Yeng Vang-Strath infuses new Wild Space production with Hmong music and movement

Yeng Vang-Strath can tell you when dance took over her life.

As a girl watching the TV series "Fame," she was entranced by Leroy Johnson, the character portrayed by Gene Anthony Ray.

"He was just such a beautiful dancer," she said, loving how Ray could express himself through movement. "I didn't know people could move like that. And I wanted to dance."

There was no immediate or obvious path back then for an immigrant girl from Laos, living in a modest Milwaukee neighborhood, whose parents didn't speak English, to make a life in dance. But Vang-Strath forged one, transferring to Milwaukee High School of the Arts, then studying and dancing in San Diego and New York. She has performed regularly with Milwaukee's Wild Space Dance Company as far back as 2009, the year before she earned her bachelor of fine arts degree in dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Veng-Strath is one of several choreographers collaborating on Wild Space's next concert, "InSite: Everyone Is Welcome," June 16-17 at Milwaukee's Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum, a venue that continues to raise its profile as a site for cultural events.

Wild Space has been careful to point out that no one will be dancing on anyone's grave; they're taking advantage of clearings on the grounds.

As part of her contribution, Vang-Strath, who is Hmong, is working with guest teen musicians Lars Chang, Troy Chang and Sao Kitoukaisy, whom she met through choreographer Nwcian Xiong. She saw their troupe performing at a local school. They'll be featured on qeej, a traditional Hmong bamboo pipe instrument that Vang-Strath said is played through circular breathing and movement. She notes they will be playing celebratory music, nothing funerary (which she said would not be culturally appropriate in this context).

Taking advantage of the natural setting, Vang-Strath also has choreographed a solo for Elisabeth Roskopf that has Roskopf moving in a pond of water surrounding a small island that is a burial site for 41 Hmong people.

When Veng-Strath was a girl, Hmong dancing was something kids learned and did in people's homes or churches. Since then, it has become competitive, with studios and elaborate costumes, sometimes with very quick movements and intricate steps, she said.

She would love to see more local Asian people follow her into modern dance through a company like Wild Space, known both for improvisation and for site-specific performances. Among many other locales, Wild Space has performed atop a Pabst Brewery parking garage, in Mitchell Park Domes greenhouses and in old buildings in transition.

In some performances, Veng-Strath has been one of the few dancers of color. But she has never felt like the token Asian person.

"I felt like (Wild Space founder Debra Loewen) really looked at me as an artist, as a dancer," she said.

"Yeng’s is an engaging and powerful presence," Loewen said in an email. "Yeng explores an internal narrative of deeply personal experiences to reflect upon and express wonder, loss, wit, vulnerability and joy in her dancing. She is the real thing."

Now, as vice president of Wild Space's board of directors, Vang-Strath is part of the company's efforts to attract diverse dancers and a more diverse audience. Given her day job as a Milwaukee Public Schools educator, outreach to schools is doubly important to her.

She also has a seat at the table during Wild Space's leadership transition. Founding director Loewen is stepping back as new co-artistic directors Monica Rodero and Dan Schuchart lead Wild Space into the future.

Some groups struggle when they move on from a founder to new leaders. Vang-Strath believes Wild Space has approached this change thoughtfully, working on it over the past two years, bringing in dance consultant Sarah Wilbur for help, thinking through the financial implications of having two artistic directors.

To support this change, the company's Wild Futures campaign is attempting to raise $175,000 through the end of June, aided by a one-to-one matching grant from philanthropists Jan Serr and John Shannon (of up to a total match of $25,500). For more info on the campaign, visit wildspacedance.org.

If you go

Wild Space Dance Company performs "InSite: Everyone Is Welcome" 7:30 p.m. June 16, 4 and 7:30 p.m. June 17 at Forest Home Cemetery & Arboretum, 2405 W. Forest Home Ave. Admission is free but advance registration is required. Visit wildspacedance.org/calendar to register. Historian John Gurda will give a talk one hour before each performance.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: New Wild Space show at Forest Home Cemetery includes Hmong performers