Arts and Architecture

Steel Valley Rhythms Performance in ADRI

A Penn State student follows the movement of Michele Dunleavy, ADRI embedded researcher and associate professor of theatre. Credit: Stephanie Swindle / Penn State. Creative Commons

Michele Dunleavy, ADRI embedded researcher, associate professor of theatre, and choreographer of “Steel Valley Rhythms,” will perform a show on Thursday, April 6. The show will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the ADRI (16 Borland).

“Steel Valley Rhythms” is an ongoing project that uses sound and movement to explore Western Pennsylvania's deep connections to the iron and steel industries. Inspired by visits to the Carrie Blast Furnaces, Dunleavy combines percussive dance, music, projected images, video, and recorded oral histories, allowing audience members to draw connections between past and present, while challenging perceived boundaries between labor and art.

“I find myself drawn to the many textures and surfaces located throughout the site and the potential they hold for creating sounds and rhythms. Through video and live performance, "Steel Valley Rhythms" will transform objects from the Carrie Blast Furnace site along with archival materials to create a work that is both old and new and that challenges perceived boundaries between labor and art,” explained Dunleavy, who also conducted workshops and performed parts of the project during her Borland Project Space residency in the fall.

This project is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts. The Arts & Design Research Incubator (ADRI) provides support for high-impact arts and design research projects. Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at 16 Borland.

All events are free and open to the public, but some do require registration, as space is limited. For more information, visit http://adri.psu.edu or call 814-863-5126. Connect with the ADRI at www.facebook.com/PennStateADRI and “Steel Valley Rhythms” at http://www.facebook.com/steelvalleyrhythms/. For more information about Michele Dunleavy, visit her website: micheldunleavy.com.

 

Last Updated March 2, 2017

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