July 2009
Aug 29, 2009 2009
Rulan heads to Salem Oregon for Native Wellness Institute’s Youth Leadership Camp, with star Native athletics coaches in football and basketball. The hard work was rewarded by a trip to the Nike headquarters where Sam McCracken gave inspirational speeches.
At the Santa Fe Photo Workshops, Rulan was photographed in a workshop led by the famed Andrew Eccles, shown here in image by student 
Nigel Gregory.
Also, at the Santa Fe Art Institute Rulan created a site specific solo, for the visiting MacDowell colony, in which she interacted with Ana McArthur’s installation of “Where Light meets Water , Murumu on the Equator” – cast of the world’s largest water lily, in the Amazon Rainforest of Brasil.
May/June 2009
Aug 29, 2009 2009
Rulan models for the exquisite leather designer Tiffany Gremillion, for a campaign photographed by the amazing Iscah Trujillo! Makeup products used for these looks are from two amazing woman-owned companies that create luxurious eco-friendly cosmetics without parabens or petroleum, see the beautiful mineral colors for a vast selection of skintones ( yaayy!) at www.earthenglowminerals.com and exotic lipsticks and glosses at www.primitivemakeup.com .
exquisite suede craftmanship
Fire Lotus sculpture by Kasia, for Burning Man
Directly after returning from Europe to attend Tony Abeyta’s art openings in Paris, France and Bristol, England, DANCING EARTH presents OF BODIES OF CLAY in Sedona, for the first Festival of Native Arts and Culture, and in Alaska, at the invitation of the Yu’Pik Nation’s Calista Corp. The Alaska engagement included guest powwow dancers Ria Thundercloud, John Paul Rangel, and Gentry St Cyr. Dancers please send in your photos of the whales and caribou for posting!
Back row, L to R : Serena Rascon, Edgar garcia, Ria Thundercloud, Jennifer Ben, Jose Meraz, Alyxis Ttrujiilo. In center, lower : Gentry St Cyr, John Paul Rangel and Rulan. Photo courtesy of Frieda Seebold, of Calista Corp and Yu’Pik nation. Koyannah Frieda!
April 2009
Aug 29, 2009 2009
Rulan Tangen accepted the award on behalf of ANCESTOR EYES for Best Short Film at the North American Indigenous Image Awards held at the Isleta Casino in New Mexico . Also winning was Raoul Trujillo, as Best Actor for APOCALYPTO and Eli Secody for Best Traditional Recording. Andrea True-Joy Fox, last yrs Miss Blackfoot Canada, came down to support the Runway Beauty Calendar and assist in handing awards.
***NEWS FLASH !!*****
DANCING EARTH proudly announces the casting of one of our core dancers, Alex Meraz , in the lead role of werewolf Paul in NEW MOON, a sequel to TWILIGHT. This casting, by Rene Haynes, was much anticipated , because of the commitment of the production to cast Native Americans in pivotal roles. Alex’s professional dance experience in USA and Canada will doubtless be instrumental in the embodiment of his anthropomorphic character, as will as his work in front of camera ( The New World, Two Spirits One Journey) and behind camera as filmmaker for “Urundun/The End” featuring cast of DANCING EARTH members in all the major acting roles. Congratulations Alex!
Alex Meraz, Photo by Anthony C. Collins
DANCING EARTH new members were selected in a Phoenix audition, for creation of a new work entitled “Of Bodies Of Clay”, commissioned by the NCECA Conference. Public open dress rehearsal will be held at :
ASU Tempe Campus : 510 East Orange Ave Room 132, on April 8 from 1230-2pm. Email for confirmation and details to Rulan@dancingearth.org
Featured dancers will be Quetzal Guerrero, Edgar Garcia, Serena Rascon, Nichole Salazar, Alyxis Trujillo, Eagle Young, Eric Lopez and understudy Jose Meraz in the choreography of Rulan Tangen.
The work was shown this month at the NCECA conference, and at ASU for students, faculty, staff and Arizona community.
In performance at ASU, Serena Rascon. Photo by Alex Quintana
Nichole Salazar, Flying at sunset in Arizona. Photo Alex Quintana
“Thank you for this and your wonderful presentation!” – Naomi Jackson, Ph D. Instructor of Global Dance History Class at Herberger College of Art and Design ASU
Later in the month, The Rotary Club of Santa Fe invited Rulan Tangen to show excerpts of the new work, including local Native youth, at their special event at the Scottish Rite Temple honoring Multi-faceted artist Nora Naranjo-Morse.
Eric Lopez in action
at Scottish Rite Temple, honoring Nora Naranjo-Morse, with 9 local Native youth integrated into the cast!
in action, at NCECA. Photo Alex Qunitana
March 2009
Aug 29, 2009 2009
Rulan Tangen in residence as guest faculty in the dance department of Herberger College, Arizona State University in Phoenix. Activities include teaching community dance workshops at ASU, Cuervo Art Gallery, and Gila River Boys and Girls Club, guest lecturing for Global Dance History Course .
Also, with tech assistance from instructor John Mitchell, Rulan coordinated of global simulcast with Liz Johnson’s dance class in Northern hemisphere, with Professor Terri Crawford and students in Aotearoa in the Southern hemisphere, in honor of the March equinox.
Courtesy of Joe Baker, Director of Community Engagement, the residency ends with 4 site specific improviational performances by DANCING EARTH , at the ASU Art Museum for the ALAC (Alliance of Latino Arts and Culture), Galina’s Couture Boutique in Scottsdale, Night Gallery at Tempe Marketplace, and the Children’s Museum of Phoenix.
Serena, Edgar, Quetzal and Rulan after show at Galina's Couture
Audiences had this to say:
“The performance was impressive.”- Jesus Hernandez, director NPTV channel
“I received many positive comments from members and perspective members on the beauty of the performance and effectiveness of the event.” – Carmen Guerrero, Alliance of Latino Arts and Culture Membership Chair
“Your passion to connect with our community was clear, thank you again”- Erlinda Torres,President, ALAC Board of Directors
February 2009
Aug 29, 2009 2009
Jaco Cortes and wife, music teacher Ariane Estrada-Cortes, welcomed in new life with the joyous birth of baby girl Camila Carolina Cortes in San Francisco on February 5th, Felicidades!
DANCING EARTH begins this semesters Cultural Creative Movement Programs in Santa Fe at the Sweeney Public School and La Mariposa Elementary School, working with grades 4-8 in Creative movement, Rhythm, and Capoeira with the brilliant instructor and diversity coach Deollo Johnson.
Rulan also is guest instructor this month for IAIA’s theater course, working in tandem with Raoul Trujiilo.
January 2009
Aug 29, 2009 2009
DANCING EARTH BAY AREA auditions for San Francisco’s Ethnic Dance Festival with student dancers from afterschool program, run by Jaco Hernandez Cortes, former soloist of Ballet Folklorico de Mexico. Last year was Jaco’s first year performing at that festival, and his solo image was featured on the Festival T-shirt and poster ( as seen in Dance Magazine)!
In Santa Fe, Nichole Salazar and Rulan posed in DANCING EARTH costumes and repertory for painter Mateo Romero, last year’s poster artist for SWAIA’s Indian Market.
Rulan also danced with Roger Montoya as the male and female spirits of the Tree of Life for fashion designer Elisa Jiminez’ show at 516 ARTS Gallery in downtown Albuquerque
duet, Rulan with Roger Montoya for ELISA JIMINEZ fashion show
April 2007
Aug 29, 2009 2007
This month Rulan choreographed a project for Santa Fe Opera’s program for public school children. “AVANYU” was co-created with the Pecos Elementary School 5th grade, along with composer Milton Villarubia III who brought in a background of Brasilian and New Orleans rhythms.
While in New York City, Rulan visited choreograher Michael Mao, in rehearsal at City Center. Rulan was a featured soloist in Mao’s company in the 90s.
May 2007
Aug 29, 2009 2007
Another Santa Fe Opera childrens program was choreographed by Rulan this month: “Palimpsest” by director Acushla Bastible and co-created by the student performers was presented at the Scottish Rite Temple.
Rulan also performed and collaborated as an artist mentor with Little Globe Productions on a community opera called “Memorylines”, co- produced by Lensic Theater and Santa Fe Opera.
June 2007
Aug 29, 2009 2007
Four new dance works were choreographed by Rulan for the Santa Fe Film Festival at the Lensic Theater. Opening night featured “Origi-nation” to the mesmerizing Peyote Healing song from Robbie Robertson’s album, with 6 dancers spreading wet red clay on eachothers bodies. Special thanks to Santa Fe Clay for the donation of the clay! Dancers included Nichole Salazar ( a teen student of Rulan, newly returned from several years as a lead dancer with Cleo Parker Robinson in Denver), veteran dancer and painter Roger Montoya, Ballet Folkorico de Mexico’s famed dancer Jaco Cortes, amazing capoeirista and diversity lecturer Deollo Johnson, and talented apprentices Ria Thundercloud and Ruben Rascon. This dance reflected the re-discovery of a creation story, and was previewed outdoors at the courtyard of the Institute of American Indian Arts.
Roger Montoya and Nichole Salazar in front of painting by Leland Chapin, photo by Anna Dickinson
The Sunday community program featured 2 male and 2 female dancers dancing to the socially conscious lyric’s of Pomo hip-hop artist Ras K Dee’s “Mother Earth”, with bold yellow t-shirts stencilled by Leland Chapin with images of archetypal warrior/leader Tatanka Iyotanka.
Closing night featured a sensual duet inspired by people of land and water confluence, and an aerial hoop solo to Ulali’s compelling “All My Relations”.
Meanwhile that same week in Argentina, Rulan presented a performance installation with cultural artist Leland Chapin, entitled TIERRAS CUERPO-REALIDADES. The Centro Cultural in the Recoleto of Buenos Aires had over a thousand visitors daily, witnessing the artworks, body painting, movement and installation created inside the Gallery. Inspired by four decades of research by Leland’s father Mac Chapin, the installation used indigenous mapping symbols as the primary theme. Rulan and Leland attended many important lectures and workshops as part of the Hemispheric Encuentro of Performance and Politics, focused on this year’s theme of Body Politics.
July 2007
Aug 29, 2009 2007
DANCING EARTH was invited for a one week residency at the Idyllwild Arts Program in Southern California, at the recommendation of our long time champion Joe Baker of the Heard Museum. We were especially revitalised by several guest artists who raised funds from their government or private sources to join us, including Cherith Mark of the Nakoda Nation, Regina Aquilera of the Native Wellness Institute, music teacher Ariane Estrada, and KOROU Prouctions- a contingent of 9 Maori performers led by visionary Terri Ripeka Crawford and including fashion designer Tracey Marama LLoydd. Upon arrival we were greted with bird singers of local host Nation pf the Cahuilla people. The outdoor performance was truly a flowering of international Indigenous cultural exchange, featuring choreography by Rulan, Terri and Jaco Cortes’ adaptation of the Deer Dance in a seamless weaving of stories of earth, water , fire and air elements.
Ria Thundercloud in regalia at Idyllwild, photo by Anthony C. Collins
Later that month Rulan travelled to Southern Alberta to create a Kainai-culture based solo for her relative Andrea True Joy Fox. In preparation, historic landmarks of mountains and museums were visited as well as visiting with her grandmother and mother for language and story sharing. The soundtrack was sung by talented vocalist , sister Shaneen Fox.