Follow Wild Space Into the Garden at Villa Terrace

Milwaukee, WI  (August 11, 2016)… Follow Wild Space Dance Company Into the Garden at Villa Terrace this September for one of its signature site-based events, in conjunction with artist Roy Staab’s environmental installation, Shadow Dance. Against the dramatic backdrop of Lake Michigan at dusk, intimate dance sketches, musical interludes directed by saxophonist Nick Zoulek and tableaus will unfold in and around Shadow Dance, the Scaletta d’Aqua (water staircase), the terrace and garden arbors for an unforgettable evening. Into the Garden performances are at 7:15 p.m., September 8, 11, 13 & 14, 2016 at the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum, 2220 N. Terrace. Into the Garden tickets are available for advance purchase only.  No tickets will be sold at the door.  Premium/pre-show tickets are $25, which includes a 6:45 p.m. pre-show tour of Villa Terrace.  Show only tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for students and seniors (does not include pre-show).  Rain date is September 18. Tickets go on sale August 15 and are available by calling 414/271-0712 or online at http://www.wildspacedance.org.

“I have been interested in creating a site-specific work at Villa Terrace for many years, but the right opportunity for both the Villa and Wild Space was elusive,” says Artistic Director Debra Loewen.  “Roy’s installation in the Renaissance Garden proved to be the perfect match and a wonderful start to our 30^th season.  We are incredibly grateful to Roy and John Sterr, director of Charles Allis Museum/Villa Terrace, for their enthusiasm and support of the performance. ”

As part of the partnership with Wild Space, Villa Terrace will be presenting a special Closing Night Soirée on September 20 from 5:30-8:30 pm for Roy Staab: Nature in Three Parts. The Soirée will include a performance of Into the Garden. The night features a wine tasting, hors d’oeuvres, and cash bar with remarks from artist Roy Staab and Wild Space Dance Artistic Director Debra Loewen. A rain date is set for September 21.  The cost is $50 per person with proceeds benefiting future exhibitions at the Villa Terrace.  For more information on the Soiree, contact Villa Terrace at 414/271-3656 or visit http://www.villaterracemuseum.org.

Into the Garden unfolds in three parts as the audience migrates from the Villa entrance to the Renaissance Garden.  The journey begins with brief lyrical dances in the Mercury Courtyard as the audience enters the Villa.  Performers will lead the audience from the Great Hall to seating on the Scaletta d’Aqua for a panoramic view of moving tableaus through and around Shadow Dance.  As the audience moves into the Renaissance Garden, they can choose their own path to encounter repeating vignettes by dancers and musicians in the arbors, the Secret Garden and Shadow Dance.  The finale will activate the Scaletta waterfall and illuminate shadow movements on the Terrace.

“Roy has described his work as ‘drawing in space,’ a phrase that is also an apt description for dance,” says Loewen.   “Dancers move through three dimensions of space, creating shapes and patterns.  For site-specific work, those shapes and patterns can be in counterpoint or to mirror existing elements, such as our finale in shadow mirroring ideas in Roy’s installation.  The same concept of patterns in counterpoint and reflection will also flow through Nick Zoulek’s compositions for the musical interludes.”

Into the Garden features Wild Space dancers, UW-Milwaukee student interns and musical improvisations by Zoulek for cello, vocal, percussion and saxophone.  The performance and related outreach programs are supported in part by grants from The Brico Fund, The Greater Milwaukee Foundation, The Herzfeld Foundation, and from the Milwaukee Arts Board and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin.

About Villa Terrace
Overlooking Lake Michigan, the Villa Terrace Decorative Arts Museum was designed and built in the style of an Italian Renaissance villa by architect David Adler in 1923. The building was originally the residence of former A.O. Smith president, Lloyd Smith, and his family. The museum features fine and decorative arts dating from the 15th through the 18th centuries, wrought-iron masterpieces by Cyril Colnik, the Renaissance Garden, and changing exhibitions.  For more information visit http://www.villaterracemuseum.org/about.html

Into the Garden Gallery

About Shadow Dance
Sited on the central axis of the Villa Terrace grounds, between an obelisk and a waterfall staircase, the primary view of the sculpture is from the terrace and the windows of the museum. Visitors may experience the work from the lower grounds. The installation will remain on the Villa Terrace grounds throughout the summer, changing with the season, and engaging and contrasting with the symmetrical beds of trees and flowers.  For more information about Roy Staab, the related exhibition, Suspended in Time and Beyond Baskets, visit http://www.villaterracemuseum.org/exhibitions.html

Led by Founder/Artistic Director Debra Loewen, Wild Space Dance Company is celebrating three decades of inventive performances and innovative outreach programs. Known for site-specific works and artistic collaborations, Wild Space takes audiences on adventures through built and natural landscapes, visual art, history and the human condition through wry humor, clever choreography and emotionally-charged dance. An affiliate of UPAF, Wild Space is a company-in-residence at Lincoln Center Middle School of the Arts in Milwaukee and Lawrence University in Appleton.  Wild Space programs are supported in part by grants from UPAF, Milwaukee County CAMPAC and the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts.  For more information, call Wild Space at 414/271-0307 or email info@wildspacedance.org.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.