For four days this weekend, worshipping at the Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs will take a different form. The light that flows into the historic church will not only be illuminating people in the pews, but the ballerinas, hip-hop artists, modern and belly dancers worshipping the art of dance at the annual Built on Stilts festival.

With 45 different pieces over the course of this weekend and next, dancers from all different forms of technique will showcase their talent. This year’s performance brings more visiting artists, a larger youth repertoire, and more local performers than years past.

Abby Bender created the free festival in 1997 with friend Anna Luckey, who will be returning to the festival for the first time in five years. From a one night stint 13 years ago, to eight days spread out over two weeks, this year’s Built on Stilts is one of the largest.

“There’s a lot of dancers in their early 20s, way more than ever, which I love because this is such a safe place for them to try something of their own,” Ms. Bender said, taking a break from a tech rehearsal at the chapel.

Sitting next to Ms. Bender in the chapel was stage manager and friend Brent Alberghini, who has been with the festival since the beginning. “We have a lot of new artists this year and it feels like for the last few years we’ve had the same artists coming back because they love it,” Mr. Alberghini said. “Whether they’re visiting artists from different parts of the country or local artists it seems like it’s been the same for the past few years but this year there’s a lot of new ones.”

“There are a lot of people coming from New York this year,” Ms. Bender added.

“Why do you think that is, Ab?” Mr. Alberghini said playfully.

dancers
Abby Bender (right) created festival with Anna Luckey, who returns this year. — Jeanna Shepard

“That’s because I work with a huge dance company in New York and I’ve convinced all my dancers to come up and present their own work,” Ms. Bender said in quick response. Ms. Bender is in residency at Triskelion Arts under her Schmantze Theatre group. “A lot of it is word of mouth, it’s kind of bizarre. A lot of people this year who are in it have been seeing it for years, but this is the first year that they’re participating.”

Ms. Bender encourages her dancers and other dancers to perform at the festival because of the special Vineyard audiences. “Audiences here aren’t critical, this audience just loves everything,” Ms. Bender said, sitting in a pew chair with perfect posture. “When you’re in the performing arts in [New York] city it’s so competitive, audiences are cruel. For those of us who dance a lot in the city it’s so refreshing because it reminds us why we love dance — it’s not to get a great review in the Times; it’s to do it because we love it and share it with people who love it.”

But it’s not just visiting artists like Stefanie Nelson, Janessa Olsen, Island native Christina Montoya and Ms. Bender who appreciate the Vineyard audience, it’s everyone.

“When you see the range from five-year-olds to adults who are doing it just because they love to do it, the audience completely embraces it,” Ms. Bender said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. And that’s a testament to this Island.”

Ballerinas en pointe, modern dancers leaping to the floor, hip-hop dancers bouncing to the beat, belly dancers carving out space with their torso, swing dancers flying in the air, and stilt artists balancing on pegs: Vineyarders love it all.

Even as Mr. Alberghini was putting up posters for the festival across the Island this week, people were coming up to him expressing their excitement or asking how they could get involved. While registration ended July 1, Ms. Bender said she was eager to have those who were just getting wind of the festival involved for next year.

“The Island has gotten really used to it,” Ms. Bender said.

“People know it now, and you don’t have to explain what it is,” Mr. Alberghini added.

This weekend will feature mainly Island artists with a few visiting artists thrown in, trying to have as balanced a program as possible, Ms. Bender said. “I let [visiting artists] pick which weekend they want to come,” she said, explaining that next weekend will feature a slew of visiting artists. “It’s exciting because it’s a whole different aesthetic coming in on a whole new level of professionalism.”

Ms. Bender said she had seven or so artists staying on her floor this weekend and next. But even with the housing challenges, local and visiting artists continue to come back year after year.

dancers
Playful costumes, choreography are always a feature. — Jeanna Shepard

This week, Mr. Alberghini and Ms. Bender were busy in the theatre assisting dancers and performers to adapt to the circular space at the chapel, helping them mark through their routines, setting the lights and music cues. Two dancers, who were rehearsing a duet, had been performing together for years. Ms. Bender said she loves seeing kids grow up over the years, like Island ballet dancer Devon Lodge and kids who studied under hip-hop dancer Kelly Peters creating their own pieces, coming into their own as dancers and growing as performers.

She suggested that one of the dancers in the duet end the piece as they had begun, sitting on one of the church chairs.

“This space is absolutely incredible,” Ms. Bender said. “I don’t think I would want to do Built on Stilts if we ever lost this place. There’s nowhere else. It’s this.”

“The festival is magical and the Island is so magical for visiting artists who have never been here before, or spent very little time here, but when they have they’re first Vineyard experience and when it’s connected to the festival, it’s totally contagious,” Mr. Alberghini said before returning to the tech rehearsal. “It rubs off. It brings the magic of the Vineyard back into our hearts.”

Mr. Alberghini returned to his stage manager’s box upstairs, Ms. Bender went outside to hang up the Built on Stilts sign that she has hung outside of the building for the past 14 years, and the duet danced under the green-tinted light of the chapel, relishing the moment.

 

Built on Stilts began last night and continues through Sunday, and begins again August 21 through August 23. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. each night, shows begin at 8 p.m. Admission is free, no reservations are required. For a full list of performers, visit online builtonstilts.org .