Dancing
Earth Artists |
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RULAN
TANGEN's
lifelong passion for dance began with professional debut at age 17,
and has taken her to United States, Canada, Europe, and South America
in the work of 40 choreographers. Ballet and modern dance companies
include: Michael Mao Dance and Peridance Ensemble of NYC, Berkshire
Ballet, Catskill Ballet Theater, Redwood Empire Ballet and Marin Ballet,
Moving People Dance Theater, One Soul dancing, Karen Jamieson Dance
Company. She has made guest appearances with One Railroad Circus and
Wise Fool Soulstice Circus. As a traditional Northern Plains powwow
dancer she has won championships in the Northeast. She has created lead
roles in Native dance projects including TRIBE, MINIGOOWEZEWIN, No Home
But The Heart, Kaha:Wi, Here On Earth, and the PBS televised 'Music
From a Painted Cave', with subsequent 80 city tour including the New
Orleans Jazz Festival. As a dance soloist she has been commissioned
to perform for H.R.H. Princes William and Henry in an Anti-Racism concert,
the Heard Museum, the DanceNow/NYC festival, and venues in California
and Brasil. Her dancing was featured in the film, "The New World"
and she also shares her love of dance through extensive teaching and
choreography.
"To live is to dance, to dance is to live"
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RAOUL
TRUJILLO (Guest Artist) danced with the Nikolais Dance Theater
from 1980 to 1986. He was the original choreographer and co-director
of the American Indian Dance Theater for its first two years. He continued
exploring native mythology and creating dance technique along with Alejandro
Ronceria in Toronto with Native Earth for the Performing Arts. His work
The Shaman’s Journey was turned into a dance film for PBS, along
with Alive From Off Center. He hosted and narrated the series Dancing,
also for PBS. He has performed at the Kennedy Center for the Arts and
has taught at the Banff Centre for Aboriginal Arts. He has worked extensively
as an actor in film and television, and continues to dance and choreograph.
He recently worked as a choreographer and principal actor, as interpreter
Tomocomo, in “The New World”, and stars in the Spielberg
mini-series “Into The West” as historic Chief Red Cloud.
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KALANI
QUEYPO (Guest Artist) was born and raised in Hawaii, and trained
in NYC and at the Banff Centre for Aboriginal Arts. Kalani has created
roles in the world premiere productions of Miinigooweziwin...The Gift,
Bones: An Aboriginal Dance Opera, Tribe, The Last American, Red Sky,
Transformations . In 2004 he helped launch Earth Dance Theater by appearing
at the naming ceremony and at UC Riverside’s Red Rhythms Conference.
As a noted actor, he recently appeared in Please Do Not Touch the Indians,
with Native Voices Theater in Los Angeles, and in numerous television
and film productions, including the infamous Strangers With Candy on
Comedy Central. Kalani also was featured in Spielberg’s mini-series
“Into The west”, and starred as Parahunt in "The New
World", a major motion picture by Terrence Malick, starring Colin
Farrell and Christian Bale.
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QUETZAL
GUERRERO , of heritage including Juaneno, Cambiva and Yaqui,
carries the name "precious feather" in the Aztec-Nahuatl language.
As a Suzuki trained violinist, he has studied and performed internationally
since the age of 5, playing with legends such as Tito Puente, Lalo Guerrero
and Jorge Santana. He is an accomplished visual artist and actor who
trains with Axe Capoiera. As a champion street dancer with Sourpatch,
he has appeared with H.T.Chen and Company of New York and was invited
to perform with Mikhail Baryshnikov. He was also a founding dancer with
Earth Dance Theater, premiering in the Naming Ceremony and the University
of California, Riverside’s Red Rhythms Conference. He recently
toured Europe with world renowned Osunlade and was working in Puerto
Rico as a new artist of Yoruba Records. Acting credits include “New
World” where his dancing and acting abilities were featured as
a core warrior.
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ANTHONY
CH-WL-TAS COLLINS is a member of the Salt River Pima/Maricopa,
Seneca, and Osage tribes and has been dancing for 14 years. He is a
frontrunner in cutting edge, experimental and creative urban street
dance. His unique sense of aesthetics extends to his visual artistry,
as awarded the T.C. Cannon Scholarship to the San Francisco Art Institute
for photography. As 2004 program coordinator for the Native American
Cultural Center of San Francisco and founder of the Earth Dance Street
Unit, he hosted native poetry events and creating incredible street
dance performances at unconventional spaces throughout San Francisco.
He has performed with “Kaha:wi”, “Here on Earth”,
Earth Dance Theater, Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, and the televised
Aboriginal Achievement Awards. He can be seen in the film “The
New World”, with on screen features as a core warrior, including
battle sequences, scaling rafters as Birdman, and dancing into the night
with glowing coals between his teeth.
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ALEJANDRO
MERAZ
was born and raised in Arizona, of the Tarasco First Nation. He attended
the New School for the Arts, apprenticing with master mask carver, Zarco
Guerrero. He trained for 2 years with Axe Capoiera and has won numerous
martial arts championships. Dancing under the name of Nomak, he is internationally
sought after as a break dancer and creative urban street dancer. He
also helped found Earth Dance Theater, premiering in The Naming Ceremony
at the University of California, Riversides Red Rhythms Conference.
His thoughts and perspectives on dance are influenced by his exquisite
drawings and paintings. He was featured as the Snake Shaman in The New
World, working with world famous fight choreographer, Andy Cheng. As
noted by the film crew, "he moves like a panther."
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JESSICA
MARISOL ALLEN
began her dance career at the age of 4 with Danza Azteca. At the age
of 10 she began her formal ballet and jazz training, including performances
with San Francisco Bay Areas Dance Brigade and with mother and artist
Gina Pacaldo. Jessica competed and toured throughout the United States,
Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Canada and Japan for 11 years
with national and world champion color guard performing units, incorporating
ballet, modern and jazz dance with complex stage design and pageantry.
In 2003, she performed professionally in the Tony Award winning Blast
show at the Queens Theater in London. She currently works as a television
personality on PBS and dance clinician in Los Angeles and England. She
hopes to one day capture the beauty she experiences through dance as
a filmmaker and director.
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HAPPY
FREJO
is a native performing artist who is a member of the Pawnee and Seminole
Nations of Oklahoma. She is an accomplished poet, dancer, singer/songwriter,
and actress. Happy travels across the United States to youth conferences,
conventions, camps and reservations conducting hip-hop workshops, sharing
her message of hope and acquiring love from within. Using her gifts
and talents, she desires to reach as many young people as she can, encouraging
them to go after their dreams with all the belief in themselves and
to strive to lead a positive and healthy lifestyle. She is currently
touring with Peter Buffetts SPIRIT as a performer and dance captain.
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Contents © 2004-2005 Rulan Tangen |
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