Some of the country's most scenic spots, including Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, provide the setting for Monday's episode of PBS' "Great Performances," which spotlights creative interpretations staged by several dance troupes amid the national parks' vistas and grandeur.

It's part of "Dance in America: Wolf Trap's Face of America," which originated with the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in 2000. Since then, a series of events has been staged combining footage filmed at the parks with live performances at Wolf Trap in Vienna, Va.

Walter Rissmeyer, who produced, directed and edited the 90-minute show along with fellow filmmaker Joe Bruncsak, said adapting the project for television gives people a glimpse into the creative process.

That insight, Bruncsak said, makes dance more accessible to a wider audience.

The Halau O Kekuhi traditional hula group at Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park and the U.S. Olympic synchronized swim team at Coral Reef National Monument in the Virgin Islands are featured.

Choreographers at Wright Brothers National Memorial in North Carolina and at three national parks — Yosemite in California, Mammoth Cave in Kentucky and the Virgin Islands — explain the inspiration for their segments.

Performances include aerialists suspended off the side of a cliff, dancers among colonial ruins and synchronized swimmers in the Caribbean.

"We wanted to celebrate the heritage of the national parks through the performing arts," said Terrence Jones, president and CEO of Wolf Trap. Jones hopes the special will help viewers appreciate both the parks and dance in a new light.

"The connection between art and human nature or nature itself is a long-standing connection," he said.