The United States is celebrating its 250th birthday Saturday — and so is Aspen.
A new — and all-American — art form is coming to the city for the first time to honor the occasion.
BANDALOOP is a pioneering vertical dance company. It combines the tactical sport of climbing and the graceful movements of dance. It’s only been around for about 35 years and was founded in the western United States.
Artists will give an inaugural Aspen performance on Saturday.
They’ll scale the side of the Wheeler Opera House in harnesses, while doing synchronized dancing.
“No other dancer has access to these spaces,” said Artistic Director Melecio Estrella outside the Wheeler Opera House on Thursday.
“They could be dancing on a skyscraper 200 feet off the ground. They can be 3,000 feet in Yosemite on a cliff,” he said.
Estrella said that this and other types of art can transcend political divides.
“The 250 years to us is about creativity and respecting the histories of our country,” he said.
“But we’re still dancing. We’re still coming together as communities. That’s really important to us at BANDALOOP. We do that through art, and that’s what art can do,” he said.
Bystanders stood outside the Wheeler on Thursday to observe the dance rehearsal.
One spectator, Oksana Verus, said that the Fourth of July in Aspen makes her nostalgic for the town she grew up in and a simpler time in her life.
“It's a confusing time to be an American,” she said. “There's good and bad to everything. But I do appreciate the town’s effort in making it a fun place to be this holiday.”
Another spectator, Paige Strecker, said that she views her American identity differently now than in recent years, but the locals and tourists in town make her feel optimistic.
“I feel a strong sense of community when I’m here for the Fourth of July,” Strecker said. “And to see the new carnival pop up in the Rio Grande area, I’m excited to see that.”
BANDALOOP will perform three times outside of the Wheeler Opera House on the Fourth of July.
A two-day carnival in Rio Grande Park — complete with a ferris wheel — also begins Friday and runs until Saturday to celebrate the Fourth.
There will also be a drone show above Aspen Mountain on Saturday.
