Dancing Earth & Delbert Anderson’s DDAT!
Dancing Earth & Delbert Anderson’s DDAT!
When Covid hits, what do Indigenous musicians and dancers do?
Collaborate & Create!
Delbert Anderson and Dancing Earth are both fellows of Advancing Indigenous Performance Initiative of Western Arts Alliance. We first met in 2014 and were impressed by each others dynamic creativity, discipline, and commitment to positive impact on Native communities as well as distinctive contribution to global performance . In tough times, we decided to turn ‘the blues’ into revitalizing inspiration, for each other and for the world!
DDAT is an independently released collection of 11 songs everything the band has been called by entities like NPR, Yahoo.com and Mic.com: Funky, Poetic, Complex, Forward Thinking and Out of the Box. Blending Def-’s intelligent and poetic words and hip hop style with the hard driving funk and jazz jams of Delbert Anderson (Trumpet), Nicholas Lucero (Drums) and Mike McCluhan (Bass) - DDAT has carved their own path with their desert forged influences and world class musicianship as evident as on every track on the album.
“DDAT” is an independently released album recorded and mastered at Eagle Sound in Durango, CO.
“Culturally enriching and technically superb. The integration of rap and jazz was indescribable.” -Doug L. Director of Ridgecrest Petroglyph Festival
Dancing Earth is an Indigenous contemporary dance theater ensemble embodying the intention to renew and revitalize culture, community , and cosmologies through performing arts. Founded by Artistic director Rulan Tangen, to serve a need not met in the USA, DEC gives hope and opportunity to Native talent who are outside the dialogue of mainstream performance because of lack of access. DEC is an organic constellation of largely self-taught Indigenous dancers, composers, costumers, filmmakers, and spoken word artists. Together, DEC artists explore the rich diversity of Indigenous heritage and contemporary identity, collaborating on innovative culturally based performances. DEC's work promotes ecological awareness, cultural diversity, and understanding between peoples through contemporary Indigenous arts expressions.
“ Beauty, power, and wit… something acutely mythological” -Anthony Hassett, THE Magazine
These short dance films reflect the freshness of DDAT musicality, pushing the multi-disciplinary talents and creative resilience of the performers, now becoming “Do It Yourself” filmmakers!
With spontaneity, hope, and gutsiness we are honored to shared with you 5 mini films!
DDAT tracks with inspired improvisations by Dancing Earth artists Natalie Benally, Justin Giehm, Raven Bright, Ciera Budge and Lumhe Sampson, of First Nations of Dine, Mono, Seneca, and Mvsvke Creek.