2023 Fall Tour at Ringling Theater in Sarasota, FL

BETWEEN II 2023 Spring Tour April 7-8, 2023 7:30pm ET Historic Asolo Theater at the Ringling Museum of Art - Sarasota, FL   About BETWEEN II 2023   Dancing Earth’s BETWEEN UNDERGROUND AND 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.   Dancing Earth offers BETWEEN II as an ancestral and futuristic ritual of the liminal realm, bringing healing and renewal of the creative life force in a portal between underground and sky-world. Co-created with Dancing Earth’s new generation of cooperative artist leadership with BIPOC creative collaborative visionaries of mixed identities in every form, intercultural and ecological diversity reflect each other, in an adaptation of our original contemporary mythologies (BETWEEN UNDERGROUND AND SKY WORLD) that poetically responds to local place, people and season in the living improvisation of our time.   BETWEEN II CAST CONTEMPORARY PERFORMANCE RITUAL DESCRIPTION   ACTIVATION OF PLACE Multi-sensory immersive offering by DE artists, occurring on Ringling grounds, in collaboration with elements, in the days/hours before onstage performance.   ACT I Constellations A Beam of light enters space, making way for luminous beings. These superheroes represent core values of cultural teachings such as bravery, patience, kindness, groundedness, vision for generations ahead. As apparitions of destructive practices of Earth appear, they reach towards different make of animals, so they can take forms to give messages and guidance to humans.   Journey Then, time speeds forward into the apocalypse of the present, with a new generation struggling for survival, and finding resilience. They crawl and climb a mountain to seek guidance, only to be told the knowledge is in their medicine bundles (their backpacks), as a creation story. Directed to cross the waters, they remember the ways of star navigation. They find humble items in their backpacks, are these the gifts which symbolize qualities and teachings? Eventually they find that connection, even to what is considered trash as having life force to be considered and appreciated. They move beyond greed and selfishness to share and exchange with each other, before moving into the dream realm where they are all connected, in a starlit web of energy and life force.     ACT II Dreaming In a dreamscape of balance and harmony, humans and constellations move together in recognition of their shared heritage.   Being Arising early, they now remember to give a respectful greeting to the morning sun. With guidance from skyworld above and their roots below, they reflect the challenges of current realities, and the humans peel away layers towards understanding the forces and systems that have shaped the present. They dig deeper, to prepare themselves for the deeper meaning of the medicine bundles, and the responsibilities of those gifts. They move into connection with each other, generously embodying the wisdom and qualities, empathy, honesty, courage, gratitude, strength, kindness that are their superpowers. With these powers, they walk in beauty, with each other, with all people, with all forms of life as sacred.   The next step, of the future, is the dance to be made by us all collectively, the energy of continual renewal. So the open portal of possibility is brought into the audience, for us all to dream and co-create together…   view Playbill Donate Thank You Funders   TOURING OF THIS PRODUCTION IS MADE POSSIBLE BY: “Between Underground & Skyworld” and “BETWEEN II” is made possible with funding by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Theater Project Production and Touring award, with lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and additional support from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Photos by Randi Lynn Beach and Daniel Quat Photography for Dancing Earth. 1446 Market St. San Francisco, California 94102, United States Don’t want these emails anymore? You can Unsubscribe or Manage Preferences.