In a city where pushing the limits of artistic creativity is the norm, Blue Lapis Light holds the distinct honor as one of the most unusual performance groups in Austin. It is a site-specific aerial dance group — think ballet meets rock climbing meets base jumping, all on a downtown office building.
Unlike gymnasts and acrobats, aerial dancers don’t strike poses or perform “stunts” while in the harnesses and silks, explains Artistic Director Sally Jacques. The apparatuses simply give them a three-dimensional plane in which to dance.

Undeniably, producing a ballet on the side of a building is a bit more difficult than on a traditional stage. Jacques has been able to pull it off with the help Corey Fields, avid rock climber and mountaineer with experience in construction and as a guide. “The combination of my backgrounds gives me the ability to manage the risk of Blue Lapis Light,” said Fields. As lead rigger, Fields assesses each site for viability, sets up and manages the gear, advises the dancers of dangerous conditions and if needed, runs rescue.

“In aerial dance, there is a big illusion of ease happening,” said Nicole Whitehouse, principal dancer. Achieving proper form in the harnesses is “hard and physically uncomfortable; it goes against your body’s natural inclination, but that is the awe of dance ­— making it look effortless.”

Blue Lapis Light’s 2006 show, Requiem, in which they added life and beauty to the abandoned Intel building made the group a household name in Austin. “It is quite a spectacle what we do,” said Whitehouse, “transforming something utilitarian into a wonderland.”

The architecture of each “stage” plays a very intrinsic role in the choreography. “The performances are not on the buildings,” said Jacques. “The site speaks to me,” and the choreography becomes a collaboration between the building and the dancers.

Blue Lapis Light’s latest show is titled Impermanence, in which performers leap, fly and climb across the edifice of the J.J. Pickle Federal Building, mimicking the recent fall of industries that were once thought invincible. The tension in which the performers find themselves speaks to the fragility of these times, but the balletic movement and continuance of form express the possibility of continual forward movement in any situation. Combined with lights and music, the dancers seemingly pull the viewer through the air, whispering, “There is beauty and significance in each moment — look for it and celebrate it!”

May 2
Austin Children’s Museum’s Imaginarium Fundraiser
Historic Browning Hanger at Mueller
May 9
Austin Museum of Art’s ART BALL XIII
May 9
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Promise Ball
Westin La Cantera in San Antonio
June 19 – 21 & 24 – 28
Impermanence
J.J. Pickle Federal Building
Time: 9:15pm
Tickets: $25, $20 general admission, $15 seniors and students

For more information, visit
www.bluelapislight.org

Tags: Activities, Events, Social