Public Invited to Premiere of Climate Change Interactive Dance Peformance

Date: July 12, 2016
Contact: Margie Steigerwald, 406-888-5838
Contact: Tim Rains, 406-888-7895

Glacier National ParkMedia Release

July 12, 2016

Margie Steigerwald 406-888-5838

Tim Rains 406-888-7895

MEDIA16- 41

Public Invited to Premiere of Climate Change Interactive Dance Performance

CoMotion Dance Project Partners With Glacier National Park Conservancy and Glacier National Park to Perform "Changing Balance/ Balancing Change."

WEST GLACIER, MONT –Changing Balance/Balancing Change,an interactive dance performance,premiers in Glacier National Park on Sunday, July 24 at Lake McDonald Lodge at 8:30 p.m. The performance is free to the public.Additional performances will be held at the Lake McDonald Lodge Auditorium on Monday, July 25 at 8:30 p.m. and on Wednesday, July 27 at the West Glacier Community Building at 8:00 p.m.

The original, hour-long interactive dance performance was created by CoMotion Dance Project from the University of Montana who partnered with Glacier National Park Conservancy and Glacier National Park to bring attention to the climate change impacts occurring in Northwest Montana and to celebrate the Centennial of the National Park Service.

Glacier National Park's Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center's Melissa Sladek explains, "At Glacier, we're always looking for new and innovative ways to communicate climate change and its impacts to the park and the surrounding area. Art is a great medium to explore changes on the landscape, engage new audiences, and

provide a framework for dialogue."

Changing Balance/Balancing Changeweaves artistic dance, original music, choreographed narration, video projection, and live interactions with the audience into an immersive arts experience designed to engage audiences with the ideas and emotions at the heart of climate change. Developed for audiences of all ages, the piece touches upon the impacts of greenhouse gases, the rapid rateof temperature change, and the positive action we can take in response to the realities facing our planet. The active audiences approach provides innovative methods of engaging the public and emphasizes the value and role of attention, patience, and creativity as we, and our world, move into the shifting balance of our dynamic climate.

"The year-long process of writing and choreographing Changing Balance has been deeply satisfying and also brought up many challenging questions -- how to artistically piece together so many views about our responsibility for the Earth and how our modern lifestyles affect our changing landscape," said Artistic Director Karen A. Kaufmann."The rehearsals have stimulated much discussion among the dancers. The final performance is a tapestry of science, art, mythology and the human spirit."

Changing Balance/Balancing Changewas made possible by the following sponsors: Glacier National Park Conservancy, Glacier National Park, Montana Cultural Trust, University of Montana, Cadeau Foundation, U.S. Forest Service-Rocky Mountain Research Station, and The CoMotion Dance Project.

For more information about the performances please call Melissa Sladek at 406-888-7894.

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