A day of dance, distributed throughout Olana’s 250 acres of artist-designed landscape. Pop-up performances are featured across the site with a sunset finale performance. Site-Specific Dances, led by choreographer Michael Spencer Phillips and architect Dino Kiratzidis, will stage a series of dance pieces throughout Olana’s landscape. These performances are a result of conversations with art historians and developed specifically for Church’s designed landscape, highlighting the artist’s compositions, the site’s contemporary ecology, and the legacy of Olana and its protected viewshed.

Prior to June 17, a series of community dance workshops will be offered on June 10. Participants can join in the final performance, staged at sunset on June 17 at 8:15 p.m. Everyone can dance and everyone is invited.

Site-Specific Dances was founded by choreographer Michael Spencer Phillips and architect Dino Kiratzidis to investigate the synthesis of performance and place. Site-Specific Dances connects dance and music to unique places to activate theatricality of the natural world, and explore pressing environmental or social issues in playful or unconventional ways. The creative team for UNFOLDING OLANA includes Darian Donovan Thomas (composer) and Emma Kazaryan and Nate Reininga (videography).

The workshops and performance are part of Site-Specific Dances’ June creative residency at Olana, made possible through generous support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and in collaboration with The Olana Partnership.