WHALE DANCE AT THE RANDOLPH COMMUNITY ORCHARD
This sweet little family is one of my wedding couples. I met them shorlty after they got engaged. We have done engagement portraits, their wedding day at Sugarbush Resort and now their first family session at the Randolph Community Orchard. What an incredible honor it have been to watch these two amazing humans grow into amazing parents. Just look at this beautiful happy baby!
What is " Whale Dance"?
Whale Dance is the name of the large whale-tail sculptures by Vermont artist Jim Sardonis.
It’s a striking sculpture of two whale tails rising from the ground as if whales are diving beneath the earth. There are actually two related versions:
- “Reverence” – the original black granite whale tails, now in South Burlington. You’ll see them tangled in twinkle lights thoughout December into January.
- “Whale Dance” – the newer, larger bronze version installed in Randolph near I-89 Exit 4. This is the one these images were taken at.
The idea came from a dream Sardonis had in 1984 where he saw two whales dancing in the surf. He became fascinated by the image of whale tails breaking the surface and wanted to capture that motion and reverence in sculpture. The bronze version was installed in 2019 after Randolph residents wanted the iconic landmark back on that hillside.
A lot of Vermonters casually just call them “the whale tails,” and they’ve become one of those weirdly beloved roadside landmarks—kind of a “you’re almost home” feeling for people driving I-89. I’ve gotten a little teary seeing them after a long stressful trip away. They really do feel like the sculptures at the end of the driveway.
Honestly, for a landlocked state, Vermont is strangely emotionally attached to giant whale tails. And somehow it works.
