Febuary 2014 Newsletter — Sowing SEED
ORIGI-NATION: ROOTS AND SEEDSWe’re looking for sustainable food organizations interested in joining our circle for this project. Want to bring Dancing Earth workshops? Or host a movement workshop exploring of the principles and work your organization engages? Want to create photo or video material that will draw your local community into healthier, more sustainable living?If you’re interested in collaborating in any way, let us know via email, and see our Facebook Page. 
Our SEED project has begun!Rulan spent much of January working with dancers Daniel Arizmendi (CA ), Anne Pesata(CO), and Julie Brette Adams (SF) who volunteered time to initiate creative development of this vision. They brought with them rich cultural stories, Mayan traditional planting dances, five generations of Apache women’s basket weaving, and a bio-morphic understanding of plants! Other esteemed dance artists from Mexico, New Zealand, Australia and Canada have expressed interest in coming to work with Rulan on this vision, demonstrating the widespread indigenous interest in food sovereignty, and the cultural diversity that parallels the importance of bio-diversity !We honor Sealaska Heritage Institute for their fine work in perpetuating the Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian cultures. Check out this photo of Rulan at their TINAA Art event on Feb 1 
February Activities
Feb 3rd, 1pm, Toronto — Rulan speaks at Staging Sustainability International Conference panel entitled “How are those on the front lines of sustainable development issues engaged and represented in performance?". She will be joined by esteemed colleagues Marrie Mumford, Michael Greyeyes, Lisa Jackson and Yvette Nolan address the questionFeb 6 10AM-12, Toronto — Center for Indigenous Theater hosts a workshop by RT. Contact CIT directly if you would like to participate! Special thanks to Rose Stella and Ryan Cunningham – new director at Native Earth – for helping coordinate this.Feb 6-16, North Bay Ontario — Rulan heads to co-choreograph with Penny Couchie for Aanmitaagzi. They will share “land-dancing” movement practices which will include dancing on the frozen lakes!Feb 27-March 2, Santa Fe — Real Food Challenge at Santa Fe University of Art and Design...and in MARCH …March 6th, 1220pm & 230pm & 5 pm, Fort Lewis CO. Rulan teachs at Fort Lewis College, in preparation for artistic residency in the fall.Maori choreographer Jack Gray comes to UC Berkeley’s dance department March 10-23March 21-23 Denver March powwow
Our Administrative Core
Brenda (Naya) Diaz comes to Dancing Earth with a fourteen-year background in human resources, talent acquisition and leadership training. Her focus is to work with nonprofits, small businesses and cooperatives looking to develop leadership skills in the areas of diversity & multicultural competency, talent management, and social consciousness within cultural preservation and performance arts groups. Her scope of knowledge incorporates many facets of organizational management & leadership such as research & analysis, event management, organizational management, strategic planning, and cultural analysis. FULL She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in medical anthropology with a focus on Cultural Disparities amongst Folkloric Medicine that includes major themes in somatic practices and ethnomusicology. Brenda has lived in Morocco, Italy, and Mexico, where she has worked and studied with cultural preservation projects. Brenda has a background in performance arts as a dancer in modern dance, North African folkloric and flamenco. She currently lives in Deep South Texas and is completing the fellows program of Nonprofit Leadership & Management in UT Austin. 
Solar Banner — Santa Fe Coordinator. “I remember at an early age watching my artist father make figures that came to life on a page, while my mother played piano. It was like watching them create magic. There are of course many ways to create. I chose photography, painting and film, I have been driven to design as a passionate need to communicate and create, and as a commitment to change stereotypical thinking. I have followed the formal qualities of my work by incorporating, designing and producing projects for theatre, music, dance and opera with an Indigenized world view.”
Michele LaRoe- Admin Support. I'm so proud to be a part of the Dancing Earth family and can't wait to see what's ahead! 
Javier Stell-Frésquez — Javier brings creativity, enthusiasm, and a critical perspective on race, sustainability, gender, and aesthetics, to his roles as Administrative Intern and Company Member. FULL Javier first entered our circle during Rulan’s 2010 Stanford residency. As a Community Arts Fellow of Stanford’s Institute for Diversity in the Arts, Javier coordinated our first two summer intensives, as well as our September 2012 production season. To our creative process and performances, he brings his training in flamenco, folklórico, ballet, vogue, and latin social dance. Last April, he produced a Dancing Earth residency at Stanford, which culminated in a showing of Walking at the Edge of Water. He recently graduated with a B.S. in Earth Systems and wrote an honors thesis about Dancing Earth’s creative process for his minor in Chican@ Studies. 
Mitra Lujan — Volunteer Coordinator. Mitra owned an art gallery in Santa Fe, which featured entirely native artists. She has degrees in both Child Development and Women's Studies, and makes jewelry, clothing, paper, and books. 
Lupita Salazar — Summer Program Coordinator. Lupita hails from the high desert mountains of northern New Mexico, which have been her constant inspiration in her creative and community work. Lupita is a visual artist, actress, filmmaker, and farmer looking forward to the opportunity to bring together her passions for artistic expression, story telling, and food sovereignty with Dancing Earth. FULL She studied theater and film at the University of Southern California, and is currently working towards a Masters in Sustainable Communities at Northern Arizona University with a focus on traditional farming. She has performed with Las Mariposas Baile Folklorico Dance Ensemble, Dancing Earth, and dances at every Salsa night she can find.
Special Thanks for Mathew Chase Daniels, Dorothy Tucker, Susan Foster, and Sarah Linsay Wasserman, whose generous year-end donations supported this admin team’s crucial work.
We are a Member of the
Intersection Incubator, a program of Intersection for the Arts providing fiscal sponsorship, incubation, and consulting services to artists.