Contemporary Dance Ensemble Human Nature returned to Arcosanti for their 13th annual week-long workshop and public performance.
Each performance is the presentation of a new work, developed during the workshop and residency at Arcosanti. This years project is "DANCEDOWNRIVER".
This performance at Arcosanti is the first phase of a project that continues in a rafting adventure for the group, down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.
Human Nature:
"In preparation for DanceDownRiver, we have chosen to step outside of the traditional proscenium stage, and instead begin to cultivate a body of work that is specific to the land, or the "site" in which we are creating. We have taken the opportunity to use the rich history and architecture of the Vaults at Arcosanti to form and shape the performance.
On the river the dance will be shaped not by the magnificent painted arches of Arcosanti, but by the rock, the stone, the silt, the mud, and the rushing waters of the Colorado River".
[note the double stage].

For this performance, the cafe crew, once again, put together a wonderful meal.
Vegetarian chef Erin Turner and chef Carrie Krueger presented a menu of:
Salmon with Dill and Capers, Portabello Mushrooms stuffed with Roasted Vegetables, Wild Rice Blend with Crinimi Mushrooms, Spinach Artichoke Soup with fresh Basil, Organic Greens with Radicchio, Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Pears and Vanilla Cream Pies with Caramel, Chocolate and Raspberry Sauce.

[from the performance program]
DANCEDOWNRIVER is a prayer for the river and for all wild places and wild things. It tells the story, in a non-literal sense, of the river's journey from source to sea.

[from left] Delisa Myles, Joanna Rotkin, Nathan Montgomery, Jayne Lee, Paul Moore [Arcosanti alumnus], and Mizu Desierto.

Human Nature integrates live music, spoken word, and dramatic lighting with their movement phrases, communicating their creative ideas on a variety of levels. Each performance contains a central idea or narrative that flows through a number of individual pieces.
Formed in 1994 by Jayne Lee and Delisa Myles, and based in northern Arizona, Human Nature performs regularly in Flagstaff, Prescott, and Jerome, as well as their annual engagement at Arcosanti. They work on a project-to-project basis, and have performed additionally in London, UK; Boulder, CO; and Sedona, Cottonwood, Tucson, and Phoenix, AZ.