She has recruited and nurtured subsequent generations of global Indigenous contemporary dancers and holds the belief that "to dance is to live, to live is to dance". This has often led to community members reciprocating with attestations of cultural connections and relations. Rulans positioning in the arts world is to provide creative-cultural-contemporary experiences for Native youth, and to make opportunities for Indigenous dancers (and all aspects of production) through paid professional activities such as workshops, touring and performance making. I will say that theres a caveat and its that maybe the other time where crises, one which was very personal for you and the other one being a pandemic. life into creating this work. There was certainly a difference, a difference that I had What would you like to see fundamentally change in the world of dance? With Rulans support in project conceptualization for proposals, the company continues to offer dignified arts work with ongoing applications for foundation, grant, and fundraising support to supplement earned income. 35 Years in 2020; Contact; People; Opportunities; Fiscal Sponsorship; Accessibility; Critical Resources. Theres tons of activity that I cant even Next to a rock youll often see a branch, and thats my next teacher, the fourth teacher. suffering if youre like, Oh well, from the struggle you learn, and then things get darkness. Over 20 years ago Rulan met George Burdeau (Blackfeet); George's last name -- Burdeau Her choreography has been commissioned by venues including the Heard Museum AZ, Society for Dance Historians conferences in Canada and USA, Hemispheric Institute of Performance and Politics NY, Teatro Nunes in Brasil, Centro Cultural of Buenos Aires Argentina, in New Mexico for Santa Fe Art Institute, Native Roots and Rhythms Festival, Santa Fe Dance Festival, Native Cinema Showcase at the Center for Contemporary Arts, in California for the Idyllwild Arts Program, Festival, Aqua Caliente Cultural Museum CA; in Canada for the International Aboriginal Choreographers Workshop, McMichaels Gallery, Peterborough Art Gallery, Living Rituals World Indigenous Dance Festival, Toronto Harbourfront's Roots Remix, and Planet IndigenUs Festival; and including films Apocalypto (director Mel Gibson) and The New World (director Terrence Malick). From that That to remove kinship citations would be to devalue the cultural honor that was the ceremonial purpose of being named, or the kinship connection of being welcomed as family by community members. People have always said, You know, if we just had a little bit more time to plan Rulan's work values movement as integral as functional ritual for transformation , and as expression of energetic connection with all forms of life on earth. company, Dancing Earth Creations, off the ground, and 17 years later she remains its Read the full biography of Rulan Tangen, including facts, birthday, life story, profession, family and more. Rulan: Well, what was considered normal wasnt balanced or equitable. Her approach is: 1) To contact the funding agencies directly and ask for details of their definition of cultural eligibility (these might include: Enrolled/not enrolled, US States both mainland and island, US territories beyond US continental borders, Canada, Americas, mixed heritage, people living on original homelands, global Indigenous peoples), to understand if any or all of the below criteria would allow Rulan or Dancing Earth to be considered. Roots look like that, branches Through careful consultation, the artists are advised about the most appropriate themes for widespread sharing, including diversity as well as sacred land and water for the health and wellness of all people and the planet. in? So theres a service thats there. Rulan's work values movement as an expression of indigenous worldview, including the honoring of matriarchal leadership, dance as functional ritual for transformation and healing, the process of decolonizing the body, and the animistic energetic connection with all forms of life on earth. FESTIVAL San Francisco The Mission Jen Chien She has been a contributor to All Things Considered, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, BBC/PRI's The World, Making Contact, SF Public Press, East Bay Express, New America Media, and KPFA in Berkeley, where she took part in the First Voice . salon/playwriting group, the Writers Workshop, counts among its alumni/ae extraordinary So even though we werent actively producing our own, there were Rulan Tangen lives in San Francisco, CA; previous cities include Boston MA and Guerneville CA. hard way again. At that time, I had to ask for help. She has historically contributed much of her freelance fees to support Dancing Earth with the exception of prioritizing higher rates of hourly honoraria for cultural elders participating in the opening of performances. Her dance feels so expressive anD lyrical. Crew. better. Im a resilient survivor, and I am looking to not be victimized or not self-victimized. In this interview with Pier Carlo Talenti, Rulan describes how she and her company Dancer/choreographer Rulan Tangen was thriving in an international career as a performer and dancer when in 2004 she survived a bout with Stage 4 cancer. Some like I said, that dandelion, to make I keep using the word opportunity; Im kind If you see any errors, please contact us.contact us. It sounds like youve had to learn some important lessons about how you want to lead Photo by Kate Russell . An example: A fellowship was awarded to Rulan after the above questions/responses about eligibility were put forward before submitting an application, based on yes for one of the criteria mentioned above. Well, for a long time there wasnt an admin; until the last few years there really Rulan has maintained long ties to Canada (cited as birthplace of her paternal grandmother), and is where she continues to facilitate collaborative projects as a choreographer. They dont need much to survive on. of being busy! But I think I find it very difficult to say no when people are reaching Founding & Artistic Director, Rulan Tangen, 2022 Tour, Between Underground & Skyworld, STATEMENT OF GLOBAL INDIGENOUS IDENTITY AND SOLIDARITY, Lectures, Master Classes & Workshops AVAILABLE. Principle participants were Native community members from the rural Four Corners region. Indigenous contemporary performing artists as cultural ambassadors and conduits for Publicity Listings is very like you just have a little slice of it. not sure what I have to say, like continued transformations and collaborations that Movies. Dancing Earth has been committed to working with Native American, global, and mixed Indigenous artists to support, nurture, and highlight diverse Indigenous embodied values and ways of being through creative artistic practice. Popular; Airing Today; On TV; . me, Oh well, thats how pollination happens. As that came through, I felt this pollination. are continually evolving, looking at what seems to be done, over, dead, dried up, Now I know that these programs are going to be different. I mean certainly any person or community or culture whos gone through [She laughs.] Natalie Benally (Din), first Native Programs Coordinator, at Girls Inc. of Santa Fe. When outside research into her genealogy in 2018 raised questions about having Mtis common mundane part of this story is that we all were completely out of work, I think The Hunka relationship may be difficult to understand outside of Lakota culture, yet it binds each to Hunka ties of fidelity stronger than friendship, sisterhood, or family, and a relationship with spirit that cannot be undone. classes online. Emerging from the a decade of building relationships. See full bio Born: in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK Jan 29, 2023, UNCSA Jazz Ensemble Jan 31, 2023, A.J. I want to learn and grow, which involves the pain of change but also trying, failing, DANCE MAGIC DANCE Artist + Ethereal Spirit, Rulan Tangen is a part of an inclusive movement that works tore-Indigenize + Decolonize performance at every level Video + Images captured by Olga Nazarova In watching Rulan move I was deeply struck by the way she communicates with her body - that force and connection. SCC Campus Map. enough for this conversation, I think. change in the world of dance? On parts of them she did a light And right now, and theyre still here. rocks and dried flower. company if there was a managing director who is paid much more or I hired a development She is the Founding Artistic Director and Choreographer of Dancing Earth, noted in Dance Magazine as "One of the Top 25 To Watch", and winner of the National Dance Project Production and Touring Grant, as well as the National Museum of American Indian's Expressive Arts award. After seeing how much the children in it looked up to Rulan, Geraldine requested tribal elder Garfield and wife Bertha Grassrope as well as Floyd Hand, to give the Lakota ceremony through which two persons adopt the Hunka projects. Dancing Earth is respectfully based in the Ogha Pooge occupied and unceded Tewa territory known as Santa Fe, NM and Yelamu occupied Ohlone territory known as San Francisco, CA. In 2019, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation Leadership funding allowed Dancing Earth to retain a part time management cohort (still paid at same rate as artists), and to secure and expand multi-disciplinary cultural arts education and training programs. She has recruited and nurtured a new generation of Indigenous contemporary dancers and holds the belief that "to dance is to live, to live is to dance". dancers is centered on her intention to visibilize and strengthen vibrant, diverse, contemporary Native and Indigenous peoples, to facilitate creative opportunities for them and for the land, and to support and strengthen Native and Indigenous communities. Contemporary Dance Creations refers to first peoples globally. Upcoming, new, and past Rulan Tangen movies, TV shows, TV movies, appearances, specials, and more -- plus, a biography, news, awards, and nominations. But in Re-Generation, Dancing Earth's newest eco-cultural work in progress, these few words are spoken aloud in the native languages of the four dancers who are co-creating it: Rulan Tangen, company director, her former student Anne Pesata, break dancer Shane Montoya, and teacher and choreographer Trey Pickett. a managing director who is paid much more and I havent been able to shift to who are involved, or letter confirming relationship of applicant(s) to a specific community. Food Trucks During Lunch. Rulan: Good question. and community partners. social change. OK, what worked, what didnt work? Pier Carlo: Its so interesting if were bringing it back to the ants, the community or the hive working together that both of those moments occurred during moments of health There are plants that have been given the name weeds, but they really can move into 11 Rulan Tangen pictures. Dancing Earth Founder and Artistic Director Rulan Tangens mixed ancestral heritage is Kampampangan and Pangasinan from Luzon Island, known colonially as part of Pacific archipelago of the Philippines, and Norweigian/Irish lineage, while she lives in the partition of Turtle Island which is often referred to as the U.S. For over four decades, Tangen has been invited into, and extended invitations for, collaborative work with global Indigenous artists and intergenerational community members locally and globally. Dance is its own language of movement, rhythm, gesture, breath. With a vision for inclusion, she cultivates a new generation ofculturaldancers, through creative practices that explore collaboration as an expression of functional diversity. It becomes this weird goop, and then it becomes a butterfly, To dance is to live To live is to dance. This, however, excludes Rulans compensation as she often donates her time withextended work hours, exceeding40-70 hours over the years. putting in my 10th hour today because I do have a lot of energy. Rulans cultural lifeways expanded after being invited to South Dakota in the late 1980s to be mentored by elder Geraldine Ziegler, originally from Crow Creek (Ka Wakp Oyke) (whose lineage includes Laura Spotted Hawk and Lucy One-In-Center) but who spent her adult married life as part of the Kul Wicasa Oyate (Sicangu)Lakota. You also. that a cocoon is actually decay; its decomposition. Class Descriptions. Ive facilitated as the Artistic Director for Dancing Earth, a lot of it is community-sourced, It's expecting a mostly non-Native audience to be paralyzed by the mysterious rules of Native American spirituality and kinship customs. After its founding in 2004, the Dancing Earth company worked for six years on a shoestring budget from basic earned income, then with project-based support including: During times when theres been a lack of grant and income, Dancing Earth has been powered by in-kind support from a loving community. 5. 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