HERE ON EARTH
Choreographed by Kaha:wi Dance Theatres Artistic Director, Santee Smith, Here On Earth originates in the Iroquoian belief that human beings dwelled in the Sky and dreamt their existence on Earth.
The work explores our spiritual connections to the land, and the idea of Earth as a living organism, Earth as Mother and Earth as sacred.
Four primal Beings journey from the Sky to touch the Earth. Each takes a path that leads them through an incredible journey of discovery and transformation. They thrive in the world of the seen and the unseen, real and intangible, of past, present, future. Time stands still as dancers become shamans transforming from humans to animals. Moving through shape and form, they unite in ritual expression, inhabiting the land of the spirits: animal, plant and human. Here On Earth is where we come to live out a dream.
For a moment spirit, earth, sky and dream are captured in image, shape and sound and the potential for nightmares, too: the alienation and dysfunction caused when we ignore our mystical connection with the land. The original composition for Here On Earth is a product of three internationally renowned World musical leaders: composer Donald Quan, David Maracle (Mohawk) and percussionist Rick Shadrach Lazar. Together they have created a highly charged soundscape.
