August 2007

Rulan is featured in this month's THE magazine in a photo that depicts her solo "The Naming', and her writing is featured in the El Dorado Sun along with a photo by Jennifer Esperanza, in fashions by Patricia Michaels.Indian Market in Santa Fe brought opportunities for Rulan and Leland to present different sections of the HEMI ENCUENTRO installation, re-titled BODY LAND MAPS. At the Gary Farmer Gallery, they presented body paint and dance solo with theme of wild plant medicine, alongside paintings by emerging Aboriginal artists.In the blue tiled courtyard of the prestigious Santa Fe Art Institute, director Diane Karp invited Rulan and Leland to develop the Encuentro  material for an outdoor presentation that emphasized the  symbiotic connection between sky and water, while Leland's paintings were hung in an indoor gallery.In the Center for Contemporary Arts'  lobby of graffiti inspired wall art, Rulan and Leland created an exciting site specific body art and dance focusing on the modern rift of society post-separation from Indigenous land values, including scaling a ladder and traditional powwow dancing in high heeled boots! This was shown as the pre-show entertainment before the premiere of "Water Flows Together", Gwendolyn Cates thoughtful bio- documentary on dance collague Jock Soto, a Navajo/Puerto-Rican prinicpal dancer at the famed New York City Ballet for over 2 decades.DANCING EARTH films "Of Antlers" ( by Ed Griegos) and "La Renaissance Indigene" ( by Larry Blackhorse Lowe) were also presented at the Native Film Festival during Indian Market.