Bonnie Simoa may have retired from her position with Lane Community College’s dance department, but she couldn’t possibly retire from dance! Her new dance company, Northwest Movement Ensemble, is performing Moon Marrow: A Site-specific Dance Performance on Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21. When thinking of dance, many would imagine a dark auditorium with all eyes on the stage. Simoa has reimagined dance as a reconnection to nature, which is why Moon Marrow will take place beneath the beautiful canopy of The Wildwood. “I’m really interested in this concept of the annihilation of the divine feminine,” she says, “the archetypal feminine traits, mindsets and perspectives. We live in a patriarchal culture and a lot of the beautiful traits that are associated with femininity are not necessarily celebrated.” This lack of celebration, Simoa says, goes back to the days of witchcraft accusations. She and the dancers spoke often of the witches as they practiced and researched for Moon Marrow. “We saw ourselves as living out what so many people before us couldn’t do,” she says. “It was simply if you were connected to nature, if you picked herbs, if you walked alone in the woods, if you were beautiful, you could be killed.” Instead of creating a piece that deals with these issues head on, Simoa says Moon Marrow was created as an alternative world that was “inclusive and sensitive and expressive and respectful.” She hopes it will serve as an inviting entry point for those who find dance to be exclusive or intimidating. “The invitation is to feel your own body as an audience member and how your body is listening,” she says, “and understanding the movement as opposed to it being an analytical, critical view.”

Moon Marrow is at 6 pm Friday, Sept. 20, and Saturday, Sept. 21, at The Wildwood, 85780 McBeth Road. Doors open at 5:30 pm. Wear walkable shoes. Audience may be seated or standing. Tickets are $20 and must be purchased in advance on EventBrite.