OKEANOS (2012)
Okeanos is a portrait of the ocean as body, environment, resource, metaphor, and force.
It inspires and educates audiences about the ocean and ocean conservation.
“If I was to sum up the phrase ‘creativity for change’ I would use one word - Okeanos”
“Lead science advisors Sylvia Earle and Tierney Thys provided taped narration. While helpful for its information, it’s most moving for the awe and love that is apparent in their voices.”
“We love watching dance inspired by science, but often the science is left to a few lines in the program. Capacitor never makes that mistake.”
“The ocean is at once magical, mysterious and full of life— and it’s the interplay of these forces that make up the show Okeanos.”
“If you thought science class was boring, perhaps this insane spectacle of dance, acrobatics, and video will be more to your liking. In their latest performance, science-based dance troupe Okeanos takes on the ocean.”
“Lomask, who has also explored a forest canopy and the reproductive life of a flower through performance art, created Okeanos because she wanted to learn about the deep ocean. In the process, she realized that the health of the ocean is in crisis... ”
About Okeanos
The Impetus
Containing 99% of Earth’s habitable space, the ocean is by turns fascinating and terrifying and an integral part of our lives. Yet this essential resource is being destroyed by growing human demands. Coral extinction, plastic trash contamination, over-fishing, oil spills, climate change - our immense impact on the ocean is undeniable. What once felt vast, endless, and overwhelmingly deep is now vulnerable to our increasingly destructive ways of living.
The Process and Performers
Inspired by the Coral Triangle and California's Kelp forest, Okeanos was developed in collaboration with world-renowned marine biologists and oceanographers. This dance/cirque performance incorporates choreography, apparatus, and set design by Capacitor Artistic Director Jodi Lomask and the voices of Dr. Sylvia Earle and Dr. Tierney Thys. Okeanos includes video art by RJ Muna and Toshi Hoo, underwater cinematography by David Hannan, sound composition by EO, Kaya Project, Beats Antique, edIT, and Tipper, vocalizations by Anka Draugelates, violin by Julia Ogrydziak, and costumes by Kimie Sako & Becky Karthage.
The Experience
Capacitor created a 60-minute performance that gives audiences a sensory experience of the ocean and continues to develop its blueprint for art/science collaboration. Okeanos features the distinctive artistic and technical components that Capacitor has come to be known for – inventive and articulated dance vocabulary, abstract steel forms that mirror nature, poetic integration of audio/video/media forms, sculptural costumes, scientifically supported content, and conservation partnerships.
Educational Program
Click here to read about how we combine Okeanos with educational outreach to strengthen the message of compassion and conservation for our oceans and help teach people how they can make a difference.