2012 RIAF set to hit all senses
The Ringling International Arts Festival, otherwise known as RIAF, marks the official start of the cultural season on Florida’s Cultural Coast.
A presentation of the Art of Our Time at The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, RIAF continues to attract many of the best and brightest minds shaping the art of today in contemporary dance, music, theater and film for an international exhibition of rich ideas in Sarasota/Bradenton, Fla.
This year’s Festival offers a surprising variety of performances on the stage, on the screen, and in the Skyspace, Oct. 10-13, 2012.
About the Festival
Presented annually since 2009, the Ringling International Arts Festival is produced under the artistic direction of the Baryshnikov Arts Center with Sarasota’s The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
RIAF takes place in the performance galleries of The Florida State University’s Ringling Center for the Arts and the beautiful estate of The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, situated by Sarasota bay on the Gulf of Mexico.
Since its inception, the Ringling International Arts Festival has thrilled audiences with many sold-out performances.
With yet another surprising range of productions, the 2012 Ringling International Arts Festival is poised to touch all the senses, appealing to a broad range of interests and tastes.
Festival highlights
Mark Morris Dance Group with MMDG Music Ensemble
Thursday, October 11@ 5 p.m., Friday October 12@8 p.m. and Saturday, October 13@2 p.m. at the Mertz Theatre 5555 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota- Internationally hailed for its ingenuity, humor, and commitment to eclectic live music, the Mark Morris Dance Group is one of the world’s leading dance companies, performing across US and at major festivals around the globe.
Shantala Shivalingappa, Shiva Ganga
Thursday, October 11@8 p.m., Friday October 12@5 p.m. and Saturday, October 13@5 p.m. at the Historic Asolo Theatre, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Born in India and reared in Paris, Shantala Shivalingappa dances in the classical Southern Indian tradition of third-century B.C. Kuchipudi, marrying a fierce precision with sensual flowing lines and deft intricate footwork.
Pig Iron Theatre Company, Zero Cost House
Thu Oct 11 @ 8PM Fri Oct 12 @ 2PM Fri Oct 12 @ 8PM Sat Oct 13 @ 5PM. The Jane B. Cook Theatre, FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The OBIE Award-winning Pig Iron Theatre Company and Chelfitsch’s Toshiki Okada collaborate on a new work of contemporary performance about re-reading Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, moving out of Tokyo, and a national scandal. A funny, elusive, unusual work of autobiography.
Carmen and Geoffrey
A film by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob Thursday, October 11@2 p.m. the Historic Asolo Theatre, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota, Carmen de Lavallade and Geoffrey Holder, two living legends of American dance, are the subjects of this documentary by Linda Atkinson and Nick Doob. Filmed over several years in the US, Trinidad and Paris, the film features interviews and dance performances with Alvin Ailey, Herbert Ross, Lester Horton, Joe Layton, Duke Ellington and Josephine Baker.
Phyllis Chen, Toy Piano
Friday, October 12@8 p.m. James Turrell Skyspace at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Praised by the New York Times for her “delightful quirkiness matched with interpretive sensitivity,” pianist Phyllis Chen can hold her own playing the classical repertoire on a conventional instrument, but over the past decade, she has become one of the world’s leading proponents of the toy piano.
The Dirty Dozen Brass Band and RIAF Closing Night Party
Saturday, October 13@6:30 p.m. The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Courtyard, 5401 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota. Raise a toast to RIAF 2012 and bid a fond adieu to the artists. Featuring the world-famous New Orleans music machine, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, whose name is synonymous with genre-bending romps and high-octane performances.
To view all RIAF events and shows visit RinglingArtFestival.org.
