STEEL VALLEY RHYTHMS (SVR) is an ongoing project that uses sound and movement to explore Western Pennsylvania’s deep connections to the iron and steel industries. Inspired by visits to the historic Carrie Blast Furnaces just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, SVR combines percussive dance, music, projected images, video, and recorded oral histories to create a kinesthetic gallery that connects the audience to the environment and to the region’s history. The juxtaposition of archival materials (photographs, newsreel footage, and music) alongside present day imagery and contemporary movement invites the audience to draw connections between past and present, while challenging perceived boundaries between labor and art.