Quick Center to Bring BANDALOOP to Fairfield

From Fairfield University:

The Quick Center will bring the world-renowned aerial dance company, BANDALOOP, to the Fairfield community on Sept. 9 at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Repelling from the roof of Fairfield University’s Bannow Science Center, the company will present an awe-inspiring choreographed dance on the side of the building. The performance, which is open and free to the public, is the first of its kind for the Quick Center.

“There is no better way to kick off the school year and Quick Center season than a party with the world’s best aerial dance group,” said Quick Center Executive Director Peter Van Heerden. “This event is not to be missed.”

Partnership with small businesses local to Fairfield and its neighbors will amplify the festivities. DJ Projo will spin during downtime and refreshments (including beer and wine for 21+) will be offered.

“They say what we do is death-defying. I’d say it’s life-affirming,” said Amelia Rudolph, the company’s founder, choreographer and artistic director.

Pioneers in vertical dance performance, BANDALOOP, intertwine intricate choreography, dynamic physicality and the laws of physics by turning the dance floor on its side, taking their performances out of the studio and onto skyscrapers, bridges, billboards, historical sites and even cliff faces.

“We invite people to see the world differently,” said Roel Seeber, a dancer and tour director with BANDALOOP for nearly a decade. “It’s perspective-changing.”

BANDALOOP, based in San Francisco’s bay area, has been sharing the human spirit through perspective-bending dance for 25 years.

Seeber explained that the group is very tight-knit and has a sharp focus on safety after dancing together on building facades across the globe from China and Turkey to Mexico and India.

“We have a safety ritual that we practice that gives us all a healing experience,” Seeber said. “When you go to the end of the earth with people, there’s no way you can be not affected by it.”

BANDALOOP has attracted upwards of 8,000 people to performance sites in the Bay area and their recent video, “Waltz on the Walls of City Hall,” has more than two million views on YouTube.

Seeber, who will lead the group of dancers to Conn., said education is an important element of BANDALOOP’s mission and that gathering with community members for a new adventurous experience can be really empowering.

“We’re really excited to come to Fairfield for the performances,” Seeber said. “It’s going to be a great building and a great time.”

The event, sponsored by The Westport Inn, Moffly Media and Denali, is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is requested. Please call the box office at (203) 254-4010 or toll-free at 1-877-ARTS-396 to register.

For the full season schedule, prices and to order tickets, visit the Quick Center website, or call the box office at (203) 254-4010.

Photo courtesy of Fairfield University