BRATTLEBORO-p>Award winning trapeze dancers Serenity Smith Forchion, an internationally known circus aerialist, and Mark Przekurat, an arborist intent on educating the world about the future of our forests, are offering their workshop in two levels on Saturday, Aug. 3, and Sunday, Aug. 4, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday features an introduction to Tree Dancing, while Sunday's session features a more advanced class.
"Students can work at their own pace and own level," Forchion explained in a news release. "While one student may want to climb high in a tree to explore, another may prefer to stay low and develop choreography."
The Tree Dancing workshop is open to any curious movers - aerialists, climbers, researchers, dancers, arborists, acrobats, explorers. No prior experience necessary. The harnesses and ropes allow participants to leap and fly without the impact of landing back on the earth, making it achievable by nondancers, while also expanding what dancers can do with trees as a performance element.
The workshop starts with practical knot tying and gear check, as well as a meditation in which students are invited to consider the trees they are about to climb.
"I aim to bring trees more focus within our human awareness," Forchion said about the concepts of the workshop she and Przekurat co-teach.
"It's very calming and therapeutic to spend time in the branches, feeling the sway of the wind, discovering the micro ecosystems that live in the crooks of the branches, and looking out on the world from a high vantage point," she added. "We take that experience into our bodies, dance with that knowledge, and then bring it back to earth and hopefully value the interconnectedness and interdependence of the earth and humans more."
In 2021, Forchion and Przekurat collaborated on what became an award-winning short film, sharing through rope and harnesss-supported dancing in trees the critical importance of forests amidst the backdrop of climate change.
"Seven trees breathe for each human but many may not survive our changing temperatures and other stressors," Przekurat explains to students in his arborist safety courses.
The classes will take place at Nimble Arts on Meadowbrook Road in Brattleboro. For more information and registration, visit nimblearts.org or call 802-318-2639. The cost is $250 per person per day, with a 25% discount on the second workshop if a participant signs up for both days.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.