Global Site Performance is the creation of Marylee Hardenbergh. Her goal is to use dance to transform the environment so that people experience it with renewed eyes and heart. She believes that the power of dance -- with its moving colors and harmonious rhythms -- deepens the audience's sense of place and how we humans fit into the landscape.
View a chronological list, with photos, of all performances choreographed since 1985.
What We Do
Since 1985, Marylee Hardenbergh of Global Site Performance has created large, outdoor (and sometimes indoor) site-specific performances all over the world. These performances create beauty in a particular site on the earth by drawing attention to the beauty that already exists in that place. Hardenbergh employs local performers and local composers so that all aspects of the performance are site-specific.
Opening/Closing Ceremonies—Movement Choirs
Global Site Performance creates opening and closing ceremonies —which we call Movement Choirs -- for conferences and other group gatherings. These highly participative events engage the attendees and foster a deep sense of connection within the group and within the individual.
Our Vision
To create dances that exemplify great beauty, in vast spaces and in the hearts of communities, so that people connect more deeply with themselves, each other, and the earth.
To use the healing power of movement to foster within the participants a meaningful sense of place, of belonging and of joy.
To promote the idea that we all inhabit one planet; to honor and respect the earth; and to raise awareness of environmental and social issues -- and the need to care for the places we live, and for ourselves.
About Us
Marylee Hardenbergh, Artistic Director
Marylee Hardenbergh has choreographed large site-specific performances for the past twenty years and she has received many awards including a Fulbright Scholarship, an NEA fellowship, five McKnight Foundation fellowships and a Soros grant. She maintains a Dance Movement Therapy practice. Her performances range from the Mother's Day Dance honoring mothers and their daughters, to Dance for Peace in Bosnia in 1996 at the end of the war, that honored the healing of the place and the ethnic groups there, to Solstice River honoring the Mississippi River as a vital national resource. She creates opening ceremonies for conferences, being an expert in a form of movement, called a Movement Choir, where large groups of people move in synchrony; participants comment on the profound beauty and power of these ceremonies, how “life-affirming” her work is! Currently she is the Artist-in-Residence at the Center for Global Environmental Education (CGEE) at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Jenny Moore
Jenny Moore is a dancer, choreographer and dance/movement therapist who enjoys creating community dance pieces for the health of individuals, communities, and the planet. For over six years she has facilitated a range of creative arts groups at Park House, a day and mental health setting for adults living with HIV/AIDS. During that time she has directed three public art events providing a stage for client art, poetry, dance, and song. Since 1999 she has assisted Marylee Hardenbergh in creating site-specific dances and has performed in three of Hardenbergh's pieces including "A Dance for Mother's Day, "Solstice River," and "A Mingling of the Waters."
Laressa Dickey
Laressa is a poet and dancer who has collaborated with Marylee Hardenbergh while wearing many hats: Program Manager, Assistant, Dancer, Wordsmith and Choreographer. She holds an MFA in poetry from theUniversity of Minnesota.
Nicky Hardenbergh
Nicky Hardenbergh creates stunning websites for small businesses and organizations and works wonders for Global Site Performance. She can be reached through her website: www.hardenberghdesign.com.
Our Board of Directors
Julie Andrus
Julie Andrus' training and 25 years of experience in social service organizations contributes to her powerful understanding of the needs of people. A committed environmentalist with a long-time interest in food and food politics, Julie was one of the founders of an organic meat company, Farm Called Earth, and is currently working with the Philadelphia Community farm on a project to re-localize our food system. In addition, Julie has been instrumental in developing key funding sources for Global Site Performance. She has been involved with the organization since its inception. Julie has a masters degree in Social Work and has completed coursework at the Center for Restorative Justice and Peacemaking at the University of Minnesota.
Louise Miner
For the past 17 years, Louise Miner has been a consultant in the areas of individual and organization development. She specializes in high performance teams and executive coaching and loves seeing individuals, teams and organizations achieve more of their potential. Louise is also an Associate Professor at the College of St Catherine in its Masters in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) program where she has been teaching for the past 12 years. In January, 2002, Louise was named Minnesota Organization Development Practitioner of the Year. More importantly, she is recent grandmother.
Ames Sheldon
Ames Sheldon has been a fundraiser for more than 25 years; she currently works as the Director of Development for the Friends of the Minneapolis Public Library. Recently she performed as a driver in the Golf Cart Tango with Global Site Performance in Red Wing, MN.