BANDALOOP on the exterior walls of the Alys Stephens Center in 2011Dynamic vertical dance pioneers BANDALOOP will kick off the 20th anniversary season of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center with free performances Wednesday, Sept. 21, and Friday, Sept. 23.
BANDALOOP seamlessly weaves dynamic physicality, intricate choreography and the art of climbing to turn the dance floor on its side. BANDALOOP’s indoor/outdoor work has been presented in theaters and museums, on skyscrapers, bridges, billboards and historical sites, in atriums and convention halls, in nature on cliffs, and on screen. The company’s work re-imagines dance, activates public spaces, and inspires wonder and imagination in audiences around the world. The Alys Stephens Center brings BANDALOOP back to Birmingham for a celebration of dance and the human spirit.
BANDALOOP will be in residence on the UAB campus, with a jaw-dropping teaser performance at noon Wednesday, Sept. 21, that will have BANDALOOP dancing on the exterior walls of the UAB Campus Rec Center, on the Campus Green, to the marvel of all.
For the awe-inspiring 8 p.m. Friday night performance Sept. 23, the members of this mesmerizing dance company will suspend from the roof of the Alys Stephens Center while dancing on the side of the building. The imaginative, immersive show will begin indoors in the Jemison Concert Hall and will then conclude outdoors with a thrilling performance on the center’s exterior walls, on the ASC’s Engel Plaza.
BANDALOOP "Puebla"The performance is free, open to the community and appropriate for all ages. Local food trucks will be on-site, as well as live music. Outdoor bars will open at 6:30 p.m., with an “Inside the Art” talk at 7 p.m. with BANDALOOP’s creative director. The indoor show will begin at 8 p.m., followed by the outdoor show at 8:30 p.m.
Stay for the after party at 9 p.m., featuring Katie and John Gaiser of “A Married Couple,” as well as bars and food trucks. ASC members may enjoy a VIP Lounge and Junior Patrons Happy Hour at the show. The UAB School of Medicine sponsors the BANDALOOP performance.
Amelia Rudolph founded BANDALOOP in 1991 in an effort to create a dance company that called on her experience with and passion for movement, climbing, artistic expression and connections to the environment. Over the last 25 years, Randolph, along with dedicated dancers and staff members, has created a company that constantly pushes the limits of how people view their relationships with their environment and one another, and how they understand and experience dance and movement. BANDALOOP is based in the San Francisco Bay area, where the company creates work for its biannual home season and for 15-30 touring performances presented around the globe each year. Learn more at www.BANDALOOP.org or follow them on Twitter at @Bandalooping.
For more information on the Alys Stephens Center’s BANDALOOP residency and performance, as well as the new season of artists and performances, visit www.AlysStephens.org or call 205-975-2787.