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2023; suite revisited 2026 · Dance – site-specific / aerial

Bird Strike

Melecio Estrella · BANDALOOP

A vertical dance and live music work inspired by bird migration, nesting and survival in urban spaces, commissioned by Chile's Santiago a Mil festival. It features original bilingual songs by Ben Juodvalkis and Destani Wolf. It later grew into material for BANDALOOP's larger work FLOCK.

Premiere
2023-01-13
Venue
Santiago a Mil (Teatro a Mil) international festival (commissioned by Fundación Teatro a Mil)
Where
Santiago, Chile
Performances
Jan 13-14, 2023, Santiago a Mil, Chile. Fairmont Century Plaza, Los Angeles, Feb 18-19, 2023 (duet, with guitarist Marcel Camargo). Showings on the Rotunda wall, Oakland, March 15, 2023. Zoellner Arts Center, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, April 13-18, 2023. Celebrate 20, Sundial Bridge (Santiago Calatrava), Redding, CA, June 28-29, 2024. 'Birdstrike Suite 2.0' material was revisited for the EPACENTER gala, East Palo Alto, May 30, 2026 (set 1: 'Birdbath' into 'Pajarito' with the EPACENTER Youth Dance Team; set 2: 'River Crossing' duet, opening for Sheila E.).
Credits
Direction/choreography: Melecio Estrella (with Damara Ganley, associate artistic director, in later versions). Original music and live performance: Ben Juodvalkis and Destani Wolf. Guitar: Marcel Camargo (LA 2023; recorded 'Birdbath' and 'On Our Way' in 2024). Rehearsal director: Skip Kirk. Executive producer: Thomas Cavanagh. Booking: Rika Iino (SOZO). EPACENTER 2026 performers: Wailana Simcock, Jessica Swanson, Damara Ganley, Jose Abad, B Dean, with Destani Wolf and Ben Juodvalkis live.

Press

“Plumas playing original music by BANDALOOP composers Destani Wolf and Ben Juodvalkis was a stunning feat, live music realized with live dance”

Elsewhere

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