BELLA GAIA - Beautiful Earth - NEWS

Artist Residency at Columbia University / Barnard College Movement Lab

10/13/2019

This past July, Kenji Williams was invited to be an artist in residence at Columbia University's new Groundbreaking Hi-Tech "Movement Lab" at Barnard College. Working with Choreographer Irina Akulenko, Digital Designer Khairul Rahimi, and dancer Allison Costa.

The mission was clear - we needed a way to track the body, real-time, through a layer of scrim that also creates tracker-distorting holograms. The residency tested various ideas to overcome this challenge, testing thermal cameras, and various infrared triggers and cameras. This was an extension of Kenji's previous artist residency at the U. of Colorado Boulder, where the original holographic production was created and presented live. .

Thank you to Movement Lab director Gabri Christa, Guy de Lancey and Georgia Michalovic.

WHIRL into ECSTASY w BELLA GAIA's newest production: CORIOLIS ENGINE

7/12/2019

Bella Gaia's newest piece by composer, director Kenji Williams, & Sufi Whirling artist Läle Sayoko:
"Coriolis Engine"
First performed at the United Palace of Cultural Arts for UNITY EARTH, and again at Miller Outdoor Theatre and many more during our 13 show Spring Tour, Coriolis Engine was added to Bella Gaia's finale section, ending the show with ecstatic power and meaning. Please Share!
Sufi Whirling: Lale Sayoko
Vocals: Kristin Hoffmann
Koto: Yumi Kurosawa
Wind: Premik Russell Tubbs
Composer, Director: Kenji Williams
Tour Management and Curation: Rhiannon Catalyst
Camera: Ben Doyle Runaway Productions

Transformative Theater Show uses nature, science to explore beauty

6/17/2019

"I mean, that's part of the reason we visit these countries and see this beautiful dance or music, is that humanity has beauty, and we have a creative role in the universe. We're not just cancerous parasites. I do think humanity has a role to play in the evolution of the universe. And we are at a difficult point in the evolution of our species where it is an existential moment for us. So we need to be reminded of this moment, but also of the beauty amid the peril." - Kenji Williams Full Article->

Walton Arts Center partners with United Way for flood relief By: Heath Higgs

6/5/2019

“Bella Gaia was already planned to be the 10th anniversary celebration of Artosphere, Arkansas’ Arts + Nature Festival,” said Peter B. Lane, president and CEO of Walton Arts Center. “Now we will also celebrate the generosity of our community by turning this performance into a community fundraiser.”

Watch the BELLA GAIA and Kenji Williams live TV Interview in Colorado on KUSA-TV

2/26/2019

SEATTLE Press: NASA-inspired ‘Bella Gaia’ explores planet with music, dance

1/14/2019

..."“I really wanted to create an experience that transformed people,” Williams said. “There needs to be a new emphasis and value in emotional connections to very abstract things, like climate change.”
”Bella Gaia” turns the stage into a planetarium-like display with NASA-powered imagery. (NASA)" - Herald.net
READ FULL ARTICLE:
https://www.heraldnet.com/life/nasa-inspired-bella-gaia-explores-planet-with-music-dance/

BELLA GAIA on the front cover of Cadenza Artists Magazine

11/8/2018

BELLA GAIA is on the front cover of the fall issue of Cadenza Artists Magazine featuring an interview with Kenji Williams inside. Among other things, he discussed the BELLA GAIA's exciting interplay between technology and live performance, sharing a deeper look into where the imagery comes from: "Everything is real data - not just pretty pictures. We use an earth visualization software that downloads NASA satellite data and maps it onto a 3D globe with a flight simulator. The more complex scientific visualizations are created by NASA's SVS (Scientific Visualization Studio), and they curate and send me updated visualizations of their latest data from missions." Read the full interview on pages 8-9 of the magazine.

NASA Hologlobe Ceremony & IceSat-2 Launch

10/9/2018

The NASA-sponsored live multimedia art and science program titled “Beautiful Earth,” (Solvang Festival Theater), an under the stars countdown for the ICESat-2 satellite launch, featured BELLA GAIA with the latest NASA data visualizations, remarks by Project Scientist Thorsten Markus, and a 'first of its kind' ‘hold the Earth' augmented reality experience using HoloGLOBE (guided by VR expert Lia Oganesyan and envisioned and designed by Kenji Williams.)
Photo credit: Len Wood / Santa Maria Times
Read the full article

Partnership Announcement with EcoShip - PeaceBoat

7/17/2018

We are announcing an exciting partnership between Peaceboat's Ecoship and BELLA GAIA. In 2020, aboard the Ecoship, the new 1000-seat Broadway theater will feature BELLA GAIA as the main live show. BELLA GAIA will serve not only the Ecoship's 2000 passengers but also serve the residents of multiple cities around the world like Barcelona, New York, Rio de Janeiro, Capetown, Vancouver, and many more, who will board the ship to see the show while EcoShip is docked at port. This will bring BELLA GAIA's transformative experience and Peaceboat's mission to hundreds of thousands over the years to come, with an ambitious social and environmental impact and blockchain community building plan aligned with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.

Live show with Sylvia Earle! - pioneer of the Ocean

5/18/2018

Kenji Williams and Sylvia Earle Such an honor to share the stage with the living legend!