JCB North America and the Savannah College of Art and Design will be hosting two performances of “Exceptional Transport: duet for a dancer and an excavator,” a unique alternative dance experience featuring the award-winning JCB 100C-1 and a dancer from the acclaimed French dance company Beau Geste.

There will be two 20-minute performances, the first of which will take place on Thursday, February 16, at 5 p.m. at Peachtree Christian Church, 1580 Peachtree St. NE in Atlanta, GA. The second performance will be hosted at the SCAD Museum of Art’s Alex Townsend Memorial Courtyard, 601 Turner Blvd. in Savannah, GA on February 18, at 7:15 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public, presented as part of deFINE ART 2016, an annual series of lectures, exhibitions, receptions and events.

Introduced to the market in 2015, the 100C-1is the largest compact excavator model JCB has introduced to date. It features an H-design undercarriage, steel body panels, a spacious operator environment and a 74-hp JCB Diesel by Kohler engine that does not require a diesel particulate filter to meet Tier 4 Final emissions standards. Weighing in at 21,458 pounds, the 100C-1 can dig up to 15 feet deep, with a dump height of 18 feet, 7 inches and a reach at ground level of 24 feet, 5 inches.

While the heavy-duty 100C-1 typically tackles digging, trenching and demolition projects, the “Exceptional Transport: duet for a dance and an excavator” performance uses the machine in a completely new and unusual way. The 100C-1’s arm will complement that of the human arm, “that takes, pushes away or gently coaxes,” said choreographer Dominique Boivin. The bucket, which scrapes, drills, transports and dumps, is representative of “a human hand that carries, elevates and protects.”

“At JCB, we’re always looking for new opportunities to support education, including the arts in the local communities in which we operate,” states Jennifer Stiansen, Marketing Communications Manager for JCB North America. “By partnering with SCAD to offer these unique dance performances, we’re able to showcase the complexity and precision of our 100C-I excavator, while also allowing it to be viewed from an entirely new perspective.”