It’s two weeks before opening night of Built on Stilts, the annual August dance festival, and five women are working on their routine, bouncing up and down on mini-trampolines.
One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.
The women test the strength of the springs with their palms, then step onto the small, black surfaces, wobbling a bit at the recoil beneath their feet.
Five, six, seven, eight.
The music starts — an intriguing, tuneless beat — and the women begin bouncing up and down in perfect synchronization. The piece is choreographed by Laura Sargent Hall, the lontime director of Kaleidoscope dance, and it will be just one of more than 40 dance numbers being performed over the course of two weekends, from August 6 to August 9, and August 14 to August 17.
This summer marks the 30th anniversary of Built on Stilts, a celebration of dance, creativity and inclusivity started by Abby Bender and Anna Luckey in 1997.
“We were dance majors together at college,” Ms. Bender said. “A couple years after we graduated, we missed dancing.”
From the start, Built on Stilts attracted the attention and support of the Vineyard’s artistic community. Everyone is welcome to participate, from seasoned professionals to young children, and all shows have always been free. The event quickly grew from one night of dancing that first summer to two, then three, and eventually to two weekends of performances.
Still, some things never change.
“It still has that same grassroots nature, even though it’s bigger,” said Ms. Bender.
Audience members can expect a rainbow of dances, Ms. Bender said, since the showcase will include everything from ballet to belly dancing to hip hop.
“We have some things that defy categorization,” she added.
It’s this diversity that Ms. Bender believes truly encapsulates the Vineyard spirit. Ms. Bender will also take the stage with her college dance partner again, as she and Ms. Luckey will perform a duet to honor 30 years of Built on Stilts.
Built on Stilts shines a light on Islanders’ unique differences, Ms. Bender said, but unites them in a sort of “Venn diagram” of artistic passion.
“We all have a shared love of dance and performance, whether we’re 5 years old or 85 years old,” she said.
In fact, returning to childhood is a significant theme of this year’s performance, as a group of women in their 50s will reunite with their old dance teacher, Kathy Constanza, to perform a routine she taught them when they were kids.
For Ms. Bender, nostalgic touches like these make Built on Stilts a living, breathing tradition.
“It sounds like it’s just a community variety show, but it’s actually a lot more than that,” she said. “There’s something about the space, there’s something about the audience, the drum circle, that’s been pretty extraordinary from the beginning.”
Built on Stilts will be in residency at Union Chapel in Oak Bluffs on August 6 to August 9, and August 14 to August 17, with doors opening at 7:30 p.m. A drum circle opens the evening, with dance performances beginning at 8 p.m.
This article appears in July 31, 2026.