Trailer: Dance Video
Mass Cultural Council Artist Fellowship Award Recipient: Choreography
Trailer: 4 minute version
Blurring the line between dance and art, “Heaven and Earth: A Dialogue Between Worlds” is inspired by the artist’s interest in the Buddhist concept of transforming suffering into moments of joy. In keeping with the classic rose petal paintings the artist is renowned for, the film is set among a mandala of fresh rose petals, a sensorial circle of divinity representing enlightened energy from the heavens.
Schouela speaks of the endless cycle of healing and suffering that is part of the human condition. The dance merges heaven with earth in a dialogue addressing the fine line between the physical burdens of earthly existence and the transcending experience of freedom. The film calls to the spiritual notion of slowing down and paying attention to each awakened moment.
Written and directed by Lori Schouela, co-choreographed by Lori Schouela and Junichi Fukuda