Dr. Ellison is in and would like to experiment on you

Her Dad makes India Pale ale and swords, finds creative ways to keep our curtains from closing and bringing people back on stage for encores and nurses his cat Oolong. Her Mom nurtures her flock, her family, her friends, her library and her world and tries to make a living writing about the experience. Her sister marries a man from Mumbai in the hayfield east of the garden on a windy Saturday in August and tries to make a living by singing, as she does by dancing.

Locals wondered what was going on inside the FAA Thursday night. Was it an secret AA/UU meeting? An equally secret midsummer DFL/CTG rally? The few cars parked outside on South Broadway were different, some were obviously not from around here, yet the dust colored Subaru wagon was. 56572 heard that a Modern Dance Company from Minneapolis was performing and sent our arts critic and a photographer inside to find out what was going on. This on a midsummer evening when the heat index was 98F and tornadoes were dancing from dark clouds just north of Detroit Lakes.



It's not every day that 56572 hosts a modern dance company. Compared to most two stoplight towns in Greater Minnesota, 56572 is decidedly experimental. Amber introduced the evening by defining modern dance for us as experimentation. Welcome to the laboratory. Feast your eyes and ears. Please turn off your cell phones, pagers and quit wondering what it all means.

Wilderness:
Dance Expeditions and Creative Research

Wilderness is a modern dance compan based in Minneapolis. It is co-directed by Amber Ellison and Jesse Walker who have made work together for the better pat of a decade. The dancing style of Wilderness blends Modern Dance, the high-flying style of Contact Improvisation, and the subtlety and quickness of the Martial Arts. Wilderness is inspired by the beauty and intricacy of natural systems. Wilderness is proud to present this evening of work that includes two world premieres.

Zoo (Premiere of Version 2)
Performers: Amber Ellison, Kimberly Richardson, Laura Selle and Jesse Walker
Music: Professor Long Hair, W.A.Mozart, Niccolo Paganini, Tom Waits
In order of appearance:
Homo Sapiens Sapiens
Pongo Ponginae



Anopheles Gambiae
Callithrix Pygmeae
Elephas Maximus
Buteo Jamaicensis






Peacock Feathers
Performers: Jesse Walker, Amber Ellison
Music: Simon and Garfunkel, Dave Grusin
Costumes: Amber Ellison







Channeling
Performers:Jesse Walker, Amber Ellison
Music: Somei Satoh, Samba Gringa, Terry Riley, Jesse Walker
Costumes: Amber Ellison













Budd's Polka (World Premiere)
Performers:Jesse Walker, Amber Ellison, Kimberly Richardson, Laura Selle
Music: Oktoberfest
Costumes: Amber Ellison



Thank you Wilderness for bringing your mobile laboratory to 56572 and treating us to an hour of your art. If all one has to do is suggest that the next time you come to town you ought to put one thing or other (such as a polka) in it, my wish would be for a tango with a heat index of 98F and a tornado for a finale. Next summer? I'm not quite as wise as Budd, but a sensuous tango with Jesse or two or three others might pack the house. We could sell tickets. I'll be in the front row, next to Mom and Dad. Can we call this the First Annual Wilderness Dance Expedition? We're still waiting for the encore.