I.F.: Indigenous Futurities:
Dancing Earth in CyberSpace

Live Performance: June 18, 2020

presented by ToasterLab

Collaborating artist visionaries reveal cyberspace as a realm of ritual, to reimagine the future from the brink of collapse of the dominant system and re-emergence of cultural cosmologies. Technology is reclaimed to affirm connections between distant places and times. At a time of DisDancing: what is the message from human-to-human; what is the sacred invisible web that connects us? We reach into the constellations to remember ancestral stories of creation after destruction, to guide us forward.

Live streamed on the global, commons-based, peer produced HowlRound TV network at howlround.tv.

REFLECTION POOL AFTER PARTY

IF: Indigenous Futurities Dancing Earth in Cyberworld Performance

June 18, 2020
7-8pm PDT . 10-11pm EDT

100 Tickets Available. SOLD OUT

Join Dancing Earth for Reflection Pool After Party for an interactive conversation about the creation and content of IF: Indigenous Futurities Dancing Earth In Cyberworld. This after party will be moderated by dance/theatre innovative professionals in the creative world.

Rulan Tangen, Artistic & Founding Director of Dancing Earth / Choreographer

“This project more than others required a venture into the unknown, a true collaboration where the culmination emerges from the process. And, a true trust in the process. This trust feels like an infusion of the spiritual into the cyberworld, a prayer activated through technology. Throughout the process, I was unable to see , or hear, at the same time, and was never able to see what was being manifested on the screen in real time. Even the tech rehearsal 45 min before the show, was subject to cameras freezing due to thunderstorms etc.. We made a final prayer to the beyond human ancestors who form the raw materials that become transmissions, I was struck with appreciation at  the revelation that computer is based on binary codes, which are inherent to Seneca wampum belt, and African forms, thus connecting us through our collective Indigenous knowledge to what had previously seemed this wall of technology, and at last it became a portal!”

Quetzal Guerrero, Musical Director/Violin

“To be able to work on a project like this was an amazing opportunity for me. The creative, cultural and personal growth we all gained from this experience was a welcomed refuge from the current state of affairs in the world today. Exploring, experimenting and exchanging with so many gifted people on a virtual platform was a first for me and it opened my perception to vast possibilities in the future.”

Dakota Camacho, Matao/CHamoru, Performer, Writer, Vocal Performer

“I strongly believe in building opportunities for Indigenous peoples to collaborate with each other. Traditionally, we had strong relationships with other indigenous communities and our networks of reciprocity and exchange are (and were) essential parts of maintaining a spiritually grounded and resourced economy. In this moment, it is important for us to be able to create spaces that affirm Indigenous worldviews, life ways, and knowing. Working between Indigenous Nations generates diverse approaches to doing cultural work within our cultural communities. 

Engaging with (so-called) high tech (laptops, wifi, cameras, streaming) meant developing a way of relating to these devices that align with our Indigenous consciousness and life ways. As this is an early experiment in this direction, there is much more to learn about how we navigate the spirit world and ‘technology’. In my cultural worldview, time is a continuum and there seems to be no clear distinction between ‘past/present/future’ - for example, our word for to think also can mean imagine or remember. The way one understands time when speaking in our language is highly contextual. So when speaking of Futurities I am giggling and troubled. We activated a futurity in the sense that we were in several different spaces/locations and could see how our ritual was in practice in different spaces across the world. I am also left wondering, what if this is also a reality from the past that we are re-k/newing in the present.”

Lumhe Micco Sampson, Hoop Dancer/Vocal Performer

“Working with indigenous people from all around the world has been such a humbling experience; knowing that while my culture and traditions are significant and specific to me and the land I inhabit, they very well ring true to the underlying morals and teachings of other cultures, just from another perspective, another part of the globe.  It is more than assuring to hear someone speak to a common issue or bring a teaching from the(ir) past that holds such relevance in these modern times, especially to know that your feelings or thoughts are validated and we can connect while being so far. 

One can't assume they know everything and this type of engagement with members of different communities is what brings us together and keeps us curious about the world we all live in.

Challenges of tech have always been in my scope of work and awareness... But I certainly did feel more susceptible and at the mercy of the tech/connection/latency during this project, as our performance was the culmination of weeks of rehearsals where, seemingly every possible mishap happened during that time, fortunately, and not during the live stream performance.  Even as there was a thunderstorm happening (at my locale)!!

I miss having a stage. My living room is hardly enough room for me (6'4") without my hoops.  Although, working with a green-screen allowed me to delve back into my acting skills as it provided the possibility of "being" anywhere!

I think that this type of cyberspace performance has so much potential that we (and others) have barely scratched the surface of; the accessibility for a large audience is more than possible but furthermore allows the audience to be "closer" to the dancer and experience more expression (esp. facial) than ever before. A more intimate or personal experience can be achieved for infinite individuals with the camera being as close as a dancer can manage. Even as I speak about this I am stumbling upon ideas to explore and experiment with.

It is one thing for the world to realize that virtual meetings are more than possible and legitimate, but witnessing what we could truly accomplish by taking ourselves further into this new realm of existence shows that we can maintain community and also carry our cultures well into to the future.”

Ian Garrett, Technical Director/Visual Artist

“This project has been a timely and fruitful collaboration. I am inspired and hopeful for the future of performance and accessible representation with the success of this project. In some ways it was too well done! It went well so that we needed to make it obvious at various points that this was truly live and being performed and coordinated across hundreds and thousands of miles. It shows what is possible, and has my mind spinning with potential next steps to continue to evolve in this strange time. 

It was particularly important to me that this was done in homes and done with technology that was already available. We only added a basic green screen kit. There are plenty of ways to perhaps make each performance feed clearer, or to expand playing space. However, what we see here is that you don’t need all of that. It’s not about the Met in HD and these massive rigs. This project proves that artistry, inspiration, collaboration, and commitment are the true necessity. 

It is also a bit of magic that we are able to work in a metaphor of connectedness digitally. Sometimes our electronic communications divide us, or isolate us. But now in isolation, are the infrastructure of our available connections, it mirrors (at least in this project and way of work) the way we are connected by water and ancient global systems.  

Dancing Earth works with an inclusive and welcoming process. Rulan talks about how the group of collaborators are the right ones because they're the ones there, and her leadership supports making room for this. A combination of her overall vision and the will of these people, in this place, at this time come together in a way that is itself choreography. It isn't always about setting the steps, but fostering collective collaboration. This openness extends beyond the devising of the performance itself into the technical elements and design as well. Everyone has a voice, and everyone is open and responsive to each other. Working from my point of view with Toasterlab, there is an extreme amount of trust and willingness to try things (particularly if you're reciprocal open), which propels the work and our collaboration beyond just serving the piece. It's a cooperative investment in each other, a temporary collaborative community, which has made our projects so rewarding. Everyone continually has faith in everyone else, and this foundation leads to ambitious experimental approaches that stretch as far as our resources allow. 

More practically, the openness and collaborative spirit of the process meant that we agreed on mutually agreeable times, and allowed for slight modifications based on everyone's balanced needs. While this flexibility might have been due to the current situation and the strange relationship to time in our social distanced reality, I know from previous projects, mutual understanding in planning is a key part of the Dancing Earth process. While there are times and places that are prioritized, we must always be prepared and supported/supportive when things shift. It's part of the generosity of the collaboration. 

This extends to the action items and tasks in each rehearsal. Everyone was patient and despite not sharing space and sometimes having long stretches which meant being on stand-by alone with their green screen, everyone was really to do that. This isn't that different from more conventional pre-COVID19 tech processes, but harder due to the physical isolation and the newness of technology. 

Something which I'm glad we did early on was to start streaming to YouTube as an unlisted feed for every rehearsal. It meant that there was an immediate video archive, and it was clear how things were evolving. It allowed us to dream a bit more because it wasn't coming in towards the end, or taking days to turn around. It allowed us to be responsive. It's something which I think I might actually work into my in-person rehearsals (whenever they come back) so that everyone can see and respond quickly. In our case sometimes the feedback was immediate (or technically delayed by about 20 seconds, as collaborators could see the live stream as we worked. I think this helped a lot to keep even those on stand-by engaged, since they could see real time progress. That's a rare thing in in-person work.”

Jade Whaanga, Performer/Vocal Performer

“Being a part of IF: Indigenous Futurities has been a life changing experience, connecting with incredible people from around the world to dream in a new future and share this vision with a large online audience has been powerful!

There was so much reciprocity among the collective, we were able to share ideas, stories, songs and dances from our cultures and find beautiful meeting grounds. The process allowed us to go into deep exploration asking ourselves what messages are needed right now- As humans to each other, as descendants of our ancestors to the next generations, as creations of Atua (gods/goddess) to Papatūānuku (Earth). 

Navigating rehearsals online was challenging at times, but it has been so rewarding to see what can be achieved. There were a lot of intense events happening in the world during rehearsals and having the space to unpack some of these important issues only strengthened the creative process and collective. 

Working within restrictions such as space and communicating through technology has strengthened my adaptability and stretched my outlook of what can be achieved in a creative project.

Online we have the opportunity to connect with more people on a larger scale. Despite being physically alone in my living room with a green screen, I never actually felt alone, I could see others on screen and feel the energy of my peers. It was beautiful to know that we don’t have to be in person to have that deep connection, I was reminded how connected we all are regardless of time and space. 

I treasure everyone involved and this experience, as it has left me feeling hopeful for the future and excited by the possibilities in Indigenous performance art.”

Trey Pickett, Performer/Vocal Performer

Being a Part of Dancing Earth and the Indigenous Futurities project is and was nothing short of powerful and challenging. We come together as people from diverse backgrounds to make space of accountability and powerful calls to action. The benefits to me are solidarity in our Indigenous life ways through art and sharing in times that our representation is needed.. When we achieve projects like this one each artist brings such rich culture, energy, and love that our world wide connections inspire radical healing and change. It is a miracle to co-create with such inspirational people from around the globe.

Through technical aspects of this project I learned and continue to learn patience with such an unfamiliar space of work online. It served as a great challenge to build workspace in a virtual realm, however it has opened up new possibilities. The internet, equipment needed, and understanding of creative platforms was also a steep learning curve. Learning to use zoom and Skype really opened up thoughts on how to work effectively in a time where disparity hit the arts we love so heavily. It gave us a way to come together and build something beyond our imaginations and push past limitations.

Working from home with limited space was hard and still takes some getting used to. However we now have a new skill set that has revolutionary possibilities for us as artists. We can create in ways that a theater disallowed. Also we don't have to be so far from family. It creates options and also builds a different level of transparency. The hardest thing is to be in a smaller space then a huge stage, but this challenge makes me as an artist trust more in myself and my power to connect and share who I am with the world.

From my perspective this manifestation was/is amazing. I also feel that it is only beginning to scratch the surface of what's possible for us as a company and artist collaborators. I realize we were taking risks that no one was accustomed to so as we grow what we show will follow suit. This work was able to reach people everywhere. So between new growth and new possibilities I know this is just the beginning. We now have powerful possibilities for this company to connect and build an Indigenous web of hope, solidarity, and our raw version of storytelling in a virtuous way wherever people are. We now can come to YOU. Meeting you literally where you are from where we are, which to me is the true meaning of solidarity!

Tiśina T. Parker, Project Assistant/Social Impact Producer

“Working on this project was a gratifying collaborative experience with Dancing Earth, Ian Garrett from ToasterLab and all the performing artists. When we began this project we had no idea what the end result would be, but like many creative projects we just jumped into the unknown and believed in making something beautiful together. Ian’s ability to take creative direction and make it into the visual compilation that brought the performance together was creative, free flowing and incredible. Operating like the wizard behind the curtain, he was able to pull together the digital visuals with the choreography of the dancers. The dancers under direction of Rulan were also great, putting their creative energies together to make a mosaic of their collaborative dance over distance of geographical location and the ethernets of cyber space into a visual experience that was mystical, magical and unique.”

I: REFLECTION POOL AFTER PARTY - ZOOM:

“What I thought this did was layer, it was so much richer of an experience than just about anything I've seen in these online performances. Just the layers of artistry and music and dance and choreography and  the layering of the projections. I was just richer than many things. It was very rich and thoughtful, plus the content. It was a work of art. Congratulations.” -Stephanie K

“I just want to say that as well. I thought it was the most imaginative, innovative, extraordinary use of the screen I think I've ever seen. Amazing!

Really powerful and such a profound message. But also such an incredible use of this technology. It gives me hope about what we can do with this.” -Susan Foster

“This is Claudia giving you a quick shout out. It was gorgeous! It was evocative! It was exciting! Not only visually exciting, but also like it gave me excitement in my heart. And it felt like it was speaking to my life, like all of the different layers of my life right now, which I find shocking! And it was deeply impactful and it was beautiful. And I want to know how to get the soundtrack because it was DOPE! When you're doing it again? … It's so cool!”  -Claudia Alick

“Hi. I'm coming from occupied Squamish land. And I just wanted to say it was amazing. The only part where I was like, truly surprised is when it ended,  I wanted it to be longer, but I really enjoyed the mix of multiple different cultures and the weaving of indigenous ancestral things, along with futuristic as well. And it was just amazing and beautiful. The only thing I would like was if it was longer, but I was really enjoying it, especially the mix of the cultures and the ancestral and the future. Thank you to everyone.” -Jesse Guecha

“I just wanted to say that I had such profound appreciation for what was happening here, as not only a display of indigenous genius and forward moving dance and expression and conversation with the ancestral realm, even in this digital space, but it really, truly claimed and occupied and laid the groundwork for further expression and further claiming of our space as the infinite. And as the forward moving. And as whatever space comes into play, whatever time, whatever moment is ours and will continue to be ours. And we'll continue to express our genius and our flows and our bodies and our intertwining. And so I just wanted to say thank you for bringing this into this space and into forever.” -Leilani Bandy

“I have something to share. Natalie speaking here also by the way, nice to see you fam. So I was very... So when everything was virtual, I was very hesitant, not only just as a human, but as a performer that really vibes off of feeling everyone's energy in a space, I was not sure whether or not I would even enjoy a virtual performance, because I feel like there's just so much that is experienced within a space and one with with everyone around you and seeing everything happening in front of you. It was very refreshing and very relieving to know that I could still be touched in the way that I would feel seeing a performance of close and personal. I felt like he was even more up close and personal than on a stage because that the dancers faces were just right there in my face, literally, that I could see everything in their eyes and in their mouths and in their breath. It just made me feel a sense of hope and relief that, you know, art can still be touching even though you can't physically be in the same space or physically touch each other. I think that just spoke to the power of everything that you all did tonight. It was very needed from my heart. So, yes, I'd say “Ahe'hee” (thank you) very much to all of you for putting it together. Yeah, I'm excited to see where it goes from here. My faith and hope has been restored.” -Natalie Benally

“I was just going to say, hi, everyone, I'm coming here from Ohlone territory. It was so beautiful and particularly the crackliness of it [of the sound], the overlay of temporality. It really felt like a new kind of technology when you’re where you are just starting to feel something come into being. This kind of feels like this moment to that, like the whole reality is there. Yet you're sort of starting to feel it at this moment. So that kind of overlaying of space, time, crackliness felt really powerful to me.”  -Jaqueline S.

“Thank you. I just also want to add kudos to all the dancers, I've maybe I'll just wait till they get here, because as a performer, I know it's scary to perform in front of people you can't really see. You know. But they did a beautiful job of connecting. And I didn't feel any less connected, even though I know that they couldn't see me.”  -Maura Garcia

“This is Natalie speaking again. I think it reminded me to take that action of breath. To breathe really throughout the whole entire thing. I actually noticed that I was not breathing at the beginning, and then I started breathing towards the end because I could actually see the breathing happening through all the movements. I don't normally see that up close and personal on a stage. So it reminded me, oh, wait,  I got to breathe through this whole entire process, of the action of breathing. But also the action of... just there's a lot of information out there in the world right now that's being shared, and it really reminded me that the idea of information giving is also a sacredness. There's a sacredness in that as well. In that there is a patience to it. I think that was also something that I reminded myself of. Like, any time I gather information or I give information that I also need to treat it with care in patience as much as I would like handling a  really fragile object in my hand.” -Natalie Benally

“Courageous, visionary, connected and connecting. I did go get water to drink too. I gathered with my family to watch. The fact that this was live, it's very moving and awesome to me. I was also moved to come to this after party and would have never done that if I had not seen the performance. I feel moved to meet the performers and creators of this.” -Momo Nature Moves

[Speaking Indigneous Language - Sm’algyak of the Tsimshian Nation] “In our language, in Sm’algyak, I just talked about your beautiful work. I said, some of what I said in the chat about the importance of that work and ask that you continue on. I think that right now one of the biggest struggles we have is thinking of ways to continue this work that we do as indigenous dancers and performers. You guys are leading, showing us the way in ways that are unbounded by time and space and tha shine a bright light for the future and for the future of our little ones, especially. So, thank you all.” -Mique’l Dangeli

[Speaking Indigneous Language - Yoruba]...  “I am Halifu Osumare in the Yoruba language it means “The Independent One In The Rainbow.” I am an African-American who can trace my ancestry for six generations on this land, from North Carolina to Texas to California and San Francisco. I am a choreographer, dancer, scholar, writer, poet… I've always felt a kind of kinship because I can tell that you base your whole process on ancestry and spirit. That is what touches my heart when I see performance, when I see dancers who really embrace their ancestors and bring them forth into the present. That is going to take us into the future. So I want to say blessings, blessings to all of you who are carrying on this heritage, who are carrying on this tradition, because it is definitely the healing way. And as you can see now and on our planet right now, this Earth needs this so much. We really need spirit. So you are doing the work of, as we say in the Yoruba language. ‘Olodumare,’ ‘you are doing the work of spirit.” e’dupe, e’udpe, ashee.’ [thank you].” -Halifu Osumare

“I am Antoinette. I'm so proud I am from Guåhan by way of Cleveland and I don't know the native peoples here, so I apologize. But I do try to do a territorial acknowledgment in my classes by saying, [Speaking Indigneous Language - Chamorro] “our welcome friends.” So I've been doing a lot of activism around George Floyd with a number of different groups, I've been doing them almost every day to the point that I recently said to my husband, I feel like I'm a “Zooman” instead of a human. I feel like I've turned into a “Zooman”. I think being part of this, I am so grateful to have attended. It redefined what I meant by that, because I felt re-energized. I felt hopeful. I felt acknowledged and seen and I felt grateful. So with all of that, thank you so much. And I want to say [Speaking Indigneous Language - Chamorro] thank you  to Dakota in particular for representing our ancestors and to all of you here. I'm a Sociologist by training, so whenever I'm in an artistic space I just want to just let it roll over me and take it in because I appreciate the practice so much.”  -Antoinette C.

“Because like one of our viewers had said before, we need that. We need this healing. We need this connection. We need this upliftment and we need this celebration in our diversity. We need to keep breaking these barriers and these compartments like these little screens that this Westernized society is constantly trying to bracket us and put us under these: You know, “You're black. You're white. You're something in between. I don't know what you are. You're not allowed to have all these different, you know, ancestral ties.”... Well, guess what? We're in direct contradiction to that very, very limiting and oppressive frame of mind. I want to continue that opening up of the space and of our consciousness by presenting you music that is going to be multi-genre multilingual, multi spiritual, multicultural. So you guys cool with that is all right if I give you some of that?” -Quetzal Guerrero

II: TYPED CHAT COMMENTS - ZOOM

“Kuddos to all of the artists that dedicated themselves to the challenge to be creative and giving during this time of covid storm and change. It is tough to not be present in person, yet the artists were very much appreciated. Go to all of the dancers, producers, musicians and to my son Trey Pickett.” -Brenda Hollingsworth-Marley

“Hi everyone, Tanja here from the unceded lands of The Yugambeh language people, located in south-east Queensland, Australia. I want to thank you so much for your beautiful performance. It gave me so much hope in these uncertain times. Keep doing what you are doing. Love and respect xo.” -Tanja Beer

“Almost ten years ago, when I first met Jacqueline Shea Murphy, our conversation and the reason we met was trying to vision how dance could be done as co-presence online. Watching it happening tonight was incredibly exciting especially when I recognized Jade and knew she was in Aotearoa. Thank you for making our dream come true!”  -Shannon

“Greetings from Tlacopac (verdant moist place in Nahuatl) Artist Residency in Mexico City. Tomorrow I Zoom with P'urepecha, Mayan, Tsotsil, Lacandón, Tzeltal, and Zoque artists opening their communities as soon as possible to indigenous artists of all forms from all over Pacha Mama.” -Hanvik

“Ian did a great job adding special effects off of green screens. Thanks for that. Also, I think that performing in front of the computer is similar to when performers are on mediums such as television. Like, being on a soundstage often without a live audience. But in watching my son rehearse and perform, the audio and the desire to connect with all of the other performers really helps bring the performance to a place that feels more "personal" even though each artist is in their own space. Humans are so creative and resilient and able to now take this technology and enter new places that are sort of like the "outer-limits." There is a courage that comes with not allowing COVID and sheltering-in-place to stop energy and motion and making connections. Thanks again to all. This is certainly a Brave, Different … yet reachable world.” -Brenda Hollingsworth-Marley 

“Sincere thanks to everyone for sharing all your energy and love in this space.” -Shawny Evans

“Inspiring art. I'd like to share tonight's experience with indigenous communities I work with in rural areas outside Mexico City and might need tech help!  Feliz noche!” -Jan Hanvik

“This energy is exactly what I've been needing! so grateful to the vibrations I'm receiving from all of you. [heart emoji]” -Sierra Bishop

“Thank you all. I made lots of comments, but they were on a "private" mode for some reason. The comments were in-depth. The energy and effort was great. Ian, nice job. To all of you who contributed this is a NEW arena caused by a force, yet we as humans are a creative force. Covid cannot stop the energy of life … the lifeforce. I was able to observe some of the rehearsal process and it is amazing how all of the energies were brought together and then the special effects added off of a plain GREEN screen. I love the music. Nice vision Rulan. I hope I spelled your name right. In a time when the world is in such turmoil, artists need to express, share and give. We love the energy that also comes back! Quetzal, I love your music! You have such a gift! I have always said to "Trey" my son, that if the "spirit" of the dance is not present, then there really is no dance, it becomes movement without real feeling and presence. I know that you all worked hard. To give up our spaces to create is huge too! Thanks to all.”  -Brenda Hollingsworth-Marley

III: SOCIAL MEDIA QUOTES - Facebook

"The work that you do and have always done is a model of creative freedom. Activism in action!"  -Diane Karp

“It was really cool - surprisingly narrative driven, cohesive, touching on the elements and humanity - and the music was also fantastic”  Kenji Williams

“Thanks for sharing that cyberworld performance too, it was so beautiful to connect in that way, and thank you for sharing the way you do it is def what the world needs in these times, I’m grateful to watch you grow and bring those dreams to life and hope I can provide more sounds soon!”  -Ras K Dee

"Hands down the most compelling virtual per performance art I’ve seen.”  -Tamara Johnson

“In the zone of the halo of light through hazy waters the quivering moon steps into the opening. Mystical beings lie in waiting as the bearer of light shimmers across the landscape to climb a sacred mountain and secure the drum at the top so all can hear its resonance.

Then those seeds of being rise like flowers and leap into storytelling: creeping, gliding, somersaulting, climbing through the ages. I want to know every meaning these stories create, to drink of their wisdom, to share our superpowers. They beckon us to come closer.  

So I follow, unsure, not completely understanding, yet the music speaks to me. The drums and violin and spoken word call us all closer together, inside the glowing screens, revealing a rainbow of humanity: Remembering both the strengths and medicines of the past as well as the tragic shattering inflicted by others who also claim humanity. 

Honoring and celebrating our grounding on this earth, our inspiration from the skies, our ability to connect with each other. Reaching into a future transformed by the flow of reciprocity and renewable energy. And the drumbeat goes on.” -C. Glidden Tracey, UBC