Water is Rising
Music and Dance Amid Climate Change
Artists from the Pacific Atolls
of Kiribati, Tokelau, and Tuvalu
7:30 p.m. Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Eisenhower Auditorium
Kiribati and Tuvalu, two of the smallest countries in the world, and Tokelau, a tiny territory of New Zealand made up of three coral atolls, are on the front lines of climate change. Water is Rising brings together thirty-six music and dance artists from the central Pacific to celebrate the cultures of coral atolls at risk of being submerged by rising sea levels. For centuries the history, spiritual teachings, and social values of the atolls — located where the Equator meets the International Dateline — have been expressed through song and dance. Artistic expressions range from elegant, sensual, and delicate to exuberant, strong, and forceful. The island cultures are known for their self-confidence, precision, and originality. Water is Rising features new songs and dances, plus projected images, conveying the performers’ deep connections to nature, family, ancestors, and religion.
sponsors
Sandra Zaremba and Richard Brown
The presentation of Water is Rising was made possible by the MetLife Community Connections Fund of the New England Foundation of the Arts’ National Dance Project. Major support for NDP is also provided by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation with additional support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Boeing Company Charitable Trust.
Audio description, which is especially helpful to patrons with sight loss, is available for this performance at no extra charge to ticket holders.
See Time & Tide, an award-winning documentary about Tuvalu, at 2 p.m. Sunday, November 6, at the State Theatre in downtown State College. Tickets for the film, available at the State Theatre box office, are $5 each. Show your ticket for the Water is Rising Eisenhower performance and get $2 off the price of a ticket to the film.
Panel discussion open to public
Outside the Scientific Discourse, Yet One with Nature: The Culture, People, and Climate of Pacific Island Atolls is free and open to the public at 7 p.m. Monday, November 7, in Penn State’s Lewis Katz Building Auditorium. Participants examine climate change and its effects from scientific, legal, ethical, musical, and human perspectives. William Easterling, dean of Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, moderates. The panel includes Mikaele Maiava, Water is Rising artist from Tokelau, and Penn State faculty members Donald A. Brown, associate professor of environmental ethics, science, and law; Anne C. Clements, associate professor of music; and Jamison E. Colburn, professor of environmental law and policy. Refreshments will be served.
Penn State’s School of International Affairs, Center for Global Studies, and University Libraries provide support for the panel discussion. The United Nations Association of Centre County and the Centre County Council of Organizations also provide support.
