06/07/2026
In honor of National Trails Day, organized by the American Hiking Society, we’re reminiscing on some dance works created for and filmed on outdoor trails.
“Trail to Nowhere,” choreographed and directed by Jennifer La Curan, takes place in the Santiago Oaks Regional Park. The piece plays with different ways of walking, involving improv, based on the unique pathways throughout the park.
“Un-Contained,” choreographed and directed by Christina Hughes, took place throughout many trails in Ketchikan, Alaska. Through weather and terrain unpredictability, the dancers modified choreography to fit the landscape around them.
“Peak Elevation” began as a spontaneous improv while walking through the trails in Mount San Jacinto State Park at the top of the Palm Springs Aerial Tram. Through the collaboration of the three performers and directors, they explored their own perspectives of the paths and how to move through it.
These films are still available to watch on our YouTube channel! Feel free to check them out through the links in our bio!
Video description: The screen is divided by three horizontal videos, showing clips from each dance film described above. The titles of each film are in the bottom right corner in white text.