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August 19, 2009
WOLF TRAP’S FACE OF AMERICA
Wolf Trap’s unique role as our only national park for
the performing arts extends beyond presenting great
performances to fostering the creation of new work,
supporting artists in their continuing quest to
interpret the world, and risking experimental approaches
that may yield extraordinary contributions to the arts.
Wolf Trap’s Face of America, our signature adventure
series, fulfills this role by exploring and celebrating
the diverse people, histories and landscapes of our
national parks.
Wolf Trap proudly launched the Face of America series in
2000 to commission and present original works in
evocative settings—performances in our national parks
recorded in high definition video, played on stage-high
screens at the Filene Center and integrated with live
performance. These are outdoor, multimedia experiences
as only Wolf Trap can present.
Five productions (and multiple commissions) have been
completed from 2000-2006:
Yosemite National Park (aerial dance company Project
Bandaloop and music by Native American flutist Robert
Mirabal)
Virgin Islands National Park / Coral Reefs National
Monument (Donald Byrd/The Group and music by Steve Turre
and Sanctified Shells)
Mammoth Cave National Park (Doug Varone and Dancers)
A Celebration of Flight: Dayton Aviation Heritage
National Historic Park / Tuskegee Airmen National
Historic Site / Wright Brothers National Memorial at
Kitty Hawk (Elizabeth Streb and STREB dance company)
Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park / Pu'uhonua o Honaunau
National Historical Park / Haleakala National Park (Halau
o Kekuhi dance company and music by Ledward Kaapana)
In April 2008, PBS broadcast nationally as part of its
Great Performances series Dance in America: Wolf Trap’s
Face of America, a 90-minute show that told the story of
each production in the series, provided
behind-the-scenes interviews with the artists, and
showed footage from both the filming and performances.
Face of America: Glacier National Park
Montana’s Glacier National Park, a UNESCO world heritage
site, is rich in American cultural history that includes
Native Americans, early trappers and hunters, cowboys
and the building of the railroads. Major research
projects are conducted in Glacier each year, focusing on
global climate change, air quality, and resource
exploitation (such as overfishing). The park’s glaciers
are disappearing at an increasing rate and scientists
estimate that unless there is a major reduction in
global warming, they will completely disappear by 2030.
With this backdrop, this latest Face of America project
will premier in September 2009, featuring:
The world premiere of a Wolf Trap commission by
choreographer Trey McIntyre in the Filene Center,
including HD video captured in Glacier National Park by
Emmy-Award winning Blue Land Media
A premiere celebration, for which Montana’s Governor
and Members of Congress have agreed to serve as honorary
hosts
Performances at the Filene Center, The Barns at Wolf
Trap and Children’s Theatre-in-the-Woods that reflect
and explore elements of the rich culture of Glacier
National Park
Programs for young children in Montana led by the
renowned Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning Through
the Arts
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