Wild Space Dance Company celebrates river restoration with “InSite: En Route” in Pulaski Park
October 13, 2026 | Topics: featured artist, Places
By Eddee Daniel
In many ways it was a typical Saturday afternoon in Pulaski Park, a beloved community open space. Basketball courts, playground, playing fields were all teeming with people from the neighborhood. The pathways along the newly rehabilitated Kinnickinnic River likewise were busy. Everyone was out enjoying unseasonably warm, sunny weather. But amidst all of this quotidian activity something quite atypical was also happening. Several portions of the park were transformed into outdoor theater spaces by Wild Space Dance Company—a fitting tribute to the recent transformation of the park itself.
InSite, now in its fifth season, is a program of free site-specific performances in unexpected outdoors spaces like Pulaski Park. InSite is designed to spark choreographic collaboration and exchange among diverse Milwaukee-based artists while engaging the community in performances that highlight the beauty, resilience, and complexity of the city.
The performance began on the banks of river next to Sixteenth Street. Massive stair-like stone abutments intended to prevent erosion almost seemed to have been created expressly for this performance. The audience sat on one side of the river while the dancers pranced and pirouetted up and down the other side. Some held buckets, which they dipped into the flowing water, then carried a little way before tossing it back to continue its journey downstream towards Lake Michigan.
The choreography of the dances celebrated the resuscitation of the long-abused river. Pre-show talks with local water experts from Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD) illuminated the connection. Pulaski Park, one of Milwaukee’s most dynamic urban parks, recently underwent a remarkable transformation. Over a number of years, MMSD, in partnership with Milwaukee County Parks and other organizations, restored the section of the Kinnickinnic River in the park by removing more than 1,700 linear feet of aging concrete channel, returning the waterway to a naturalized, meandering stream. The restoration has improved wildlife habitat, enhanced flood protection, increased public safety, and created new opportunities for recreation and community engagement.
Characteristically, InSite: En Route invited the audience to move through the park. While parts of the performance followed a guided route, other moments invited the audience to explore at their own pace as seemingly spontaneous dances erupted here and there throughout the landscape. From quiet, intimate encounters nestled within the scenery to exuberant, celebratory performances that animated the park’s open spaces, each portion of the journey offered a unique perspective on this treasured community gathering place.
At one point the audience gathered on benches next to one of the park’s basketball courts, where several young men were still shooting baskets. They obligingly gave up the court, however, when a trio of Milwaukee Rhythm Skaters rolled onto it for a dance performance on roller skates.
On a grassy spot between a playground and the river, choreographer Ishmael Konney performed a solo dance inspired by the Kinnickinnic restoration and the occasionally tragic flooding that had preceded the removal of the concrete channel. The audience lined up along the park’s graceful pedestrian bridge, installed during the restoration, to watch him perform.
The audience moved back and forth across the bridge during the processional performances, as park users do throughout a normal day. But the bridge itself became a functional and aesthetic element in the final dance. The audience resettled onto the “steps” along the river, this time on the opposite side. Some of the dancers waded out into the flowing stream, engaging directly with the water. Others stood on the bridge and poured a series of libations over the dancers below as they made their way upstream and out of sight—the streams of water descending from the bridge like a final curtain drawn over the presentation.
While I attended only the daytime performance, there also were evening performances. As you can see from the images provided by Wild Space and Milwaukee Riverkeeper Cheryl Nenn, the atmosphere and mood of the performance changes dramatically with the time of day and lighting. At night, brightly lit dancers stood out against the surrounding darkness—in contrast with the constant buzz of other ongoing activity visible as a backdrop during the day. Each was engaging in a different way, adding complexity to the overall program.
“It was an incredible event, and I’m so proud of everyone who made it possible. From our dancers and guest artists to the technical crew working behind the scenes, each person contributed something essential. The beauty of the river and the surrounding park provided a remarkable setting for these dances. The result was a collection of vibrant, emotionally resonant performances that transformed the landscape, and I believe invited audiences into a truly memorable experience.”
~ Wild Space Dance Company Artistic Director Dan Schuchart
For more information about Wild Space Dance Company go to their website.
Related stories:
Kinnickinnic River restoration in Pulaski Park
Havenwoods goes wild with two dance companies in outdoor performances!
Ometochtli helps Three Bridges Park celebrate its tenth anniversary
Acts of Wilderness: Wild Space in the Menomonee Valley
Note: The banner photo at the top is by Rae Zimmerli. It was provided by Wild Space Dance Company and used with permission. I also want to thank Wild Space for their press release, which provided some of the information in this story.
Eddee Daniel, writer/photographer, is a board member of Preserve Our Parks, the Program Director of A Wealth of Nature, and editor of The Natural Realm blog. Eddee also has served as a contract photographer during a portion of the MMSD Kinnickinnic River Restoration Project. All images by Eddee Daniel except as noted.
The Natural Realm blog is part of A Wealth of Nature, which is a program of Preserve Our Parks. MMSD, Milwaukee Riverkeeper and Milwaukee County Parks are project partners of A Wealth of Nature.
About Preserve Our Parks
Preserve Our Parks, Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of parks and green spaces. Our mission: To advocate for and promote Milwaukee area parks and open spaces and to strive to protect the tenets of Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine.
For more than 25 years, we have been a leader in advocating for the protection of Milwaukee County park lands, halting many proposals to develop, privatize, or sell local parkland and lakefront spaces. More information about POP, including past accomplishments, is available at www.preserveourparks.org.