ABOUT Between Underground & Skyworld, 2022

Dancing Earth’s Between Underground & Skyworld brings to the stage a compelling story of dynamic young people struggling through the Apocalyptic present, with resilience and humor, as they survive the end of one world and dream in a futureworld of balance, harmony, connection and renewal. Storytelling takes infinite forms with this family friendly narrative with energetic expressive forms becoming poetic and dreamlike, as told through dance, dialogue, song, striking media projections of the Southwest, and unforgettable eco-innovative set design, costumes, handheld lanterns and shadow puppets - all created by intercultural collaborators and visionaries of the future!

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 Native elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and intra-cultural 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

Dancing Earth is respectfully based in Ogaa Po Ogeh – occupied Tewa territory known as Santa Fe, NM and Yelamu – occupied Ohlone territory known as San Francisco, CA and are honored to bring this production here to homelands of the Ute people: we are honored that this new work emerges from land and sky that has been danced and sung into renewal by First Nations people of the Southwest since the beginning of time, and this vision includes contributions of respected and beloved cultural community members.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES, Fall Tour 2022

Rulan Tangen
Dancing Earth Founder & Artistic Director / Choreographer

Rulan Tangen Dancing Earth Founder and Artistic Director / Choreographer (Kampampangan and Pangasinan of Luzon Island in Pacific aka Philippines, and Norwegian): Rulan Tangen's work explores movement as an evolving language of global Indigenous and inter-cultural relation building, rooted in inclusion of diverse cosmologies from her own experience and those of the artists with whom she co-creates. Her contemporary dance practice strives to serve as a functional ritual for transformation and healing, integrating concurrent universes of ancient futurities in the moment, expressing energetic connection with all relations – human and beyond. As Founding Artistic Director/Choreographer of DANCING EARTH, she has passionately cultivated successive generations of global Indigenous contemporary performing artists as cultural ambassadors and conduits for social change She is recipient of 2018-19 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist award for Service, Justice, Freedom, Courage, and Gratitude and is grateful for all that roots her, for the dreaming and doing of Dancing Earth: moving the world into renewal.

Angel Guanajuato

Coming soon…

Deirdre Morris
Tech Director

Holds a masters from UC Davis and is an international performing artist, producer, dramaturge, activist, and educator. Her practice spans theatrical forms that focus on spectacle based physical theater, contemplative movement based performance and site specific installations.

Elaine Talamaivao
CALIFA Community Organizer and On Site Opening Ceremony Director 

My name is Elaine Talamaivao (She/Her) I currently live, dance and provide community outreach on Cahuilla and Tongva land. Through my love of dance, I provide community opportunities for youth to share in the ancient art of storytelling through dances and languages of my ancestors stretching from Aotearoa, Samoa and Hawaii. I am working as Community Organizer for the new and incredible California project to nourish our intercultural communities in this challenging year; Dancing Earth’s Califa: RE-SToring the Source Retreat. 

Esmé Olivia
Performing Artist, Teaching Artist, and Rehearsal Director

Esmé Olivia grew up in traditional Tiwa Pueblo lands known as Albuquerque, NM to a Mestiza Mexican-American mother and Dutch-Jewish father. Her blood is a peace treaty she honors through prayers of dance, poetry and song. After competing on the 2005 National Poetry Slam Champion team, she received her BA from Hampshire College in multi-disciplinary performance and arts-based education. She has worked as an artist educator with many groups in New Mexico and beyond, including the New Mexico School for the Arts and the Institute of American Indian Arts. Esmé has participated as a movement, theatre, music and teaching artist in the constellation of Dancing Earth since 2017. She lives on the Big Island of Hawai’i and in Jicarilla Apache, Pueblo and Ute terrain with her partner, where they expand on how music, dance and storytelling may seed new culture. Learn more at EsmeOlivia.com. Esme’s Dance shot by Karla Flores for Dancing Earth.

Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales
CALIFA Retreat Leader, Performing Artist, Teaching Artist

Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales is a Queer Brown Chicano male-identifying body native to the South Valley of ABQ, NM, unceded Tiwa territory. Gabriel has the resources to trace his maternal lineage to Guadalupe Hildago, MX, and Hatch, NM. His paternal lineage to Cabazone Peak, NM and Bernalillo, NM. Gabriel has spent 14 years of his 24 years of life on this Earth discovering himself as a dancer/mover/artist. Through this journey, he has learned much about light, love, body positivity, and encouraging others and himself to exist in their highest form possibly through dance and the arts.

Gabriel began his dance training in the 3rd grade at Navajo Elementary with the National Dance Institute of New Mexico's outreach program, he continued with this program 8th grade where he transitioned to study with the New Mexico Ballet Company and other local dance schools. Gabriel decided to move to Pennsylvania to study classical ballet at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet for 2.5 years. He returned to New Mexico to study psychology at the University of New Mexico. Following graduation, Gabriel accepted a position with AmeriCorp working at the National Hispanic Cultural Center before transitioning to working as a residency artistic associate with the National Dance Institute of New Mexico!

Gabriel has been a part of two national artistic administration leadership cohorts (Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training mentee 2020-2021 and David Herrera Performing Companies LatinXtensions mentee 2021-2022). Gabriel serves Dancing Earth not only as an artist but also as an Executive Producer and Intercultural Impact Partner for the CALIFA Project umbrellaed under DE.

Justin Giehm
Performing Artist and Teaching Artist

Justin Giehm is a dancer, model, and aspiring actor based in Colorado, of Navajo, German and mixed heritage. At a young age, Justin began dancing by teaching himself from YouTube and later went on to teach various styles of dance, including hip hop. He became a member of Dancing Earth in 2014, joining the Summer Institute and a show called SEED with 60 community members in the Four Corners area. Later touring with Seeds Re Generation to Canada, Guahan and O’odham and Ute territories in the US, including performances at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts and Ordway Theater. His work with Dancing Earth lead to being casted in TV series Jamestown which filmed in Europe, and in ‘Dr. Atomic’ with director Peter Sellars at Santa Fe Opera. In October 2019 and January 2020 he performed in Dancing Earth’s latest work Between Underground & Skyworld in Yelamu/San Francisco and ASU Gammage Tempe/Phoenix.

Raven Bright
Performing Artist, Teaching Artist, Social Media Intern, and Storage Master

Raven Bright is a NM based artist with 15 years of background Raven Ilm Bright, of Navajo and Anglo heritage from Gallup, New Mexico, traces his roots not only from the blood of his families, but also from the heart and soul of the HipHop and Indigenous contemporary dance communities of which he is a part. From Gallup’s Foundations of Freedom crew, he then achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Fort Lewis College. Subsequently he was selected for a full scholarship for Dancing Earth’s Summer Institute, and has been a collaborating artist on the creation of Between Underground & SkyWorld. He toured with the company to Arizona and San Francisco, as well as the company’s 2019 invitation to the Kennedy Center with the production of SEEDS REGENERATION. In 2020 he was the dance champion of the acclaimed Breaking Hearts event. When the pandemic canceled Dancing Earth’s 2020 performances, Raven has been contributing to the well-being of his community as an essential worker - for which we thank him- and we all appreciate that he can offer this dance class to Poeh to inspire others, and return him once a week to his purpose as a multi-disciplinary teaching artist. Besides his passion for dancing and visual art, Raven is also a dedicated teacher of dance, giving back to his community with workshops for Santa Fe Indian School, Navajo Prep, and six years teaching experience at Gallup’s Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio. This year, Raven is featured in the Albuquerque installment of the public television series “If Cities Could Dance,” and Covid response of dancers in unity.

Sarah Hogland-Gurule
Performing Artist, Teaching Artist , Grantwriter, and Choreographer for upcoming project

Sarah Hogland-Gurulé (she/they) is a Xicana living in Tiwa land, her ancestral homeland known as Albuquerque, NM. She is a dance artist and educator guided by the belief that dance is a form of embodied healing, remembrance and visioning; all essential tools for collective liberation. Sarah began her dance training at Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts and continued training as a pre-professional at the University of New Mexico, where she received a bachelor of arts in contemporary dance (summa cum laude) and conservation biology (magna cum laude). She has performed with MALACARNE, Pat Graney Company and CHERDONNA (Seattle, WA) in addition to Lawine Torrèn (Austria) and Yeztli Danza y Arte (Albuquerque, NM). Her solo work has been presented by the American Dance Festival’s Emerging Choreographer’s Showcase, Seattle’s Next Fest New Works, Seattle People of Color Arts Salon, Isis Women Arts and the University of New Mexico. Sarah also teaches dance to incarcerated youth and women, as well as locally in the community. She has also been a contracted artist through the City of Albuquerque as part of their inaugural CityMakers program and an artist in residence at Explora Children’s Museum. She performs regularly with Meow Wolf Santa Fe and is broadening her movement curiosities to pole dance, house dance and popping.

Dancing Earth STAFF

CO-FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Rulan Tangen

EXECUTIVE & SOUTHWEST IMPACT PRODUCER: Angel Guanajuato

EXECUTIVE & CALIFA INTERCULTURAL IMPACT PRODUCER: Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales

MARKETING DIRECTOR: Samara Smith

BOOKKEEPER: Barbara Ortega

GRANT CONSULTANT: Elizabeth Cameron

OPERATIONS CONSULTANT: Paulo Rocha-Tavares

TECH DIRECTOR: Deirdre Morris

CALIFA COMMUNITY ORGANIZER: Elaine Talamaivao

ABOUT Between Underground & Skyworld, 2022

Dancing Earth’s Between Underground & Skyworld brings to the stage a compelling story of dynamic young people struggling through the Apocalyptic present, with resilience and humor, as they survive the end of one world and dream in a futureworld of balance, harmony, connection and renewal. Storytelling takes infinite forms with this family friendly narrative with energetic expressive forms becoming poetic and dreamlike, as told through dance, dialogue, song, striking media projections of the Southwest, and unforgettable eco-innovative set design, costumes, handheld lanterns and shadow puppets - all created by intercultural collaborators and visionaries of the future!

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 Native elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and intra-cultural 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

Dancing Earth is respectfully based in Ogaa Po Ogeh – occupied Tewa territory known as Santa Fe, NM and Yelamu – occupied Ohlone territory known as San Francisco, CA and are honored to bring this production here to homelands of the Ute people: we are honored that this new work emerges from land and sky that has been danced and sung into renewal by First Nations people of the Southwest since the beginning of time, and this vision includes contributions of respected and beloved cultural community members.

CAST BIOGRAPHIES, Fall Tour 2022

Rulan Tangen
Dancing Earth Founder & Artistic Director / Choreographer

Rulan Tangen Dancing Earth Founder and Artistic Director / Choreographer (Kampampangan and Pangasinan of Luzon Island in Pacific aka Philippines, and Norwegian): Rulan Tangen's work explores movement as an evolving language of global Indigenous and inter-cultural relation building, rooted in inclusion of diverse cosmologies from her own experience and those of the artists with whom she co-creates. Her contemporary dance practice strives to serve as a functional ritual for transformation and healing, integrating concurrent universes of ancient futurities in the moment, expressing energetic connection with all relations – human and beyond. As Founding Artistic Director/Choreographer of DANCING EARTH, she has passionately cultivated successive generations of global Indigenous contemporary performing artists as cultural ambassadors and conduits for social change She is recipient of 2018-19 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist award for Service, Justice, Freedom, Courage, and Gratitude and is grateful for all that roots her, for the dreaming and doing of Dancing Earth: moving the world into renewal.

Angel Guanajuato

Coming soon…

Deirdre Morris
Tech Director

Holds a masters from UC Davis and is an international performing artist, producer, dramaturge, activist, and educator. Her practice spans theatrical forms that focus on spectacle based physical theater, contemplative movement based performance and site specific installations.

Elaine Talamaivao
CALIFA Community Organizer and On Site Opening Ceremony Director 

My name is Elaine Talamaivao (She/Her) I currently live, dance and provide community outreach on Cahuilla and Tongva land. Through my love of dance, I provide community opportunities for youth to share in the ancient art of storytelling through dances and languages of my ancestors stretching from Aotearoa, Samoa and Hawaii. I am working as Community Organizer for the new and incredible California project to nourish our intercultural communities in this challenging year; Dancing Earth’s Califa: RE-SToring the Source Retreat. 

Esmé Olivia
Performing Artist, Teaching Artist, and Rehearsal Director

Esmé Olivia grew up in traditional Tiwa Pueblo lands known as Albuquerque, NM to a Mestiza Mexican-American mother and Dutch-Jewish father. Her blood is a peace treaty she honors through prayers of dance, poetry and song. After competing on the 2005 National Poetry Slam Champion team, she received her BA from Hampshire College in multi-disciplinary performance and arts-based education. She has worked as an artist educator with many groups in New Mexico and beyond, including the New Mexico School for the Arts and the Institute of American Indian Arts. Esmé has participated as a movement, theatre, music and teaching artist in the constellation of Dancing Earth since 2017. She lives on the Big Island of Hawai’i and in Jicarilla Apache, Pueblo and Ute terrain with her partner, where they expand on how music, dance and storytelling may seed new culture. Learn more at EsmeOlivia.com. Esme’s Dance shot by Karla Flores for Dancing Earth.

Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales
CALIFA Retreat Leader, Performing Artist, Teaching Artist

Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales is a Queer Brown Chicano male-identifying body native to the South Valley of ABQ, NM, unceded Tiwa territory. Gabriel has the resources to trace his maternal lineage to Guadalupe Hildago, MX, and Hatch, NM. His paternal lineage to Cabazone Peak, NM and Bernalillo, NM. Gabriel has spent 14 years of his 24 years of life on this Earth discovering himself as a dancer/mover/artist. Through this journey, he has learned much about light, love, body positivity, and encouraging others and himself to exist in their highest form possibly through dance and the arts.

Gabriel began his dance training in the 3rd grade at Navajo Elementary with the National Dance Institute of New Mexico's outreach program, he continued with this program 8th grade where he transitioned to study with the New Mexico Ballet Company and other local dance schools. Gabriel decided to move to Pennsylvania to study classical ballet at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet for 2.5 years. He returned to New Mexico to study psychology at the University of New Mexico. Following graduation, Gabriel accepted a position with AmeriCorp working at the National Hispanic Cultural Center before transitioning to working as a residency artistic associate with the National Dance Institute of New Mexico!

Gabriel has been a part of two national artistic administration leadership cohorts (Dance/USA Institute for Leadership Training mentee 2020-2021 and David Herrera Performing Companies LatinXtensions mentee 2021-2022). Gabriel serves Dancing Earth not only as an artist but also as an Executive Producer and Intercultural Impact Partner for the CALIFA Project umbrellaed under DE.

Justin Giehm
Performing Artist and Teaching Artist

Justin Giehm is a dancer, model, and aspiring actor based in Colorado, of Navajo, German and mixed heritage. At a young age, Justin began dancing by teaching himself from YouTube and later went on to teach various styles of dance, including hip hop. He became a member of Dancing Earth in 2014, joining the Summer Institute and a show called SEED with 60 community members in the Four Corners area. Later touring with Seeds Re Generation to Canada, Guahan and O’odham and Ute territories in the US, including performances at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts and Ordway Theater. His work with Dancing Earth lead to being casted in TV series Jamestown which filmed in Europe, and in ‘Dr. Atomic’ with director Peter Sellars at Santa Fe Opera. In October 2019 and January 2020 he performed in Dancing Earth’s latest work Between Underground & Skyworld in Yelamu/San Francisco and ASU Gammage Tempe/Phoenix.

Raven Bright
Performing Artist, Teaching Artist, Social Media Intern, and Storage Master

Raven Bright is a NM based artist with 15 years of background Raven Ilm Bright, of Navajo and Anglo heritage from Gallup, New Mexico, traces his roots not only from the blood of his families, but also from the heart and soul of the HipHop and Indigenous contemporary dance communities of which he is a part. From Gallup’s Foundations of Freedom crew, he then achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Fort Lewis College. Subsequently he was selected for a full scholarship for Dancing Earth’s Summer Institute, and has been a collaborating artist on the creation of Between Underground & SkyWorld. He toured with the company to Arizona and San Francisco, as well as the company’s 2019 invitation to the Kennedy Center with the production of SEEDS REGENERATION. In 2020 he was the dance champion of the acclaimed Breaking Hearts event. When the pandemic canceled Dancing Earth’s 2020 performances, Raven has been contributing to the well-being of his community as an essential worker - for which we thank him- and we all appreciate that he can offer this dance class to Poeh to inspire others, and return him once a week to his purpose as a multi-disciplinary teaching artist. Besides his passion for dancing and visual art, Raven is also a dedicated teacher of dance, giving back to his community with workshops for Santa Fe Indian School, Navajo Prep, and six years teaching experience at Gallup’s Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio. This year, Raven is featured in the Albuquerque installment of the public television series “If Cities Could Dance,” and Covid response of dancers in unity.

Sarah Hogland-Gurule
Performing Artist, Teaching Artist , Grantwriter, and Choreographer for upcoming project

Sarah Hogland-Gurulé (she/they) is a Xicana living in Tiwa land, her ancestral homeland known as Albuquerque, NM. She is a dance artist and educator guided by the belief that dance is a form of embodied healing, remembrance and visioning; all essential tools for collective liberation. Sarah began her dance training at Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts and continued training as a pre-professional at the University of New Mexico, where she received a bachelor of arts in contemporary dance (summa cum laude) and conservation biology (magna cum laude). She has performed with MALACARNE, Pat Graney Company and CHERDONNA (Seattle, WA) in addition to Lawine Torrèn (Austria) and Yeztli Danza y Arte (Albuquerque, NM). Her solo work has been presented by the American Dance Festival’s Emerging Choreographer’s Showcase, Seattle’s Next Fest New Works, Seattle People of Color Arts Salon, Isis Women Arts and the University of New Mexico. Sarah also teaches dance to incarcerated youth and women, as well as locally in the community. She has also been a contracted artist through the City of Albuquerque as part of their inaugural CityMakers program and an artist in residence at Explora Children’s Museum. She performs regularly with Meow Wolf Santa Fe and is broadening her movement curiosities to pole dance, house dance and popping.

Dancing Earth STAFF

CO-FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR: Rulan Tangen

EXECUTIVE & SOUTHWEST IMPACT PRODUCER: Angel Guanajuato

EXECUTIVE & CALIFA INTERCULTURAL IMPACT PRODUCER: Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales

MARKETING DIRECTOR: Samara Smith

BOOKKEEPER: Barbara Ortega

GRANT CONSULTANT: Elizabeth Cameron

OPERATIONS CONSULTANT: Paulo Rocha-Tavares

TECH DIRECTOR: Deirdre Morris

CALIFA COMMUNITY ORGANIZER: Elaine Talamaivao

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 Native elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and intra-cultural 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

• Meet the intercultural, innovative, interdisciplinary artist-leaders;

• Engage in creative conversation about current performance intention, process, and inspiration;

• Experience some of the choreography performed by the artists;

• Enjoy movement practices that have evolved from the process;

• Collaborate in a future community creative visioning practice; All attendees can receive a discount code to upcoming performances at Presidio Theater Sept 24th @7pm and 25th @ 2pm.

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 Native elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and intra-cultural 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

Roberto Fatal Bio

Roberto Fatal is a filmmaker and storyteller. They come from Rarámuri, Tewa Pueblo, Ute, and Spanish ancestors and Mexican-American culture. Their Queer, gender fluid, Mestize/Mixed identity informs the sci-fi, apocalyptic films they make. Their work centers on humans who sit at the intersections of time, space and culture. From this unique vantage point, these characters can bridge divides, see all sides, find new paths forward and recall multiple histories long forgotten. The mixed people of Fatal’s stories can connect us deeply to an undercurrent of humanity that we often overlook in a world that is increasingly divided. Survival, intersectional identity, perseverance, love, empathy, community, connection and creation are at the heart of their characters and films. Fatal is a Sundance Indigenous Film Fellow and an Imagine Native Director's Lab feature film fellow. Their debut feature script, ELECTRIC HOMIES, was selected by GLAAD x The Black List as one of the best unproduced screenplays of 2022.

J. Andrea Amezcua Porras Bio

J. Andrea Amezcua Porras is a Queer, TwoSpirit Coahuiltecan /ChicanIndia, Mother, Culture Bearer, Intersectional Artist/ practitioner, curator and producer with over 25 years of experience in performance, organizing, facilitation, grant making/reviewing, philanthropy. They currently Freelance with individual artists on independent projects. They also CoVision as a consultant with the SF African American Art and Culture Complex Porras respectfully migrates /resides between Yelamu and Nisenan Territories (San Francisco /Sacramento CA.) Porras received a B.A. in Theatre /Dance with a focus on Cultural Anthropology from Sacramento State University.  They also represented CSUS recruiting hundreds of first generation students from area high schools, and was a Peer Teaching Mentor in Ethnic, Theatre, Cultural Anthropology and Dance through the Education Opportunity Program. Porras has also studied, taught and performed as an Afro- Modern and Danza Mexika traditional dancer, predominantly co creating in ceremonia and performance spaces alike across California, and later in Mexico, Cuba Africa and NY. Porras recently transitioned out of their 5 tenure as Grants Art Specialist for the California Arts Council, where they managed a portfolio totaling approximately $7 million in funding year after year.   They co-founded both Movimiento Molcajete (1997) Contemporary Indigenous Teatro & MA Series Arts (2018), a  501c3 non-profit which serves as an incubator platform for BIPOC artists — prioritizing women, Queers of color and Trans Familia.

Jennifer Koreny Bio

After working in the tech space Jenny pivoted to pursue her passion, a career in scripted TV. She’s worked in production and for the producers of Parks and Recreation, The Muppets, Will & Grace, Criminal Minds and Dave. Most recently she worked on The Mapleworth Murders as Script Coordinator with SNL & 30 Rock writers. She produced work shown at the Cannes Emerging Filmmakers Pavillion, Lincoln Center, IFC House at SXSW and was an audience award winner at Outfest. She's an advocate for filmmakers & artists utilization of Web3 and is an alum of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Her photography has exhibited at galleries in New York & LA.

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 Native elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and intra-cultural 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

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 Native elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and intra-cultural 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

Co-Sponsored By Dancing Earth : DIVINE IN I: Cultural Experience Festival

Date: Saturday, September 10th, 2022

Divine in i, an intercultural community arts festival honoring the Divine Spirit within, celebrating The Divine Coloring Book, inspired by folklore and spirituality from Haiti, Brazil and the Philippines. Produced by Christine Joy Amagan Ferrer a.k.a Tineltinejoy Creator, Author & Designer of The Divine Coloring Book.

“Let's tap into the Divine within, to see the Divine in each other and connect with the Divine in ALL things around us. As we flow with this sacred intention and reverence on the daily, it will be a LIT spiritual journey towards healing, radical expansion, elevation and deeper love. It's time to revel in Divine Love with all our heart, soul and mind.” - Christine Joy Amagan Ferrer (a.k.a. Tinejoy), Creator, Author and Designer of The Divine Coloring Book

Time: 12:30pm-6:30pm PST

BIO 

Meet Christine Joy Amagan Ferrer, @tinejoy, Divine in i, Event Producer, Dancing Earth Restoring The Source and Nourishing The Source CALIFA honoree, creator, author and designer of The Divine Coloring Book.

Tine is a multidisciplinary creative soul from San Francisco. A jack of all trades, but a master of nothing but herself. She is a curator of sacred wellness, a cultural arts practitioner and healing arts facilitator.

Rooted in Philippine, Haitian and Afro-Brazilian folkloric music and dance. Spirituality, folklore, indigenous art forms and rhythms across diasporas, of Spirit ground her. By day, she has been empowering youth through movement arts for over a decade. By night, she is also a freelance designer and media producer. She delivers solutions for community organizations and individuals acting for the greater collective. Through visual, written and embodied storytelling, she uses movement, media and design to help the people tell their stories.

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.

“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

Dancing Earth: Self Care Sunday w/ Elaine Talamaimoana

Date: Sunday, September 28, 2022

Join us this Sunday, 8/28, 10am PST for a special Self Care Sunday to kick off our fall tour festival events with CALIFA leader, community organizer, Elaine Talamaivao, @Tala Mai Moana on IG Live. Take time to practice ways to destress in your everyday life, learn different modes to raise your energy and come back to a deeper sense of self.

Time: 10-11 am PST

BIO 

Dancing Earth's Elaine Talamaivao, @talamaimoana , community leader, Pacific Island dancer, choreographer, film maker/producer, community organizer for our CALIFA Honorees. Elaine Talamaivao is a Polynesian dancer, teacher and lover of all cultures and dance forms. Her introduction to Polynesian dance started at her father’s practices in Mulivai Samoa, while he prepared with the Samoan Dance Theatre for their South Pacific and European tours. She would leave Samoa and migrate to Aotearoa, New Zealand, to live with her grandparents, where the Fa’a Samoa traditions were practiced thoroughly in their home.

Eventually, her love for culture took her to lead the Polynesian and Kapa Haka Clubs for Tawa and St Mary’s College, where both High Schools became game changers and power houses among the local High School Poly Festivals in the capital city, Wellington. Her popularity grew in the way she taught both the youth and adults.

Through workshops at Whitireia Polytechnic, she was able to collaborate and learn from Porirua’s leading choreographers and artists. This experience opened a curiosity into the interweaving of contemporary Māori and Pasefika dance styles and traditions. Her love for dance and storytelling eventually led her to the United States to further her education. Though she had moved to three different nations, several things remained constant — her love for culture and dance, but even more so, her love to teach others about the dances and languages from the South Pacific. In her education, Elaine received degrees from both Riverside Community College and the University of California, Riverside.

She continued to collaborate with other filmmakers and choreographers of indigenous dance – growing many relationships in the national and international storytelling world. Elaine has an extensive professional background in the arts. While employed for the City of Riverside, Elaine created the Riverside Arts Academy’s curriculum and schedule. RAA is a grant-funded program that serves the underrepresented in Riverside’s East Side. Under Elaine’s guidance, the program went on to be recognized by the State of California – California Parks and Recreation Services for Cultural Diversity as well as the founding team that assisted with the Academy’s affiliation with The Harmony Project.

Elaine has also performed as a guest at various indigenous forums, including at UCLA, UC Riverside, and the Culver Center. She currently continues to work with the academic community at the University of Redlands. Elaine’s passion in teaching Polynesian culture has stayed constant, as she has watched the growth and success of Tala Mai Moana, @talmaimoana To date, TMM has performed both around the United States and internationally. TMM has now expanded within the City of Riverside to provide Summer Day Camps, workshops and virtual classes that are dedicated to teaching the Polynesian culture to Riverside’s under-served youth, as well as continuing community growth among several homeschooling academies and non-profit leadership organizations. Elaine continues to strive in providing easily accessible Polynesian cultural classes to all.

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.

“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

A Special Evening With Dancing Earth

at Acequia Madre House

Date: Monday July 18, 2022

Location: Acequia Madre House

 Acequia Madre House

   614 Acequia Madre

   Santa Fe, NM 87505

Time: 6:00 - 8:00pm MT

You are cordially invited to join us July 18th, 2022 for a special evening with Dancing Earth, Sponsors and Friends for an invite only celebration.

Come celebrate with us and experience a site-immersive ritual to commemorate our 11th Summer Institute and hear about our exciting upcoming projects! Come enjoy refreshments, support our art auction, meet the creative circle of 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.

“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

Dancing Earth: Summer Works In Progress

Black Box Theater

for the International Museum of Dance: Moving Southwest Festival

Date: Saturday July 16th, 2022

Location: New Mexico School Of The Arts

 New Mexico School Of The Arts

   500 Montezuma Ave

   Santa Fe, NM 87501

Time: 7:00-8:30pm MT

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.

“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

Dancing Earth Presents: Summer Institute

Solo Work Excerpts

Date: July 14th, 2022

Location: Black Cat Cultural Center

 Black Cat Cultural Center

   3011 Monte Vista Blvd NE

Albuquerque, NM 87106  

Time: 2:30-3:45 pm MT

            Join us for a special live performance of solo work excerpts with dialogue from creators about inspiration and process.

Celebrating Dancing Earth Summer Institute

Dancing Earth Summer Institute 2022 marks our eleventh Summer Institute, which is a powerful incubator of leadership emphasizing intensive cultural practice for emerging global Indigenous artist-leaders. Participants from around the globe are selected for their outstanding potential for cultural renewal and education through the arts. We come together creatively, culturally, and collaboratively with a focus to co-create space through exchange of cultural knowledge, practices, and instruction.

DANCING EARTH CREATIONS dynamically activates our mission, to create contemporary dance and related arts through mixed , global indigenous and intercultural relationships centered in ecological and cultural diversity for creativity, health, and wellness.

“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

Dancing Earth: Diversity In Motion

Embodied Landscape

with Esmé Olivia for the International Museum of Dance: Moving Southwest Festival

Date: Friday July 8, 2022

Location: New Mexico School Of The Arts

 New Mexico School Of The Arts

   500 Montezuma Ave

   Santa Fe, NM 87501

Time: 12:00-1:00pm MT

Class Description

Through writing, drawing, and kinetic imagination, tune into the landscapes within and without to re-member qualities that bring nourishment and support. Move and let your body move you to create a sequence of movement that honors and activates connections to the resonant allies that surround you. Respond to other movers in the space with curiosity and presence to create a collaborative geography.

BIO 

Esmé Olivia grew up in traditional Tiwa Pueblo lands known as Albuquerque, NM to a Mestiza Mexican-American mother and Dutch-Jewish father. Her blood is a peace treaty she honors through prayers of dance, poetry and song.

After competing on the 2005 National Poetry Slam Champion team, Esmé received her BA from Hampshire College in multi-disciplinary performance and arts-based education. Esmé has worked as an artist educator with many groups in New Mexico and beyond, from kindergarten to university.

Esmé is a part of the constellation called Dancing Earth Creations, participating as a movement, theatre, music and teaching artist since 2017. She lives on the Big Island of Hawai’i and in Jicarilla Apache, Pueblo and Ute terrain with her partner, where they expand on how music, dance and storytelling may seed new culture. Learn more at EsmeOlivia.com

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.

“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

Dancing Earth: Diversity In Motion

Movement Ritual

with Javon Jones for the International Museum of Dance: Moving Southwest Fes tival

Date: Wednesday, July 6th, 2022

Location: New Mexico School Of The Arts

 New Mexico School Of The Arts

   500 Montezuma Ave

   Santa Fe, NM 87501

Time: 12-1 pm MT

Class Description

             This class centers on healing through tarot, writing and your embodied narrative.

BIO 

Performance artist Javon “Ja’Moon” Jones discovered his love for movement in his hometown of Detroit, MI. Following his graduation from Cass Technical High School he went on to train, traditionally, at The Juilliard School.

During his college tenure “Ja’Moon” has performed works by some of the leading names in the concert dance community; Crystal Pite, Jose Limon, Bill T Jones and more. “Ja’Moon” took a leave from his formal studies to join in the thoughtfulness of A.I.M. by Kyle Abraham.

He has had the privilege to dance works that have allowed him to move audiences from stages at The Joyce Theater, The Kennedy Center, The Peter J. Sharp, and Ralph Freud Playhouse. “Ja’Moon” is developing his own sacred illustrations as an independent performance artist while also continuing to expand through his ventures as a bi-coastal freelance artist. He is currently a guest artist with RMK.

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.

“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

Dancing Earth Diversity In Motion: Special Event

Foundations In Freestyle

with Raven Bright for the International Museum of Dance: Moving Southwest Festival

Date: Monday, July 4, 2022

Online Via Zoom and New Mexico School Of The Arts

 New Mexico School Of The Arts

   500 Montezuma Ave

   Santa Fe, NM 87501

Time: 12-1 pm MT

Class Description

 All levels class to learn some new moves to utilize in your freestyle movement and beyond !

BIO 

Raven Bright is a NM based artist with 15 years of background experience in breakdance and other hip-hop fundamentals.

He is of Navajo and Anglo heritage from Gallup, New Mexico, traces his roots not only from the blood of his families, but also from the heart and soul of the HipHop and Indigenous contemporary dance communities of which he is a part.

From Gallup’s Foundations of Freedom crew, he then achieved a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Fort Lewis College. Subsequently he was selected for a full scholarship for Dancing Earth’s Summer Institute, and has been a collaborating artist on the creation of Between Underground & SkyWorld. He toured with the company to Arizona and San Francisco, as well as the company’s 2019 invitation to the Kennedy Center with the production of SEEDS REGENERATION. In 2020 he was the dance champion of the acclaimed Breaking Hearts event.

Raven has been contributing to the well-being of his community as an essential worker - for which we thank him- and we all appreciate that he can offer this dance class to Poeh to inspire others, and return him once a week to his purpose as a multi-disciplinary teaching artist. Besides his passion for dancing and visual art, Raven is also a dedicated teacher of dance, giving back to his community with workshops for Santa Fe Indian School, Navajo Prep, and six years teaching experience at Gallup’s Foundations of Freedom Dance Studio. He was selected by PBS as regional artist to be featured in the national series: If Cities Could Dance

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.

“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

Dancing Earth: Diversity In Motion

Embodied Storytelling And Flow Like Water

with Justin Giehm for the International Museum of Dance: Moving Southwest Festival

Date: Tuesday June 28th, 2022

Location: New Mexico School Of The Arts

 New Mexico School Of The Arts

   500 Montezuma Ave

   Santa Fe, NM 87501

Time: 4:30- 6pm MT

Class Description:

This all levels class is rooted in intention of movement. An artists piece of work is more impactful when it has intention. In my class we'll use the art of intention to immerse ourselves with storytelling through movement.

BIO 

Justin Giehm is a dancer, model, and aspiring actor based in New Mexico, of Navajo, German and mixed heritage. At a young age, Justin began dancing by teaching himself from YouTube and later went on to teach various styles of dance, including hip hop. He became a member of Dancing Earth in 2014, joining the Summer Institute and a show called SEED with 60 community members in the Four Corners area.

Later touring with Seeds Re Generation to Canada, Guahan and O’odham and Ute territories in US, including performances at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts and Ordway Theater. His work with Dancing Earth lead to being casted in TV series Jamestown which filmed in Europe, and in ‘Doctor Atomic’ with director Peter Sellars at Santa Fe Opera. In October 2019 and January 2020 he performed in Dancing Earth’s latest work Between Underground & Skyworld in Yelamu/San Francisco and ASU Gammage Tempe/Phoenix.

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.

“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

Dancing Earth: Diversity In Motion

Embodied Magic

with Sarah Hogland-Gurulé for the International Museum of Dance: Moving Southwest Festival

Date: Monday June 27, 2022

Location: New Mexico School Of The Arts

 New Mexico School Of The Arts

   500 Montezuma Ave

   Santa Fe, NM 87501

Time: 4:30- 6pm MT

Class Description

             This class centers the wisdom, curiosities, and desires of our moving bodies. We will begin with a guided meditation, move through an imagery-based warm-up and then explore prompts that connect us to our lineage, history, and visionary futures. The prompts will guide our time together, but this class will be rooted in freestyle and following your own body’s intuition. Open to all movers of all experiences!

BIO

Sarah Hogland-Gurulé (she/her) is a Xicana living in Tiwa land, her ancestral homeland known as Albuquerque, NM. She is a dance artist and educator guided by the belief that dance is a form of embodied healing, remembrance and visioning; all essential tools for our collective liberation.

Sarah began her dance training at Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts and continued training as a pre-professional at the University of New Mexico, where she received a bachelor of arts in contemporary dance (summa cum laude) and conservation biology (magna cum laude). She has performed with MALACARNE, Pat Graney Company and CHERDONNA (Seattle, WA) in addition to Lawine Torrèn (Austria) and Yeztli Danza y Arte (Albuquerque, NM). Her solo work has been presented by the American Dance Festival’s Emerging Choreographer’s Showcase, Seattle’s Next Fest New Works, Seattle People of Color Arts Salon, Isis Women Arts and the University of New Mexico. Sarah has also taught dance extensively in juvenile detention facilities, after school programs, pre-professional settings, family shelters and women's prisons.

Sarah currently performs with Dancing Earth and is a contracted artist through the City of Albuquerque as part of their inaugural CityMakers program. She also performs regularly with Meow Wolf Santa Fe and is broadening her movement curiosities to pole dance, house dance and popping.

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.

“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

Califa: Cultural Exchange

Celebrating Summer, Inner Fire

and Creativity

6:00pm - 7:30pm PT. 7:00pm-8:30pm MT . 8:00pm - 9:30pm CT . 9:00pm-10:30pm ET

ABOUT THIS EVENT

As we honor the Summer Solstice, let's take time together to be in renewal, replenishment and Beloved Community together.

We will be in ceremony to cultivate our Inner Fire as children of the Sun, and we will have time for music and guided practice to stir our creative juices. Participants should bring a candle, paper or journal, as well as a writing implement.

Be nourished in heart and spirit with us!

"You are the way light finds expression. You are a prism cut as nobody else is cut. Let yourself be supersaturated with light until it spills from you, leaks from the corners of your eyes, streams through your irises, runs out the corners of your mouth, flows out through your voice, pours into the world through your uniqueness and love."

---Laura Marjorie Miller

Much love

Brenda

PAY WHAT YOU CAN

***Sliding Scale, Suggested Donation of $10.00 ALL are welcome to come regardless of financial situation. And, all donations will be supporting the participation of under-resourced candidates for our Summer Institute, and the development of new ecologically themed creative work by 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.

“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

June Third Thursday: Xen Xual

Movement Workshop

June 16th, 2022

6:00pm - 8:00pm PT. 7:00pm-9:00pm MT . 8:00pm - 10:00pm CT . 9:00pm-11:00pm ET

ABOUT THIS EVENT

✨QUEENS + QUEERS + THEYS + ALLYIES ✨

Join us for this special Pride event: Xen Xual Sesh and Movement Jam at the Black Cat Culture Center.

Details:

Join DE Dancer and Califa Retreat Leader Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales (he.they) this third Thursday for a special Xen Xual movement class for the local ABQ community members and online via Zoom to experience an introduction to Xen Xual in their body.

This space is intended to be safe for all.

QTBIPOC+ individuals to explore movement and Queer HerStory, please spend time with this intention and set an intention for yourself.

Sliding Scale, Suggested Donation of $10.00 ALL are welcome to come regardless of financial situation.

ABOUT DANCING EARTH

DANCING EARTH has been named by Dance Magazine as “One of the Top 25 to Watch,” and are recipients of the National Museum of American Indian’s 2010 Expressive Arts Award. Dancing Earth recruits, cultivates, and creates opportunities for emerging global Indigenous talents in all aspects of artistic collaboration in every aspect of artistic collaboration - including dance, choreography, music, costume, lighting, video, stage managing, and arts administration.

ReSToring The Source: Come As You Are

May 22nd 4-7:00pm PT

Welcome to the CALIFA retreat: ReSToring The Source: Come As You Are. Dancing Earth and CALIFA invite you to join our virtual circle this weekend - May 22nd, 2022 from 4-7:00pm PT as we gather to share, reflect, and regenerate in community!

All CALIFA honorees are welcomed to participate as well as suggest monthly discussion topics, share inspiration, share creative (or non-creative) projects, place a call out for assistance, etc.

According to LGBTQ Nation, Calafia — the strongest, most courageous, and beautiful woman in the world — ruled over a mythic all-female island of Afro-indigenous women just off the coast of Asia and used an army of flying Griffins to fight Christians at Constantinople.

They tried to rewrite “her story” as a myth by the Spanish writer named Garcia Rodriguez de Montalvo. But she lives on forever memorialized as the inspiration for naming the state California.

Her name comes from the word “caliphate”, the Arabic word for a state/nation. The “-ia” is a feminine sound, so “Califia” refers to a kingdom run by a woman. Giving insight into social norms for Spain’s mixed Moorish culture.

Queen Califia lives on beyond the time of colonialism, bringing her rich cultural stories of strength, bravery, and perseverance. She reminds us to stand up and join our forces in race, art and solidarity.

Gathers will loosely follow the following format:

RETREAT BREAKDOWN

• 10 min Welcomes, intention, orientation

•  5 min presentation of the featured artists

• 22 min Introduction of Honorees and Alaka’i

• 5 min Breath + Intention Weaving

• 5 min Offerings

• 30 min Breakout Room One : Grounding

• 10min Break Time

• 45 min Breakout Room Two: Vision Mapping

• 30 min Group reflection circle + Movement

• 15 min Closing Circle

• 15 min Announcements

BRING

• COME AS YOU ARE ( COMFY )

• BRING SNACKS , WATER

• BRING A PENCIL/PEN AND PAPER/NOTEBOOK FOR DREAMING

ZOOM INFO:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82612696750

Meeting ID: 826 1269 6750

QUESTIONS

Email Gabriel Carrion-Gonzales (CALIFA Community Organizer) : gabriel.dancingearth@gmail.com.

We honor each and every one of you as amazing bright lights in the constellation of our overlapping community circles !