. The two are choreographing dances and working with live musicians. This show happens in different spaces at the museum each year, helping both audience and performers continue to rediscover the grounds of RMSC.
Following the final show this year, there will be an open improvisation and dance jam, inviting audience members and passersby to join.
“I hope it helps audiences understand that dance doesn’t always exist in the proscenium,” said Beckwith-Cohen. “By engaging with these spaces through music and movement, we’re leaving them changed.”
Wander & Wonder IV will take place August 8-10 at the Rochester Museum and Science Center, with two different programs. The event is free, with a suggested donation of $10. More info and tickets here. It will also be performed during the Rochester Fringe Festival at 4 p.m. on Sept. 15.
Sydney Burrows is a freelance contributor to CITY.
