DANCING EARTH : Covid-19 ARTIST RELIEF FUND

DANCING EARTH Indigenous Creations: Covid-19 ARTIST RELIEF FUND 

Greetings. My name is Rulan Tangen, I am the Artistic Director of Dancing Earth Indigenous Creations. We are a community of global Indigenous and intertribal artists who gather to make dance theater as an expression of world-making, as a mobile institute of cultural learning built on indigenous values of generosity, reciprocity, and ecological balance. Right now the numerous artists of our community are struggling due to all creative public events being cancelled over the last three months and possibly through the rest of the year. 

The Dancing Earth community has nurtured many indigenous artists since its inception in 2004. Those of us in and close to the arts community know the financial pressures that have long been increasing - especially for artists of color.

This Artist Relief Fund is aimed at helping those in the Dancing Earth artistic community who have been financially impacted by cancellations of events due to COVID-19. To assist our Artistic First Responders, in receiving a living wage for being and enacting the creative work they do to bring hope and joy into the world. 

...they thought they could bury us, but they did not know we were seeds...


This scary and tragic time has a lot of people staying close to home in order to try to help prevent the spread of this virus that can be devastating to our elderly, disabled, and medically compromised friends and neighbors. While others - including some of our cultural artist ambassadors, are pushed into the front lines of grocery work, delivery services, and medical office support. We are proud of our courageous artists whose exciting touring was canceled but who immediately took on the responsibility to support their families by using their strong bodies to help others as low wage essential workers and farmers, while their hearts carry hopes and dreams of being able to return to being cultural artist ambassadors. 

Dancing Earth has responded to this crisis with characteristic innovation, creativity, service and compassion by developing almost daily online classes, presentations, lectures, and performances. We are offering a source of solace, a space of connection, and a way to share valuable tools for health and well being to our wider community. Online participants range from aspiring teen dancers looking for meaningful ways of moving, to Native elders, to people seeking emotional and physical healing from their pain and suffering, to community members across this country as well as Canada, Peru, Ecuador, Hungary, London, Kazakhstan, and India. 

In this crisis time arts are in high demand with daily requests to donate free content and we are meeting this demand in support of our communities needs. These online offerings are intended to be accessible to all people who need the transformative power of movement regardless of financial resources and thus are offered by donation only and do not provide anything close to a living wage for the artists, teachers, and elders who conduct them. 

… the pulsing heartbeat of earth, powers global dances of solidarity and hope… 


If you love Dancing Earth and the DE community please consider pitching in to our relief fund. All of the funds we raise will go to artists who have lost income due to cancellations and work stoppage due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While also offering a living wage to those artists engaged in teaching, performing, and lecturing through our online classes. 

And…Dancing Earth is fiscally sponsored by Intersection for the Arts, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which allows us to offer you tax deductions for your contributions.

Dancing Earth is a collective of community leaders who are passionate, energetic, and inspiring Artistic First Responders. We are embracing this crisis with actions filled with hope. Hope that empowers opportunity and nurtures well being and growth for our communities.

In the spirit of Service, Justice, Freedom, Courage, and Gratitude I extend my appreciation for our ongoing relationship of generous reciprocity!

Rulan Tangen, Founding & Artistic Director
Dancing Earth Indigenous Creations
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