Oklahomans Defy Gravity With Aerial Dancing

We cant escape it; its a fact of life. No matter how hard we try, gravity always pulls us back to Earth, but there is a group of professional dancers in Oklahoma who use the laws of gravity in a unique way. Is it a thin veil that keeps us tied to the ground? And is the veil gravity itself, or merely our own understanding of it? As they rehearse, a troupe of professional dancers in Oklahoma searches for answers hanging in the air. They call themselves "Perpetual Motion," and their idea is to use not only the stage floor in their exploration of movement, but the space above it too. "Modern is the study of natural human movement," says Nichelle Burt, troupe executive director, "and thats whats embraced in modern is that kind of open ended." Kim Kiefer Williams and Rebecca von Bargen come from different places in performance: one from the trapeze, the other from gymnastics and cheerleading. Both use their training and a few circus tricks to choreograph new frontiers in aerial dance. "For me, its not about being in the air or being on the floor, its about all the dance space including the air," says Kiefer Williams. "I dont know. Its a challenge. Its a challenge for all of us I think," adds von Bargen. Dancers in the Perpetual Motion Company are always looking for ways to break free of the ideas we might have about recitals or more traditional performances: less about a story and more about the way a body can move when freed from the confines of predictability. "It takes away the limit of the floor, so you get the entire stage space to create your canvas," says Artistic Director Michelle Dexter. There is no escape from the pull of gravity, but in watching, its easier to tell what it could be like if it werent there at all. The Perpetual Motion Dancers are already working on a series of dances for the Oklahoma Modern Dance Festival in early August.