Composition for a Hill is a seasonal outdoor dance workshop and performance series directed by Annika Johansson. Returning to the same hill at a Lake Harriet park throughout the year, dancers will explore how movement, attention, and the changing seasons can transform our experience of a familiar public space.
Working with weather, light, terrain, and the rhythms of the living landscape, performers will create movement drawn from observation, sensory experience, and direct engagement with place. Each gathering invites dancers to notice what is present and compose in relationship with the environment.
Rather than presenting a fixed work, each workshop culminates in a unique performance shaped by the conditions of the day. Through simple acts of attention and collective exploration, the project celebrates curiosity, connection, and our kinship with the more-than-human world.
Dancers: Fei Bi Chan, Rebekah Joy, Sarah McCullough, Sophia McLaughlin, and Alys Ayumi Ogura
Series Dates:
Autumn: October 10, 3:00-5:30pm
Winter: January 9, 2027, 11:00am-1:30pm
Spring: May 18, 2027, 6:00-8:30pm
Informal public sharing begins during the final 30 minutes of each session. Free and open to the public; no registration required.
Audience Information: Wheelchair-accessible viewing from the park pathway off Upton Ave. Arrive and depart at any time and observe from a variety of vantage points. Picnic table seating available—blankets and portable chairs welcome. All-weather event with covered shelter available. Restrooms and water fountains available in the park next to the playground.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.