From Sept. 21-22, more than 6,000 people gathered in the shadow of Austin’s Decker Power Plant to watch “PowerUP”— a performance featuring the employees and machinery of Austin Energy.

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PowerUP showcased 50-plus linemen, electrical technicians, and Austin Energy employees in a choreographed 90-minute dance with bucket trucks, cranes and field trucks, and a set of 20 utility poles performed to an original score by Graham Reynolds and accompanied by a string orchestra led by Austin Symphony Conductor Peter Bay featuring "digital violin" soloist Todd Reynolds.

Artistic Director Allison Orr and her team, including Production Designer Stephen Pruitt and fellow choreographer Krissie Marty, shadowed and got to know these employees for over three years.

Their goal was to help provide the citizens of Austin a deeper understanding of and appreciation for the work of these technicians and linemen who do whatever it takes, in all kinds of weather and at great personal risk, “to make sure you and I can turn the lights on every day,” Orr stated on the Forklift Danceworks website.

The performance was covered by several local media outlets, including the Austin Chronicle and Austin Business Journal. Full coverage and reviews can be found on the Forklift Danceworks website.