The Face of America™ SeriesWolf Trap's multimedia artistic adventure series, Face of America uses the rich language of the performing arts to celebrate the diverse people, histories, and landscapes of fellow National Parks across the country.


Face of America 2012: Spirit of South Florida 

Featuring Big Cypress National Preserve, Biscayne National Park,
Dry Tortugas National Park, Everglades National Park
In September 2012, Wolf Trap will present Face of America: Spirit of South Florida at the Filene Center in Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. The live performance will feature a new commission of a series of dances interpreting key themes of South Florida's National Parks. Spirit of South Florida is the first of a three-part series of Wolf Trap commissions and performances in celebration of the National Park Service's centennial in 2016.



Previous Face of America Performances

Glacier National Park 

 

 

2006: Hawai'i 
Celebrate the spirit of aloha with the epic myth of Pele, the Goddess of Fire, powerfully portrayed in the ancient language of hula by Halau O Hawai'i Face of America™Kekuhi. The performance featured the contemporary and traditional Hawaiian music and dance of Grammy Award-nominee, Keali'i Rechel, instrumental sounds of Ledward Ka'apana, master of slack-key guitar, and spectacular images filmed at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Pu'uhonua o Honaunau National Historical Park, and Haleakala National Park.


2003: A Celebration of Flight
Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historic Park
Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site
Wright Brothers National Memorial at Kitty Hawk

 

Wright Brothers Face of America™ 2003From the legend of Icarus to the notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci, the desire to fly has driven human innovation. In America, the dream became reality with the first flight of the Wright Brothers and continued to inspire invention with the first lunar landing, space exploration, and beyond.
Wolf Trap’s Face of America 2003 celebrated the 100th anniversary of the first powered flight of the Wright Brothers by following their adventures from Ohio to North Carolina. We also honored the contributions of the Tuskegee Airmen, World War II African-American military pilots.

 

 

2002: Mammoth Cave National Park
Mammoth Cave National ParkThrough bluegrass music and innovative dance, Wolf Trap went on a thrilling journey in 2002 to the center of the earth, in the heart of Kentucky's bluegrass country. Mammoth Cave is the longest recorded cave system in the world, with more than 336 miles of explored and mapped land. It is accented by the scenic river valleys of the Green and Nolin Rivers and a section of South Central Kentucky. Face of America went deep underground to explore rock carved long ago by rushing water into massive underground caverns.

 

 


2001: Virgin Islands National Park

Wolf Trap explored the beautiful and historically rich Virgin Islands National Park/Coral Reef National Monument. The world premiere of an original dance piece by renowned choreographer Donald Byrd was filmed on location amidst the captivating scenery and historic ruins of St. John Virgin Islands National Park and was projected in high definition on large screens at the Filene Center. The dancers also appeared live on stage at Wolf Trap, interacting with their on-screen images. An original musical composition by celebrated jazz composer Steve Turre featured the mystical sounds of the West Indies played on conch shells by Turre and his group Sanctified Shells, and master storyteller Alice McGill built a performance that celebrated the history and heritage of the people of St. John and brought to life the rich stories and legends of the region. The Face of America 2001 performance premiered live at Wolf Trap on September 8, 2001.

 

 

2000: Yosemite National Park
Wolf Trap's partner for the series' inaugural year was Yosemite National Park. An original work, Luminescent Flights, Yosemite National Parkby aerial dance company Project Bandaloop and Native American flutist Robert Mirabal illuminated the beauty and power of Yosemite's towering rock faces in this breathtaking natural environment. The program at Wolf Trap featured segments filmed on location and projected in high-definition television on giant screens and accompanied by a live performance by the artists themselves. This inaugural presentation of Face of America premiered live at Wolf Trap on September 8, 2000.

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View from the Loge at Wolf Trap's Filene Center

"Having fun while exerting a definite impact on the quality of life for thousands of people is the track record of Wolf Trap Associates."

Catherine-Filene-Shouse
Catherine Filene Shouse,
Wolf Trap Founder