The Ringling’s 2023-2024 Art of Performance Season Subscriptions Now Available

July 10, 2023 – Sarasota

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art (The Ringling) announces the 2023-2024 Art of Performance season in the Historic Asolo Theater (The HAT). Season subscriptions are now available. 

The 2023-2024 Art of Performance at the HAT will begin October 2023 and will continue through April 2024. The season includes 12 mainstage performances of dance, theater and music; six artist developmental residencies, one work in progress showing for Manasota performance makers and over a dozen free and discounted activities such as Master Classes and artists talks. 

“We are excited to present this amazing season of Florida-based and international artists,” says Elizabeth Doud, Currie-Kohlmann Curator of Performance Programs at The Ringling. “Building on the success of previous years, this season will continue to offer what patrons have come to love about Art of Performance—the opportunity to experience novel, vanguard performance works in an intimate setting. A Francophile undercurrent will run through this year’s programming and we will also pay homage to Hispanic heritage in exciting ways.”

The Ringling’s Art of Performance season will deliver broad access to provocative and timely performing arts that reflect a wide range of experiences, disciplines, and relevant cultural expressions. The series embodies The Ringling’s values of inclusion, inspiration, and excellence through performance programs that elevate community engagement, community partnerships, and the plural exchange of ideas in tandem with visiting artists. The program supports Florida-based, national, and international performance makers in developmental residencies and creative research in The Ringling’s theater facilities.

The official 2023-24 Art of Performance season will kick off October 20, 2023 withLa Dame Blanche under the stars in the Museum of Art’s courtyard. All performances will take place in the HAT, unless otherwise noted. 

La Dame Blanche (Paris, France via Havana, Cuba) 

October 20, 2023; 7:30 p.m. 
             Museum of Art Courtyard

With her expansive mix of hip-hop, female empowerment, and dancehall, singer-flautist, and percussionist Yaite Ramos Rodriguez, aka La Dame Blanche, delivers a powerful sound that summons the spirits. Daughter of Buena Vista Social Club’s Jesús “Aguaje” Ramos, she triumphantly fuses the best of her musical ancestry with fearless innovation.  Tickets are $35 and $31.50 for Ringling members and can be purchased at ringling.org. Food and beverage available for purchase. VIP tickets are available for $125. VIP tickets include food, drink, priority parking and seating.  

FLAFlamenco Mini-Festival

November 2-5, 2023

The enduring art of Flamenco is an intangible cultural heritage of humanity that evokes profound feelings of grief, triumph, tragedy, rejoicing and fear, and wields a dramatic embodiment of passion, courtship and conquest.  Each generation of Flamencos deepens the genre’s timeless resonance. This mini festival presents some of Flamenco’s hottest names from Spain and the diaspora, featuring the traditions of cante, baile and toque.  The two featured performances include:

Israel Fernandez and Diego del Morao 

November 2, 2023; 7:30 p.m.

Experience cante jondo and Spanish classical and Flamenco guitar with two celebrated innovators. Israel rejuvenates the cante of yesteryear, endowing it with fresh elements that appeal to fans of today. Diego has the virtue of sounding classical and modern at the same time. Poised between the ancient and contemporary worlds, these two artists bring a fresh perspective on the tradition of cante jonda and Spanish classical and Flamenco guitar.  Israel blends a rejuvenated cante with Diego’s unique sound that is simultaneously classical and modern.  This one-night-only event celebrates the exciting evolution of Flamenco. 

Lo Preciso by Rafael Ramírez

November 4, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

November 5, 2023 at 5 p.m.

Lo Preciso (the essential) is the newest contemporary Flamenco work by the spectacular Spanish dancer and choreographer Rafael Ramírez. This intense solo dance work accompanied by live musicians is a dueling quest for artistic precision and an ecstatic call and response delivery of the masculine prowess of the form.    

While in Sarasota, the artists will give Flamenco dance and guitar masterclasses.

• November 4 
  Masterclasses Flamenco Dance with Irene Rodriguez
  
• November 5     
  Master Class of Flamenco Dance with Rafael Ramirez            
  Master Class of Flamenco Guitar with Rafael Ramirez

Congo Jazz Band by Les Francophonies (France/Burkina Faso/Congo)

Theater / Directed by Hassane Kassi Kouyaté / Written by Mohamed Kacimi

November 16, 2023 at 11 a.m.

November 17 & 18, 2023 at 7:30 p.m.

A tragic century of the Congo is brought to life through an unassuming concert of Congolese music, a form that was both monopolized by nationalist dictators and utilized by revolutionaries as a force for change.  Moving between playing in “the band” and embodying figures from Congo’s history, Kouyate’s brilliant Leopold II and Patrice Lumumba tumble through time. The work’s razor-sharp text cuts through musical interludes and moments of grave seriousness, balanced with comedic irony and an upbeat sound. Performed in French with English supertitles.

Artist Talk: Join us for an Artist Talk with Director Hassane Kassi Kouyaté 

November 15,2023

La Santa Cecilia (Los Angeles)

December 12, 2023; 6 p.m.

The Campiello

LSC exemplifies the modern-day creative hybrid of Latin culture, rock and world music. Pan-American rhythms including cumbia, bossa-nova, rumba, bolero, tango, jazz and klezmer music pulse within the band’s Mexican heritage, resounding as the voice of a new bicultural generation. Held bayfront at The Ringling’s Ca’ d’Zan Campiello, the evening will celebrate Virgen de Guadalupe’s Feast Day.

MicroWIP (Manasota)

January 27, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

Catch the first glimpse of the newest performance being made in the Sarasota-Manatee area! The Ringling’s commitment to Florida-based artists includes emerging performance practitioners, and the MicroWIP (Micro Works-in-Progress) showcase provides local creatives a platform to advance new work. By presenting works-in-progress, The Ringling offers a semi-formal way for artists to experiment with new ideas in front of live audiences. 

Creole Soul by Etienne Charles (Miami, FL via Trinidad-Tobago)

February 15 & 16, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

Jazz trumpet sensation Etienne Charles’ lush sound, varied compositional textures, and pulsating percussive grooves enable him to invoke trance as he soothes and excites listeners. Trinidad-born performer, composer, and storyteller Charles’ Sarasota premiere promises complexity and swing.

Rave Lucid by Mazelfreten (France)

February 22, 2024; 11 a.m.

February 23-24, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

In a thrilling tribute to electro dance, Rave Lucid combines choreographed movements at 120 bpm that require unfailing concentration. Hypnotic arm games celebrate “rave” as a party, an organic trance, and “lucid” state where extreme control achieves perfect synchronization.

While in Sarasota, the artists will give a masterclass based on their choreography.

BélO (Haiti)

March 8 & 9, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

Hailed as Haiti’s musical ambassador to the world, BélO galvanizes the pride, cultural identity and resilience of the Haitian people.  This socially conscious singer-songwriter’s sound is a sublime mixture of jazz, worldbeat, rock, reggae, and Afro-Haitian traditional rhythms known as “Ragganga.” 

Florida Woman by Rosie Herrera (Miami) and Leah Verier-Dunn (Sarasota)

March 21, 2024; 11 a.m.

March 22-24, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

Florida Woman will be a world-premiere and is a dance theater elegy to the stereotypes and myths of Floridian life. Juxtaposing the lawlessness and freedom evoked by the “Florida Man” internet meme with the prevalence of restrictive laws on women’s bodies, the performance interrogates the aesthetic beauty of Florida as a bastion for all things wild and hopeful.   

The artists will give an artist talk about their process while at The Ringling prior to their premiere.

Un Poyo Royo (Agentina)

April 6, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

April 7, 2024; 5 p.m.

April 8, 2024; 11 a.m.

In an empty locker room, two men play with movement, an analogue radio and tiny shorts. The performers’ athletic bodies move fluently from wrestling to dance, acrobatics to physical comedy, in an irresistible distortion of the expectations of manhood. A funny, raw, playful hour interspersed with competitiveness and camaraderie, as well as seduction and sabotage. While in Sarasota, the artists will give a movement masterclass based on their performance technique.

La Famille GoldenCrust (Quebec)

April 18-20, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

April 21, 2024; 11 a.m.

The GoldenCrust Family is a kitsch, fun and humorous outdoor performance spectacle, trailer-park style! In their magnificent RV, the tacky and raucous duo present their comedy and circus show: a show worthy of the most prestigious campgrounds and shopping malls in Florida. They have the heart and the ambition, the only thing that’s missing are the pyrotechnic effects, the technicians, and the entire cast of dancers. 

Parisian Refraction (Sarasota)

Led by Samantha Bennet and George Nickson, ensembleNEWSRQ

New Classical Music

May 9 & 10, 2024; 7:30 p.m.

May 11, 2024; 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. 

This adventurous four-part series explores works and composers that either embody the City of Light, have been commissioned by groups in Paris, or are deeply inspired or affected by the French capital. Performances showcase and highlight both the similarities and global differences of musicians who have been changed by Paris.  

Hispanic Heritage 

Additionally, patrons will be able to celebrate Hispanic heritage throughout the season. The following Hispanic-themed programs will take place:

September 14-October 12 Perret Performance Studio, 6:30 –8 p.m. 

Patrons are invited to participate in a Salsa Series with Sarasota’s lead Latin Dance instructors DK Dance. 

• Class prices for Ringling Members:
  • $12 for drop-in class ($60 total)
  • $10 per class as part of package ($50)

• Class prices for non-members:
  • $16 for non-members drop-in classes ($80)
  • $14 per class as part of package ($70) 

• Students with ID can purchase $10 drop in tickets.

Three films will focus on various genres of Ibero and Latin American diasporic performance

• October 6^th at 6:30 p.m.
  Calle 54
  

• September 29; 1 p.m.
  In the Heights
  
• November 3; 1 p.m.
  Iberia

Three of the season performances also pay homage to Hispanic heritage:

• October 20, La Dame Blanche:  Music the Cuban diaspora 
• December12, La Santa Cecilia:  Music from Mexico/USA 
• April 6-8, Un Poyo Rojo:  Dance from Argentina 

Artist Residencies

The Art of Performance is successfully hosting an increasing number of artists in residence at The Ringling. Working in a variety of disciplines locally, nationally, and internationally, residencies reinforce the essentials for artistic creation: time, space and resources to experiment and iterate while prototyping works for public presentations, exhibitions and touring. In all disciplines, most new works develop in multi-year incubation periods, and this is why artist residencies privilege process over product. 

This season’s Artists in Residence at The HAT will include the following:  

• Modesto “Flako” Jimenez. Actor, Playwright, Founder of Oye Group. Brooklyn, NY.
• Jasmine Hearn. Dancer, Choreographer. Houston, TX.
• Rosie Herrera. Dancer, Choreographer, Director of Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre. Miami, FL.
• Leah Verier-Dunn. Dancer, Choreographer, Director of Moving Ethos. Sarasota, FL.
• Moira Finucane. Performer, Director, founder of Finucane & Smith. Melbourne, Australia.
• Brinae Ali. Tap dancer, choreographer. Baltimore, MD.
• John Heginbotham. Dancer, Choreographer, Director of Dance Heginbotham. NYC, NY.

Season subscriptions begin at $120 and patrons are able to mix and match from a wide selection of shows or buy the full series. Season subscriptions can be purchased at ringling.org or by calling 941-360-7399. Single tickets will go on sale September 1, 2023.