Photo by Mark Frohna
Wild Space Dance Company's InSite program
“Oh I can tell I’m going to get goosebumps from this next part,” is what my friend whispered as we ventured down a path in Havenwoods State Forest, soon to approach a group of dancers already drumming away at their instruments.
These dancers were one half of a collaborative program between the Wild Space Dance Company, with artistic director Dan Schuchart, and Ometochtli Mexican Folk Dance, headed by Alejandra Jiménez Marván. Wild Space’s InSite series is in its fourth season, with the mission to explore unique landscapes and show audiences a site’s stories through choreography. So, to truly do justice to the history of and life within a place such as Havenwoods, Wild Space included a pre-show meditation and presentation on the park’s history.
The evening began with a meditative sound walk, led by Out There, a group that specializes in experimental music using naturally occurring sounds. We were told to “listen discriminately” in order to consider how each “sound object” contributed to the soundscape in which we found ourselves. I had only been to Havenwoods once before—also for a performance—and had done zero exploring, so I was thrilled by the opportunity to do so with such intention. And despite the sporadic honking of car horns in the distance, the vast fields interspersed with wetland provided a sense of serenity, amplified by the crispness of the air, thanks to the turning season.
Milwaukee Gem
After the walk, park superintendent Angela Vickio gave a presentation that delved into the forest’s history, including various stints as a correctional facility, a POW camp and a NIKE missile site, before the Friends of Havenwoods was formed in 1975 and started the land down its current path. With eight miles of trails sprawling over 237 acres of land that contain numerous protected plant and animal species, Havenwoods is now a gem of the city, free to the public, and as Vickio phrased it, “constantly in a state of healing.”
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It was with this understanding of healing over a fraught past that we were sent back outside—where night had fallen—for the dance! Lights and wicker torches gave the stage areas a warm glow with plenty of visibility. The wind had also decided to come out for the evening, and toads were chirping away, all adding to that soundscape we were taught to notice.
The first performance featured Wild Space’s dancers in a state of exploration. They darted to and fro on a whim before approaching the audience one by one. “Over there,” they each started, pointing into the forest, and described the imposing tree, the thick moss, or the bed of greens they had admired, accompanying their prose with interpretive physicality. To end the dance, they ran off into the forest, daring us to follow.
Jaguar Dance
As we walked along the service road, a group of Ometochtli dancers, adorned in headdresses resembling a jaguar’s maw and birds’ plumage, began dancing along the path as they played on instruments that imitated animal calls, and we watched as if bird watchers witnessing a marvel in nature. Then, even after the lights had dimmed and the dancing had ceased, they slinked along behind us under the cover of shadows, letting off chirps and low growls. I was struck with the reminder that life exists—and thrives—where we can’t see it. We just have to hope to be lucky enough to hear it.
The following dance similarly exuded a sense of wildness. One Wild Space dancer started off the performance on all fours, hissing and growling, before more dancers joined the fray, their movements erratic. Each new entrant began lashing out their limbs in jolts that appeared out of their control. I got the sense that control wasn’t the goal, here, though, and rather an embracing of one’s natural, and perhaps animalistic, energy was the greater success.
Stream of Rhythm
Torch-wielding members of Ometochtli then accompanied us on our walk to the second half of the performance, and as they danced, the shells around their ankles made such a sound as akin to running water. The smell of the torches and the constant stream of rhythmic sounds was almost heady, and yet it served as an incredible transition into the softer music of the next two dances, provided by a sole violinist.
These dances evoked memories of climbing trees and playing in sandboxes. While the choreography itself showcased some serious feats of agility and strength (dancers were belayed by ropes up in a tree!), the message was clear: even as we grow older—especially as we do—we should not let go of our childlike wonder and curiosity when interacting with Nature.
The final dance, back in the main stage area, was a true merger of the two dance companies’ talents and felt like a celebration of the ability to perform in such a beautiful space. There was a sense during the entire program that these dancers would have been dancing had we been there or not, and they would continue long after we left. Maybe if you go to Havenwoods today, you’ll find a performance of your own to witness.
