MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Mississippi River at Stone Arch Bridge
About the performance:
Solstice River XII: Bridging the Cycles of Life
June 21, 2008 – 8 p.m.
Hundreds came out onto the Stone Arch Bridge to be part of the 12th annual celebration of the Mississippi River. This year Solstice River acknowledged the life cycles of bridges and humans. The Stone Arch Bridge had its beginning 125 years ago and the 35W bridge had its ending last August. The performance was a tribute to the 13 individuals who lost their lives in the 35W bridge collapse. The intention is to help the community heal. When words aren’t enough, dance allows a deeper connection to that part of the experience that isn’t verbal and creates an opportunity for people to honor and grieve together.
This event wove together the man-made wonders of downtown Minneapolis with the world of nature. There were dancers on the dike of the lock, the banks and mooring cells, high up on the grain silos and the Guthrie and on the St. Anthony Falls Hydrology lab. A bevy of kayaks pirouetted for the audience. At the conclusion of the performance, the audience was invited to participate in the “Blue Highway”, during which a 1200-foot length of blue fabric is unfurled across the Stone Arch Bridge by a Park Board jeep.
The music, written especially for the dance at this site, was composed by J. David Moore. Solstice River XII is presented by the Center for Global Environmental Education at Hamline University; and is held in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the University of Minnesota’s St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, the Mill City Museum and the Guthrie Theater.
The Stone Arch Bridge is approached from the downtown Minneapolis side at West River Road and Portland Avenue; from the east side of the river, the approach is from 6th Avenue SE and Main Street. The site is wheelchair accessible.