The fifth annual Ringling International Arts Festival, October 9^th-12^th, 2013, in Sarasota/Bradenton, launches the 2014 arts season on Florida’s “Cultural Coast.” The four-day festival showcases a variety of dance, music, and theater presented in intimate performance venues at Sarasota’s The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. The Festival is under the artistic direction of the Baryshnikov Arts Center.

When the Museum launched the Festival in partnership with the Baryshnikov Arts Center in 2009, it helped establish The Ringling as an anchor for contemporary performance in Southwest Florida. Since its inception, the Ringling International Arts Festival has thrilled audiences with many sold-out performances. A presentation of the Art of Our Time at The Ringling, the Festival 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. 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. With yet another surprising range of productions, the 2013 Ringling International Arts Festival is poised to touch all the senses, appealing to a broad range of interests and tastes.

Opening Night: RIAF INSPIRES

RIAF Inspires is the fundraising gala for the Festival. On Wednesday, October 9, it will begin with a reception prior to a performance by Spain’s Rocío Molina, one of the one of the most brilliant bailaoras of our time, and dinner in the galleries of The Ringling Museum of Art following. Learn More... 

Reserve your Tickets now by calling The Ringling Historic Asolo Theater Box Office at 941.360.7399, 10a.m.- 4:00p.m. daily. 

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Sharon.freddes@ringling.fsu.edu

Performances

Rocío Molina, Danzaoro - One of the most brilliant bailaoros of our time, Spain's Rocio Molina is the recipient of of her nation's most coveted award in the arts, the national Prize for Dance. Her energized display of Flamenco, classical bolero, and traditional popular dance creates a "danceable universe" with its own unique language and meaning. Tickets are $40. Learn More. 

Tere O’Connor Dance - Viewing dance as an abstract documentary form, Tere O’Connor’s bold and individualistic approach to choreography explores the complex coexistence of time, metaphor, and memory. Tickets are $40. Learn More. 

Stephen Prutsman and the Aeolus Quartet - The mystique of the silent-film era is captured — and updated — with a screening of Buster Keaton’s 1924 comedy Sherlock, Jr., accompanied by a live performance of the jazzy, eclectic, and inventive score for piano and string quartet composed by pianist Stephen Prutsman and performed with the Aeolus Quartet. Tickets are $40. Learn More. 

Leev Theater Group- From Iran comes a humorous and most unusual rendition of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Written by Mohammed Charmshir, the work is performed by Afshin Hashemi in Farsi (with English subtitles) and employs an imaginative menagerie of plastic toys to symbolize the inhabitants of Hamlet’s drama. Tickets are $30. Learn More. 

Belarus Free Theatre, Minsk 2011 - If scars are sexy, Minsk is the sexiest city in the world. Strip clubs, underground raves and gay pride parades pulse beneath the surface of a city where sexuality is met by government oppression. Minsk 2011 celebrates and mourns a land that has lost its way. Performed in Russian with English subtitles. For mature audiences only. Tickets are $40. Learn More. 

Jazz Sunsets on the Bay - October 10^th and 11^th, 5:00-8:00pm - Enjoy a different jazz band each evening as the sun sets on Sarasota Bay. Free of charge with museum admission and RIAF ticket stub. Food and beverages available for purchase.

RIAF Closing Night Party - Join us in The Ringling Museum of Art courtyard to raise a toast to RIAF 2013 and bid a fond farewell to our visiting artists. Live entertainment and fireworks; food and beverages available for purchase. Tickets are $40. Learn More.