Highlighting Our 12th Annual Summer Institute
Alekzeta Cantu
I am a professional mover! I was born in San Antonio, Texas, also named Yanaguana. I began my dance journey by dancing flamenco and folklorico with my family who has been dancing these styles for generations. I have trained in ballet, flamenco, folklorico, contemporary, tap and other dance scores. I trained and performed in Texas until I graduated high school. I participated on scholarship in various ballet summer programs including: Bolshoi Ballet, Ballet Austin, A,erican Ballet Theatre, and LINES. From there I moved to the Bay (Ohlone land) to train with the Alonzo King LINES program. I am finishing up my third year with this program. During my time here I have participated in the creative process of many choreographers as well as created many works of my own. I created a piece called Maggot Brain and have performed this piece using visual projections, dance, and live music around the bay. Outside of LINES I have participated in freelance work including collaborations with poets and spoken word in dance, sound healing and dance and films. Currently I am working on a solo my dear friend created on me. It is a tribute to Osun a goddess that her African family recognizes and my latinx family honors. I am open to all opportunities that are coming.
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We can continue our mission to nurture the next generation of leaders in the arts through a donation to Dancing Earth. Your generosity will help us to continue offering life-changing programs like the Summer Institute and create a more equitable and sustainable world through the power of dance.
Dancing Earth self produces and collaborates with partners for:
*Dance programming for youth
*Cultivating Artist Leadership : mentoring in arts management
*Seasonal Institutes for Dancing Earth intensive movement training
*Restoring the Source Retreats Cultural Exchanges
*Creation of original Dance works, with costumes, music, video projection, visual art design and construction with sets and props
*Cinematic Movement : Dance on Film
*Choreography commissioned by schools, companies or collaborators
*Interdisciplinary gatherings and festivals
About Dancing Earth
Dancing Earth Creations dynamically activates our mission, to create contemporary dance and related arts through global indigenous and intercultural relationships centered in ecological and cultural diversity for creativity, health, and wellness.
Founded by Artistic Director Rulan Tangen, to serve a need rarely met in the USA, DEC gives hope and opportunity to Native, mixed, global Indigenous and BIPOC talent who have been largely outside the dialogue of mainstream performance because of lack of access. DEC is an organic constellation of largely self-taught dancers, composers, costumers, filmmakers, and spoken word artists.
Together, DEC artists work with community members, culture carriers, and inter-cultural elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and relationship building, by collaborating on innovative ecologically themed performances. DEC's work promotes environmental awareness, cultural diversity, and understanding between peoples through contemporary arts expressions.
“We gather as individual artists to create experimental yet elemental dances that reflect our rich cultural heritage as contemporary global peoples. We strive to embody the unique essences of cultural perspectives by creation and renewal of artistic and cultural movement rituals. Ancient and futuristic, our dances are an elemental language of bone and blood memory in motion.” - Founding Director, Rulan Tangen