Bodies in Motion
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Photo Mark Horning
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photo by Dale Dong
Between outdoor rehearsals at what is now Akron’s Heinz Poll Summer Dance Festival, dancer David Shimotakahara often found himself in awe of the sunset — and the opportunity to perform for community members in nature.
“In the sky, there’d be this glorious God-painting,” recalls Shimotakahara, now the founding artistic director of contemporary Cleveland-based dance company GroundWorks DanceTheater. “You were about to share this experience that was very special.”
From 1983 to 1998, Shimotakahara performed at the outdoor festival — which began in 1974 — as a member of the now-defunct Ohio Ballet. He worked with its legendary late artistic director, Heinz Poll, for 15 years.
“He had such an amazing work ethic,” he says. “He also came from a ballet background, but he had extensive modern dance training too. He wanted to combine the two in this interesting way.”
Celebrating its 50th anniversary, the festival runs from July 26 to Aug. 10. It offers a unique glimpse of world-class choreography — including from GroundWorks Aug. 2 and 3 at Firestone Park in Akron — for free.
“There’s an audience there that really appreciates dance, and it’s directly related to the exposure over time, over generations,” Shimotakahara says.
GroundWorks, celebrating its 25th anniversary, creates and performs new and original pieces. Like Poll, Shimotakahara uses ballet as a base to explore more expansive and experimental works.
“It is an influence,” he says. “It creates a clarity to the movement.”
Though the company’s plans for the 2024 festival are still under wraps, the shows are special — they’re some of GroundWorks’ last performances, as the company is nearing its grand finale. The festival has been a seminal stage for both GroundWorks and Shimotakahara. He recalls the GroundWorks premiere of his piece, “Abide,” at the 2023 festival — a commentary on the distractions and din present in everyday life.
“We got to the end, and it was like everybody was holding their breath,” he says. “Time stopped a little bit for me. It felt very satisfying.”
