From the Ground Up

A Performance on Hearn Plaza Starring WFU Facilities Staff

By Wake Forest University

October 7^th, 2019

Brooms, blowers and backhoes — oh my!

On three evenings, October 3, 4 and 5, nearly 70 team members from the Wake Forest Facilities and Campus Services group starred in "From the Ground Up," a large scale performance using original choreography and music to highlight the grace and skill in the work that keeps campus running.

“From the Ground Up” was a collaboration between Wake Forest and Forklift Danceworks, a dance company based in Austin, Texas, whose mission is to use creative dance to build community. The company was founded in 2001 by Wake Forest graduate Allison Orr ('93), and the University is one of three in a set of dances for college employees.

Practice, practice

Under the direction of the Forklift Danceworks choreographers, the facilities team members practiced parts of the show on Tuesday afternoon.

First time through

The teams ran through the entire show for the first time at dusk on Tuesday, with live music and some of the lighting installed. The run-through went well, and everyone looked forward to the tech rehearsal the next day.

Sweating the details

It was Wednesday afternoon, a day before the show opened, and the cast and crew were working on all the little details they wanted to get right before the tech rehearsal. It was also time for some fun and relaxation.

I'm with the band

Under the direction of composer Graham Reynolds, a band of students and faculty performed an original score to accompany the dance. The combo of keyboards, violin, saxophone, bass and drums was supplemented by the Wake Forest gamelan ensemble playing their traditional Indonesian instrument.

Tech rehearsal

The lighting was set, the band was ready, and the cast took the stage on Hearn Plaza as the sun went down. A small audience including Wake Forest President Nathan O. Hatch and his wife, Julie, watched the show.

The roar of the greasepaint

The cast took the stage Thursday evening for their first performance in front of a packed house. Hundreds of people lined the Quad on bleachers or sat on blankets and tarps in the middle of the Quad to watch lawnmowers waltz, housekeepers twirl and heavy equipment dance.

From the audience

The cast was back Friday and Saturday for two more shows, and received high fives and standing ovations from the audience both nights.

Acknowledgements

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.