Calling out around the world,
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancin' in the street ...

Dancing in the streets is nothing new in Pittsburgh, where movement can be found at casual block parties or formally staged outdoor festivals. This summer, two companies are adding to Pittsburgh's dance fabric, confounding onlookers as they hit the pavement.

Miller Dance, formerly known as Mary Miller Dance Company, completed a monthlong series of noontime performances in July. Miller, the original professional street dancer in the Pittsburgh arts community, is celebrating her 25th anniversary. She has appeared everywhere, from the Pittsburgh Zoo to spinning through the revolving doors at the Vista (now the Westin Convention Center). But this year she is joined at the curb by the newest kid on the block, Pearlann Porter and her 5-year-old group, The Pillow Project.

The two companies take different approaches to what might be termed "pedestrian" movement, although the directors' ideas took a foothold on the same turf. Miller had been renting rehearsal space from Porter at The Space Upstairs, above Construction Junction in Point Breeze. But it wasn't until recently that the two women discovered they were headed along the same path.

That is where the similarity ends.

Miller looks at "the flow of energy and directions of the pedestrians," trying to "incorporate dance that is larger than life." With the Pillow Project's "Urban Experiment" performances, Porter doesn't want the movement to stand out. She wants her dancers to "connect with the things around them," to take "universal movement" and make onlookers say, "I can do that!"

The biggest difference is the accompaniment, usually a must for dance. Miller brought along accordionist Jerry Jumba and River City Brass Band trombonist Jim Siders to play traditional popular favorites such as "Over the Rainbow" and "She'll Be Comin' 'Round the Mountain" on one Downtown sojourn along Liberty and Sixth avenues, up Fort Duquesne Boulevard, over to Penn Avenue and back to home base at Miller's Wood Street offices.

The night before, Porter and company started across from the Harris Grill on Ellsworth Avenue in Shadyside, just playing off the rhythms created by the traffic. They didn't move far -- just a few feet away -- and settled outside Spin, where jazz artist Elliot Roth was singing.

"I thought they were just hanging out," said onlooker Shari Richards, who later morphed into some spontaneity of her own in a song with her friend Roth. Then, in a normal conversational tone, Porter suggested that they go into the bar and "do a canon -- do it to what Elliot's doing." That set the stage for some reality-based moves inside -- exchanging seats, draping over a railing, ordering a soft drink from the bar -- and Roth didn't miss a note.

Although street dancing always involves the element of surprise, 25 people can suddenly spill out of an office building. Miller, who has been performing professionally since 1968, tried to plan for that in speaking to her seven dancers prior to their outdoor performance.

Her group was given "set" movements that they could embellish and simple pedestrian walks. Miller added, "If you see something interesting pick it up." But at all times they had to be aware of the people in front or behind. "In essence the sidewalk is theirs," she said.

Miller notified police stations about the performances. She also told her dancers that "blocking a doorway might be ticketed" and to "shut down if there are too many people."

Porter figures that her group will get kicked out of a Pittsburgh establishment at some point between now and Nov. 3, when performances end. Between building "invasions," they plan to board a Port Authority bus and look forward to the excitement swirling around the G-20 summit Sept. 24-25.

The Pillow artists are perfecting movements as simple as a shoulder shrug, while Miller views walking as "how it could evolve into turns and lifts." Porter just wants to see "how far you can go without irritating the audience."

They do coordinate on style of dress -- there isn't much to think about. Comfy shoes, usually sneakers, are a must, even for modern dancers who generally go barefoot. And everything is choreographed at a "high" level. The floor work that is so much a part of both choreographers' work is ignored. "There's no give to the concrete," Miller says.

For Miller, this has been a return to her roots. Faced with family health issues, she has been concentrating on Highmark's "Moving for Life!" program, which focuses on special needs populations in facilities such as the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf and North Allegheny School District's Peebles Elementary School. Miller is certified in psychomotor therapy through New York Medical College.

For Porter, it's a whole new world, something that may infuse her work indoors, as the young artist begins to lean toward a more minimal aesthetic.

No matter what direction this movement takes in the streets, it is bound to bewilder and delight, encourage and alienate. And for a moment, onlookers are sure to wonder: Is it real or is it dance?

For more information about The Pillow Project's upcoming events, visit www.pillowproject.org, follow "ThePillow" on Twitter or text the company cell at 412-225-9269 for performance locations.