FINDING INSPIRATION IN NATURE? Artists have done for, well, always, if the notion of "always" stretches back far enough to fully envelop this big, multi-branch'd concept. For branches, and clouds, and waves, and animals have all filled thousands of artists' imagination-based wells, and you don't have to search too far to find evidence of that. Take dance, for example, a form that delights in, and expounds upon, themes and concepts of the wilderness, of weather, of how we're transformed the moment we step outside. Connecting with a beloved natural spot while savoring a dance performance or two, then, feels as right as movement, whether that's the movement we humans make when we leap or twirl or the movement of the sun and wind. One of the nature-nicest of all of California's many arts-based summertime festival is the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival, a three-day celebration of joy, energy, and story told through physical prowess. It's leaping and twirling from...
WEDNESDAY, JULY 26 THROUGH FRIDAY, JULY 28, at two spots: The shore-close Gatekeeper's Museum and Truckee Amphitheater. On the roster? Look for the world premiere of "Mountainscape," from choreographer Constantine Baecher, a pas-de-deux "created specially for the Lake Tahoe Dance Festival." And "a work about the space and time between journeys," "Threshold" from choreographer Kristina Berger, will also lend beauty and ideas to the an idea-filled three days. Many of the works are new, or recently new, making it a treat for those who seek out what the future of dance looks like today. And if you happen to adore nature, and find its closeness essential to art? Lake Tahoe can absolutely deliver on that fabulous front, too.
