Highlighting Our 12th Annual Summer Institute
Lily Wolken
Lily Wolken was born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, original lands of the Cherokee, Shawnee, and Chickasaw. She was born an artist and performer. From the time she was only 15 months old, still on the changing table, she was demanding her mother dress her in her red patent leather shoes versus the white sneakers. Here to share freedom and the craft of expression this life, she grew up with a passion for the performing arts. She found herself on stage at a young age, often playing leading roles. She also developed as a dancer, beginning to study dance as a young girl, in addition to training as a singer. Then, as a young adult she went on to study Theatre at Fort Lewis College, and again was blessed to collaborate with a sense of importance.
Currently, she has spent her time developing as a dancer in her free time through studying saucy modalities such as bellydance, heels, and twerk, but also enjoys storytelling through movement art and collaborating with others. She recently spent a semester studying the art of choreography at Naropa University with Gwen Ritchie, which expanded her greatly as a movement artist. She has also begun to explore the craft of songwriting, inspired by her quest for freedom of expression, love for nature, and path of healing.
Her greatest inspiration currently is to give herself the chance to authentically shine through song, dance, and performance art, without needing to prove anything or expect anything in return, or without holding back. She knows truth is what sets free the most unbridled creativity. Her “right to be” as an artist is what moves her creations, and where she feels she used to hold herself back in order to make others comfortable is no longer of concern to her.
Gifts are meant to be shared, and Lily has many gifts to give this life as an artist. She walks this path with humility, and through always coming back to gratitude, care, and connection to Spirit.
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We can continue our mission to nurture the next generation of leaders in the arts through a donation to Dancing Earth. Your generosity will help us to continue offering life-changing programs like the Summer Institute and create a more equitable and sustainable world through the power of dance.
Dancing Earth self produces and collaborates with partners for:
*Dance programming for youth
*Cultivating Artist Leadership : mentoring in arts management
*Seasonal Institutes for Dancing Earth intensive movement training
*Restoring the Source Retreats Cultural Exchanges
*Creation of original Dance works, with costumes, music, video projection, visual art design and construction with sets and props
*Cinematic Movement : Dance on Film
*Choreography commissioned by schools, companies or collaborators
*Interdisciplinary gatherings and festivals
About Dancing Earth
Dancing Earth Creations dynamically activates our mission, to create contemporary dance and related arts through global indigenous and intercultural relationships centered in ecological and cultural diversity for creativity, health, and wellness.
Founded by Artistic Director Rulan Tangen, to serve a need rarely met in the USA, DEC gives hope and opportunity to Native, mixed, global Indigenous and BIPOC talent who have been largely outside the dialogue of mainstream performance because of lack of access. DEC is an organic constellation of largely self-taught dancers, composers, costumers, filmmakers, and spoken word artists.
Together, DEC artists work with community members, culture carriers, and inter-cultural elders to explore the rich diversity of ancestral heritage, contemporary identity, and relationship building, by collaborating on innovative ecologically themed performances. DEC's work promotes environmental awareness, cultural diversity, and understanding between peoples through contemporary arts expressions.
“We gather as individual artists to create experimental yet elemental dances that reflect our rich cultural heritage as contemporary global peoples. We strive to embody the unique essences of cultural perspectives by creation and renewal of artistic and cultural movement rituals. Ancient and futuristic, our dances are an elemental language of bone and blood memory in motion.” - Founding Director, Rulan Tangen