Cultural Engagement
HISTORY
Dancing Earth emerges from our Director’s decades of dance work with Native youth across the country. Some of our company members were 8 year olds when first meeting Rulan at a powwow, or workshop on their reservation. In the spirit of continual reciprocity are always returning to the communities, to share our gifts and to inspire healthy living and cultural pride in remote rural areas as well as urban settings, to receive cultural mentorship about what are the most relevant themes and stories to share through our performances, and to recruit and cultivate the next generation of Dancing Earth cultural artistic collaborators.
PRACTICES
Dancing Earth respectfully engages in cultural protocols, land acknowledgement, and meaningful relationship building with original people on homelands to which we are invited. This has been transformative for many of the places we have visited, renewing relationships of Abenaki with Middlebury College in Vermont, Piscataway at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and collaboration with Ohlone Corrina Gould for project at UC Berkeley. We look forward to continued relationship building. Dancing Earth is committed not only to creating danceworks with eco-cultural themes, but also production practices that are rooted in eco-sustainability, which have included bike powered sound systems, passive solar and LED lighting, repurposed or organic materials for props and costumes, bio-diesel tour bus, locally grown foods. Our cultural artistic work in intended to honor and explore global indigenous diversity and solidarity, nourish body mind spirit and emotions individual and community, heal historical trauma through creative renewal. We are rooted in respect, reciprocity, relationship, and responsibility, to move collectively towards remembering, reimagining, renewal, revitalization, and regeneration.
Year Round Dance Training
Dancing Earth artists lead cultural art education with year round dance training initiatives in California and New Mexico.
California
Cuicacalli Escuela de Danza at the Brava Theater in San Francisco, CA led by Dancing Earth longtime company artist educator and former “Danza Del Venado” soloist of Ballet Folklorico de Mexico, Jesus “Jacoh” Cortes.. Every June, Cuicacalli also hosts a youth Summer Music and Dance Camp co led by music teacher Ariane Estrada Cortes , and the students went on their first cultural exchange performance tour of New Mexico in 2018, which included performances for Moving Arts Espanola. www.cuicacallisf.com.
New Mexico
Cultural Creative Movement, led by Dancing Earth longtime company artist/educator Deollo Johnson, as developed for Keres Montessori of Cochiti Pueblo, for Keres speaking students.
Workshops
Throughout the year, Dancing Earth also offers cultural arts workshops for youth through adult, dancers and non dancers, Native communities and beyond.
We have brought these master classes and workshops to educational settings (K-12, college, and grad school level), conferences, cultural gatherings, festivals, throughout the Southwest, California, and as invited by host communities, which have ranged across 18 states and 8 countries.
Indigenous Workshops
Dancing Earth been honored with invitations to sites including Zuni, Gallup, Dulce, Pojoaque Pueblo, Santa Fe Indian School, Salt River Pima Maricopa reservation, Four Corners area elementary schools, Ronan Montana School District, Point Arena Pomo reservation, as well as long term relationships with seasonal returns to communities including Native Wellness Institute youth gatherings, UC Riverside, Cal State East Bay, Sherman Indian School, Seventh Native American Generation, The Nest, Ohkay Owingeh Elementary School, Moving Arts Espanola, Institute of American Indian Arts, UC Berkeley, Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado.
Indigenous Contemporary Dance, HipHop, Powwow, Martial Arts, Music-Making, Creative Writing and Spoken Word Poetry, Eco-Fashion/Costume Design, Movement for Language Renewal, Indigenous food and fitness, Meditation.
Youth Work
Dancing Earth collaborates with various organizations serving Native Youth across the country. Using Dancing Earth’s teaching methodology, youth experience opportunity to engage in their own cultural storytelling through dance, movement, theatrical performance, music, song and Indigenous language.
“Jariah was 3 years old at the time he saw your dance on the impact of trash in the waters. He saw your dress and the features on your face and the heaviness of your gait and it had such an impact on him that when we are at any water source, he will make sure he picks up trash or has an adult pick it up because he doesn't want to hurt "Mama Ocean". He says, "She already has a lot of trash to carry, she doesn't need anymore." —Teri, mother and director of Title 7 Native Youth Educational Programming in Durango, CO.
Community Dance Workshops
Movement and dance workshops open to community members taught in various locations. Participants will learn movement through Dancing Earth methodology, incorporating somatic movement methods, individualized cultural movement storytelling. Visit our EVENTS page to see our upcoming classes.