Preview: Forklift Dance Danceworks: The Trash Project at Austin Studios Tarmac

Forklift Danceworks: The Trash Project
Sat Sept 12th (Rain Date Sun Spet 13th)
Austin Studios (1901 East 51st Street Austin, TX 78723)
Saturday 7:30 pm FREE!
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Last year, when Allison Orr and Forklift Danceworks presented Skate! A Night at the Rink it was one of the most uplifting performances of 2008. The event brought together professional dancers on skates with dedicated longtime rink skaters in a breathtaking series of dances that were both fresh and nostalgic.

This weekend, for one night only, Orr is once again employing her gift of taking ordinary folk (which is to say, non-professional dancers) and shining a spotlight on their inner dancers. The show is called The Trash Project and you needn’t be psychic to know this is going to wind up as one of 2009’s most uplifting performances.

The dancers? Twenty-five City of Austin Solid Waste service workers, performing numbers that incorporate the various trucks they typically use to keep the city clean. Orr’s goal? “To make visible aspects of daily life which are often invisible.” Yeah, that and helping us all to see beauty where we might not otherwise think to look for it.

The fifteen vehicles that will be partnered with the dancers include rear-loading trash trucks, a crane, and a bucket truck. Noted Austin designer Stephen Pruitt, experienced in large-scale outdoor productions, is directing lighting and set design while Graham Reynolds, award-winning musician and composer, is creating an original musical score. Graham's score will incorporate samples of the Solid Waste machinery and the performance will feature a live trio of piano, violin, and cello.

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