WaywardLand

When contemporary circus meets dance, anything is possible.  Dropped into a sweeping landscape performers in WaywardLand ignite the world around them.  In this new collaboration between Jil Stifel and Ben Sota, moments of quirkiness melt into shifting perceptions and reveal hidden beauty.

View this video on Vimeo for timed stamped questions.

About the Artists

Jil Stifel is a collaborative artist who works in movement, dance and performance. Her choreography and multi-media projects have been presented in the United States and Japan. She teaches dance at the University of Pittsburgh and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts with Highest Honors in dance from Rutgers University, Mason Gross School of the Arts. Learn more at jilstifel.com.

Ben Sota is the artistic director of Zanny Umbrella Cirus. He studied circus at Flic Circus school in Turin Italy, the San Francisco Circus Center, Trapeze Arts, and Acro Sports, and he has produced over thirty shows and performed at the National Council on Foundation, the National Storytelling Convention, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, at Al Hussein Amphitheater in Amman Jordan, and at hundreds of other venues. Learn more at zanyumbrellacircus.com.

Jil Stifel and Ben Sota receive state arts funding support through a grant from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Acknowledgments

Photography: Renee Rosensteel; Video: Jeremy Fleishman;