"Northwest Philadelphia's Schuylkill Center becomes a canvas for 'TERRA', an art installation that intertwines female forms with the forest's foliage."
Head on over to the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, nestled amid 365 acres of unadulterated land in Philadelphia. That's where you'll find the world premiere performance of "TERRA: Bodies and Territories," a groundbreaking dance spectacle that's as wild and untamed as the forest it calls home.
To attend this extraordinary event, you'll need to gear up for an adventure—drive up the Roxborough ridge, and after a half-mile journey on a bumpy, dirt road, park and embark on a short, leafy hike through the woods. Don't worry; you'll find seating along the way, fashioned from logs cut from fallen trees, ready to accommodate you.
The Schuylkill Expressway hum may echo faintly at the bottom of the ridge, and the odd train horn might sound from the nearby tracks, but otherwise, you'll be immersed in the breathtaking beauty of the natural world.
As Erin Mooney, the Schuylkill Center's executive director, puts it: "I was walking in and heard a Carolina wren, a blue jay, a wood peewee. There are deer surrounding us, although we can't see them."
This performance demands that you immerse yourself in nature, leaving your urban surroundings far behind. Argentinian-born choreographer Silvana Cardell, who's lived in Philadelphia for the last 25 years, created "TERRA" especially for this setting to highlight the women's body as a territory that is inhabited, exploited, and dominated. A traditional theater was too controlled an environment for her vision.
The performance involves a diverse group of female dancers—from an 8-year-old girl to the venerable Germaine Ingram, 78—and unfolds in a sequence of scenes that celebrate and conflict, paying homage to the survival of the female body. Scenes include communing with nature, transforming into trees, a ritualistic gesture of spreading dust representing mortality, a stylized birthing, and an implied violent scene reminiscent of "Little Red Riding Hood."
The final sequence involves sheets of wood that the dancers manipulate into a structured shelter—symbolizing both safety and entrapment. It's a powerful exploration of the arc of female resilience, with Blanka Zizka, the recently retired founder of the Wilma Theater, serving as consulting dramaturg.
Brace yourself for an unforgettable experience as "TERRA: Bodies and Territories" blurs the line between art and nature, weaving together ecofeminism and intersectional activism in a mesmerizing, immersive display you won't soon forget.
[1] Hearken. (2023). Dance performance immerses audience in ecofeminism at Schuylkill Center. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://www.hearken.io/-/asset/7aa70191-3f11-442e-a10d-f7f0cc1f53c9
[2] Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. (n.d.). Get Involved. Retrieved June 7, 2023, from https://schuylkillcenter.org/get-involved/
Marvel at the harmony between science and environmental-science as you delve deeper into the Schuylkill Center's home-and-garden, home to the extraordinary spectacle "TERRA: Bodies and Territories." Embrace the lifestyle of a nature enthusiast, temporarily leaving behind the noise and pace of urban life.
