Walkway Over the Hudson presents:
Bridge Music Dance Project
Date: June 25, 2022, 7:30pm (Rain date Tuesday June 28)
Walkway Over the Hudson presents the Bridge Music Dance Project, a program of innovative performances choreographed to “Bridge Music” and performed by dancers from the Hudson Valley. The Bridge Music Dance Project is a collaborative event, hosted by the Walkway Friends organization, and created by Livia Vanaver, founder of the renowned Vanaver Caravan Dance troupe, with ten other choreographers and Joseph Bertolozzi, composer of “Bridge Music."
This performance will take place in the center of the Walkway with all the dance troupes joined and coordinated by The Vanaver Caravan, performing ten choreographed dances highlighting the different cultures that make the Hudson Valley so unique. The theme of the performance will be "what connects all of us," with the idea that the Walkway itself is a connecting force between the river’s shores.
The performance is free and open-to-the-public.
Bridge Music Dance Project sponsors are School of Rock, Beacon; Douglas Abramson; Margery Groten; Amy Thrasher; Anonymous; and Decentralization Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.
Artists
Livia Vanaver, Founder of The Vanaver Caravan (www.vanavercaravan.org) now celebrating their 50th Anniversary.. In 1973 Livia and her husband/composer, Bill Vanaver, made their home base in the Hudson Valley. From here, they have toured the US and abroad performing, teaching and collecting dances and music from cultures worldwide. She created a robust Arts Education program celebrating world dance and linking curriculum, serving K-12 schools in the Hudson Valley. She was part of National Young Audiences, Lincoln Center Institute, the Academy for the Love of Learning. Livia has taught dance at Columbia University in the Graduate Theater Program and Hofstra University. Ms. Vanaver holds a BFA in Dance from NYU School of the Arts (Tisch).
The other participating dancer/choreographers who frequently work with The Vanaver Caravan include many ethnic traditions (including Hispanic, Chinese, Indian & West African):
Alison Chen and Angela Chen
Ariana Brisport
Bryant Drew Andrews/Malik Andrews/Lisa Brown
Jessie Levey
Joel Hanna
Kantham Chatlapalli
Leighann Kowalsky
Livia Vanaver
Maia Martinez
Sondra Loring
Joseph Bertolozzi (www.JosephBertolozzi.com) forges a unique identity as a 21st century composer with works ranging from solo gongs to full symphony orchestra.
His ‘Bridge Music,’ an “audacious plan” (New York Times) to compose music using only sounds sampled from New York’s Mid-Hudson Bridge itself as the instrument has resulted in a sound-art-installation that has operated continuously on the bridge and surrounding parks since 2009. The album “Bridge Music“ (Delos 1045) went to #18 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Music Chart (www.bridgemusic.info). His latest explorations in sound have brought him to ‘Tower Music,’ using the Eiffel Tower in Paris itself as his instrument; that album went to #11 on the iTunes Classical Chart and #16 on the Billboard Classical Crossover Chart (www.towermusic.net).
About Walkway Over the Hudson
Connecting the City of Poughkeepsie and the Hamlet of Highland in the Hudson Valley region of New York State, Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park is a renowned tourism and recreation destination visited by over 620,000 people in 2019. Standing 212 feet above the river's surface and more than 6,700 feet (1.28 miles) long, the Walkway is the longest elevated pedestrian bridge in the world. The park provides unique access to the Hudson River's breathtaking landscape for pedestrians, hikers, joggers, bicyclists, and people with disabilities. Supported by a diverse coalition of members, donors, and corporate sponsors, the Walkway frequently hosts community events and fundraisers, and is open daily from 7 a.m. until sunset, weather permitting.
For more information please contact Jami Anson, Director of Programs and Community Engagement at the Walkway Over the Hudson. tsanchez@walkway.org, 845-454-9649 or visit us at walkway.org.