Young Dance performers prepping in the park. Photo by Justin Jones.

By CAROLINE PALMER

Who says kids aren't tough these days? The members of Young Dance are set to perform "Project Park," a site-specific creation by choreographers Miriam Colvin and Megan Flood outdoors this Saturday in the Seward neighborhood of Minneapolis. The 10-acre Matthews Park – with its popular sloping sledding hill and beloved tree groves – will provide a chilly but welcoming stage for 30 budding modern dancers in parkas, ranging in age from 7 to 18.

According to Young Dance Artistic Associate Justin Jones, the opportunity to perform in the open air "engages the body and the senses in a particular way." The dancers learned that choreography doesn't need to be complicated in a visually rich and constantly shifting environment. "Some of the things that work best outside are things that are simple," said Jones. "It's about trusting that a simple walk or run is interesting to watch."

Colvin (a former Minneapolitan now living in Smithers, British Columbia) and locally based Flood were initially drawn to Matthews Park for its elegant topography, but as they delved into its history they found an unexpected theme. The hill, said Colvin, was made to "block out the sight of an industrial area." Some houses were knocked down and local lore is that pieces still exist under the mound of earth, inspiring "several possible truths about the hill," said Flood. "The imagery of it is so powerful. The idea of home has come up over and over again," added Colvin. "What makes a neighborhood is people's homes."

"We've had a few conversations about how we need to have the park tell us what needs to happen," said Flood. "The dancers explored it through improvisation. Like if you are standing next to a tree, what movement comes out to you?" The piece will be influenced by the ambient sounds of the natural setting, she added, as well as the dancers singing and recorded music.

"Project Park" is one of five works in the series "Young Dance at Large." This fall the members of the nearly 25-year-old troupe led by Artistic Director Gretchen Pick performed under the new 35W bridge with Marylee Hardenbergh and at the Courage Center with Ireland's Croi Glan Integrated Dance Company. They also participated in a dance film by The BodyCartography Project (Olive Bieringa and Otto Ramstad). In February Young Dance will collaborate with Charles Campbell and Gulgun Kayim of Skewed Visions. A May concert at the Barbara Barker Center for Dance will bring together all of the "at large" pieces on a proscenium stage.

The free performance of "Project Park" takes place Saturday, January 21 at 2 p.m and begins in the Matthews Park building (2318 29th Avenue South). The audience will follow the dancers to different outdoor areas. Some seating – and post-performance hot cocoa – will be provided. Another showing is scheduled for the Powderhorn Park Art Sled Rally on Saturday, January 28 at 2 p.m. For further information visit www.youngdance.org.