Meklit Hadero
The 2011 Ringling International Arts Festival is behind us. The third annual Festival met with positive reviews and enthusiastic audiences, but now the sets are packed away and the artists have all gone on to other venues. As the excitement and energy fades, we want to thank all of the artists and visitors who made it all possible. Without the artists, the Festival cannot challenge and enlighten audience members. Without the audience, the Festival cannot continue to bring compelling and innovative work to life in Sarasota. Think of your favorite memories and know that we will be back again next year! Here is a favorite memory from Dwight Currie, Associate Director for Exhibitions and Programs for The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art:
With all the sights and sounds of RIAF 2011 still fresh in my mind, I want to share just one out of a thousand special moments that made this year’s festival so meaningful and memorable.
It came when the mesmerizingly beautiful Meklit Hadero began to sing, “Walk up, walk up straight through the roof. Straight through the hole in the ceiling, take your place in the sky.” She seemed to be soaring – and she was taking us with her – - right up to that “place in the sky” where all great art gives us the power and perspective to see and live our lives more fully.
RIAF 2011 was filled with moments like that. What was yours? Will you share with us that instant when you were lifted to “your place in the sky?” I hope you do. It will help keep the spirit of RIAF alive until we gather again next October.
And between now and then? Well, you should know that Meklit’s song Walk Up was inspired by the work of James Turrell – the extraordinary artist who has created a Skyspace for the Ringling Museum. As Meklit puts it, when you enter a Turrell Skyspace “you have the sense that you’re going up into the sky, as well as sinking into yourself at the same time.” If you want to be among the very first in Sarasota to have that experience for yourself, I urge you to join us on the Winter Solstice (December 22) when the Ringling Skyspace will open to the world – and we’ll gather together in a new “place in the sky.”
To learn more about that opportunity: www.ringling.org/solstice
Hamlet is a brilliant play and seeing it again only proves Shakespeare’s genius even more. The words are brilliant, witty and dramatic. The Wooster Group, however, displays their own genius with a radical reinterpretation of the Bard’s masterwork. The Group emerged in the late 70′s. The original members include some well known actors such as Spalding Grey and Willem Dafoe.
The world of Irish step dancing takes a unique turn in Colin Dunne’s Out of Time. The world champion dancer and former Riverdance performer has taken on the daunting task of a solo dance piece that explores the roots and traditions of Irish step dancing. He not only goes to his phenomenal ability to tell the story, but he also uses video and sound to expand the view of what the dance style is and where it comes from.
Last night at the Ringling International Arts Festival I was treated to one of the most unique shows I have ever experienced. Soledad Villamil is a beautiful performer who takes the stage and in broken english, tells the crowd how pleased she is to be at the Festival. All of her songs are in Spanish but the emotion and texture of her performance transcends any language. The crowd was completely enthralled from the first song all the way to her standing ovation at the end of her set.
Be part of art at the Ringling! Beyond the stage performances are RIAF 360 special exhibitions, lectures, tours, music and more. Chill out and check out the contemporary art, listen to some jazz on the bay, or bring the family to the interactive galleries at the Circus Museum and participate in a living sculpture. Now is your chance! Here is everything you need to know…
