Florida Woman is an evening length dance theater experience created by choreographers Leah Verier-Dunn (Sarasota) and Rosie Herrera (Miami) that employs the absurd "Florida Man'' internet meme as the lens to examine the stereotypes and myths of Floridian life. Laced with the hilarity and outlandish culture of the “Florida Man” meme, Florida Woman will scrutinize the burdensome truths of this salty wonderland and ask audiences to consider the consequence of avoidance.   Juxtaposing the perceived lawlessness and freedom that historically defined this internet phenomenon with the prevalence of restrictive laws on women's bodies, this work celebrates and interrogates the aesthetic beauty of Florida and its history as a bastion for all things wild and hopeful.

As Florida natives, co-creators, Rosie Herrera and Leah Verier-Dunn, have immense reverence for their home. Florida has served as a fountain for their creative and personal growth.  Their shared desire to pay homage to the place that raised them was the inception of Florida Woman. As real place, and something that has captured the country’s imagination, Florida is riddled with complex polarity of thought and value systems, something that has fueled the artists’ creative process.  Herrera and Verier-Dunn artistic response to the current, uneasy social climate also carries a responsibility to create dialogue around these difficulties. Especially as all that built the unique identity of Florida—its rich, natural abundance, its cultural history, its diverse immigrants, and its wildlife—is continually threatened.

As part of The Ringling’s commitment to spotlight Florida artists, we are excited to present the premiere of Florida Woman, which has been commissioned by The Ringling’s Art of Performance.  Creative development for this work has been supported in a series of residencies in the Historic Asolo Theater and on the grounds of The Ringling.  The April 2024 performances are the world premiere of the work.

Suggested for mature audiences only.  This performance contains partial nudity.

About the Artists:

Rosie Herrera (co-creator, director) is a Cuban-American choreographer and artistic director of Rosie Herrera Dance Theater in Miami, Florida. She has been commissioned by Miami Light Project, Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Ballet Hispanico, Jose Limon Dance Company, New Dialect, Houston Met Dance, New World Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Santa Barbara Dance Theater, and the American Dance Festival. Her work in film, theater, dance and cabaret has resulted in collaborations with Walter Mercado, Carlota Guerrero, Larry Keigwin, Pig Iron Theater and many more. Her work is rooted in a reverence for the unique intimacy and spectacle of the Caribbean.

Leah Verier-Dunn (Co-Creator, Performer) is a Sarasota, FL, based artist and Artistic Director of Moving Ethos. She received her BFA in Dance from New World School of the Arts. Leah has worked with several companies from Florida to New York, joining Rosie Herrera Dance Theatre in 2011. In 2019, Leah was the first Spotlight Florida Resident at The Ringling Museum of Art and has continued there as an artist-in-residence through the creation of Florida Woman.

Please join us after the show on Friday, March 22^nd for a talk back with Florida Woman artists moderated by choreographers and University of Florida professors Alex Burley and Xan Springer.

 Xan Burley + Alex Springer, creative and life partners, were based in New York City from 2007-2018 and now live and work in Gainesville, FL as Assistant Professors of Contemporary Dance Practice at the University of Florida. Their choreography has been presented throughout the U.S. at venues such as the American Dance Festival, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out, Center for Performance Research, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Danspace Project, the School for Contemporary Dance and Thought, and the 92Y, among others. They have received notable residencies and awards including the Marble House Project, Jacob’s Pillow Research Fellowship, CPR’s Technical & Production Residency, University Settlement Artist Residency, UF College of the Arts Scholarship Enhancement Fund awards, Research Incentive Awards, and Work-in-Process Award. They have also been commissioned to create dances for over 15 schools and repertory companies. www.xanandalex.com