NEWS + EVENTS
Ghosts of Hell Creek: Stone Garuda at Asia Society NYC (MATINEE)
Get your tickets here:
June 29, 2025 Matinee Show: https://asiasociety.org/new-york/events/ghosts-hell-creek-stone-garuda-matinee
GHOSTS of HELL CREEK: STONE GARUDA
US Tour performances at Asia Society, NYC
The Asia Society Museum in New York City is a leading cultural institution devoted to fostering understanding of Asia and its global connections. It presents a wide range of exhibitions, performances, and public programs that explore the art, history, and contemporary issues of Asia and the Asian diaspora. As part of the broader Asia Society, the museum serves as a platform for cross-cultural dialogue through the arts.
In this performance by the Prehistoric Body Theater ensemble, Indonesian dancers channel prehistoric dinosaurs as they explore themes of mass extinction, climate crisis, and evolutionary ancestry through movement. Praised as “an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology” (Oxford University Press), the company fuses animal movement with traditional dance and experimental Javanese percussion. Co-created with Indigenous Indonesian performing artists, Prehistoric Body Theater collaborates with international scientists to craft performances informed by cutting-edge paleontology—uniting art, science, and a deep commitment to nature conservation.
GHOSTS OF HELL CREEK: STONE GARUDA
66 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck Earth with the force of a billion atomic bombs. The resulting apocalyptic extinction, which ended the 150-million-year reign of dinosaurs, is preserved in the fossils of Montana’s Hell Creek Formation. In this prehistoric world, the feathered raptor Acheroraptor prowled with elegance and grace before its annihilation in the fires of mass extinction. Yet amidst the devastation, a miracle emerged: humanity’s earliest primate ancestor, Purgatorius, survived the chaos and thrived on the first fruits of a reborn world.
For Prehistoric Body Theater's debut tour to the United States, Stone Garuda brings this prehistoric drama to life in a special touring edition of their large-scale production Ghosts of Hell Creek. The performance features the company's iconic biomimetic animal movement infused with the performers' deep backgrounds in Indonesian traditional dance, sculpted by their distinctive costume aesthetic of full-body textured clay makeup and iconic prosthetic enhancements, creating a portal to Earth's prehistoric past.
Stone Garuda celebrates the elegant mating rituals of Acheroraptor, brought vividly to life through the phenomenon of lekking—a biological ritual where males display their feathers, calls, and dances, while females hold ultimate power through their choice of mate. Fusing these ancient behaviors with inspirations from East Java's romantic Gandrung courtship dance tradition, accompanied by an original gamelan score by Hangsun Gandrung, Stone Garuda creates an unforgettable encounter with our evolutionary past—where dinosaurs dance on the edge of extinction while the seeds of our own ancestry take root.
Ghosts of Hell Creek: stone garuda at Asia Society NYC (PREMIERE)
Get your tickets here:
June 28, 2025 Evening Show: https://asiasociety.org/new-york/events/ghosts-hell-creek-stone-garuda-premiere-performance
GHOSTS of HELL CREEK: STONE GARUDA
US Tour performances at Asia Society, NYC
The Asia Society Museum in New York City is a leading cultural institution devoted to fostering understanding of Asia and its global connections. It presents a wide range of exhibitions, performances, and public programs that explore the art, history, and contemporary issues of Asia and the Asian diaspora. As part of the broader Asia Society, the museum serves as a platform for cross-cultural dialogue through the arts.
In this performance by the Prehistoric Body Theater ensemble, Indonesian dancers channel prehistoric dinosaurs as they explore themes of mass extinction, climate crisis, and evolutionary ancestry through movement. Praised as “an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology” (Oxford University Press), the company fuses animal movement with traditional dance and experimental Javanese percussion. Co-created with Indigenous Indonesian performing artists, Prehistoric Body Theater collaborates with international scientists to craft performances informed by cutting-edge paleontology—uniting art, science, and a deep commitment to nature conservation.
GHOSTS OF HELL CREEK: STONE GARUDA
66 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck Earth with the force of a billion atomic bombs. The resulting apocalyptic extinction, which ended the 150-million-year reign of dinosaurs, is preserved in the fossils of Montana’s Hell Creek Formation. In this prehistoric world, the feathered raptor Acheroraptor prowled with elegance and grace before its annihilation in the fires of mass extinction. Yet amidst the devastation, a miracle emerged: humanity’s earliest primate ancestor, Purgatorius, survived the chaos and thrived on the first fruits of a reborn world.
For Prehistoric Body Theater's debut tour to the United States, Stone Garuda brings this prehistoric drama to life in a special touring edition of their large-scale production Ghosts of Hell Creek. The performance features the company's iconic biomimetic animal movement infused with the performers' deep backgrounds in Indonesian traditional dance, sculpted by their distinctive costume aesthetic of full-body textured clay makeup and iconic prosthetic enhancements, creating a portal to Earth's prehistoric past.
Stone Garuda celebrates the elegant mating rituals of Acheroraptor, brought vividly to life through the phenomenon of lekking—a biological ritual where males display their feathers, calls, and dances, while females hold ultimate power through their choice of mate. Fusing these ancient behaviors with inspirations from East Java's romantic Gandrung courtship dance tradition, accompanied by an original gamelan score by Hangsun Gandrung, Stone Garuda creates an unforgettable encounter with our evolutionary past—where dinosaurs dance on the edge of extinction while the seeds of our own ancestry take root.
Ghosts of Hell Creek: stone garuda at Jacob's Pillow
Wednesday and Thursday, June 25-26 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, held annually in Becket, Massachusetts, is America's longest-running international dance festival. Founded in 1933 by modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn, it has evolved into a renowned hub for dance, offering performances, workshops, and educational programs that celebrate a diverse array of dance styles and traditions.
In a special kick-off to Festival 2025, Prehistoric Body Theater—an experimental paleo-art dance theater collective from Central Java in Indonesia who create “deep-time animal dance” by fusing paleontology with Indonesian traditional dance—will make its U.S. debut in association with New York’s Asia Society with Ghosts of Hell Creek: Stone Garuda. This mesmerizing work eulogizes the raptors who perished in the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago, while celebrating the survival of our earliest primate ancestors in a world born anew.
Praised as “an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology” (Oxford University Press), the company fuses animal movement with traditional dance and experimental Javanese percussion. Co-created with Indigenous Indonesian performing artists, Prehistoric Body Theater collaborates with international scientists to craft performances informed by cutting-edge paleontology—uniting art, science, and a deep commitment to nature conservation.
Ghosts of Hell Creek: stone garuda at Jacob's Pillow (DAY 2)
Wednesday and Thursday, June 25-26 at 5:30pm | Henry J. Leir Stage
Pillow Debut
Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, held annually in Becket, Massachusetts, is America's longest-running international dance festival. Founded in 1933 by modern dance pioneer Ted Shawn, it has evolved into a renowned hub for dance, offering performances, workshops, and educational programs that celebrate a diverse array of dance styles and traditions.
In a special kick-off to Festival 2025, Prehistoric Body Theater—an experimental paleo-art dance theater collective from Central Java in Indonesia who create “deep-time animal dance” by fusing paleontology with Indonesian traditional dance—will make its U.S. debut in association with New York’s Asia Society with Ghosts of Hell Creek: Stone Garuda. This mesmerizing work eulogizes the raptors who perished in the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66 million years ago, while celebrating the survival of our earliest primate ancestors in a world born anew.
Praised as “an innovative form of global public outreach for paleontology” (Oxford University Press), the company fuses animal movement with traditional dance and experimental Javanese percussion. Co-created with Indigenous Indonesian performing artists, Prehistoric Body Theater collaborates with international scientists to craft performances informed by cutting-edge paleontology—uniting art, science, and a deep commitment to nature conservation.
Ghosts of Hell Creek: stone garuda
Ghosts of Hell Creek: stone garuda live performance
Where: Blackbox Theater - Salihara Art Center, Jl. Salihara No.16, Ps. Minggu, Kota Jakarta Selatan, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta 12520
When: May 17-18, times to be announced soon
Prehistoric Body Theater will be debuting the Indonesian premiere of “Ghosts of Hell Creek: stone garuda,” a 45-minute variation of the 90-minute proscenium theater show “Ghosts of Hell Creek” at Salihara Theater, Jakarta’s premiere stage for contemporary performance. More details to be announced soon.
Ghosts of Hell Creek Premiere
The premiere of Ghosts of Hell Creek, Prehistoric Body Theater's flagship performance, at the Indonesian Institute for the Arts Surakarta Large Theater, on September 25th, 2024.
OPEN CALL 2024
Prehistoric Body Theater dengan senang hati mengumumkan Open Call & Audisi untuk para performer asli Indonesia, untuk bergabung dalam produksi mahakarya proscenium kami berjudul GHOSTS of HELL CREEK. Produksi besar ini menggabungkan narasi epik yang membentang selama 500 juta tahun, menggambarkan era dinosaurus terakhir dan menelusuri garis keturunan evolusi manusia. Pertunjukan yang berdurasi 90 menit ini menawarkan estetis yang totalitas dari segi koreografi, tata lampu, instalasi, kostum, dan desain sound. Untuk informasi lebih lanjut dan formulir pendaftaran, buka link www.prehistoricbody.org/opencall2024
Contact Person: Eti Purnama Sari (Whatsapp - 081574445159)
International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) 2024 Congress
Prehistoric Body Theater artistic director was selected as a 2023-24 Global Fellow by the International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) and will be representing Prehistoric Body Theater at the 2024 ISPA Congress in NYC.
Pitch New Works at the 2023 ISPA Congress
The Pitch New Works projects were selected from a pool of 87 applications by ISPA’s Pitch New Works Committee. The committee was chaired by Hanako Yamaguchi, Independent Arts Consultant and former Director of Music Programming at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Also serving on the committee were Igor Lozada Rivera Melo, Director at Universidad de Guadalajara, Cultura UDG; Jochem Valkenburg, Programming Director of Music and Music Theatre at the Holland Festival; Meiyin Wang, Producing Director at the Perelman Performing Arts Center; and Fiona Winning, Head of Programming at the Sydney Opera House.
Delegates of the upcoming Manchester 2023 ISPA Congress can catch these 10 remarkable projects at the Pitch New Works session, Thursday, June 29, 2023 at The Bridgewater Hall. Immediately following the session, delegates will have an opportunity to meet the presenters at ISPA’s ProEx (Professional Exchange).
About ISPA: The International Society for the Performing Arts (ISPA) is a global association of 500 arts leaders from 60 regions, who come together with the shared goal of strengthening and developing the arts internationally. ISPA achieves this by building leadership ability, by recognizing and discussing field-wide trends and new developments, and by deepening global exchange through the arts. ISPA members include presenters, performing arts organizations, artist managers, competitions, funders, consultants and other professionals working in the performing arts. Founded in 1948 by Patrick Hayes, 2024 will mark ISPA’s 75th anniversary.
About Pitch New Works: ISPA's Pitch New Works Program provides a forum for creators and arts professionals to share and discover new performing arts projects. Twice a year, ten submissions are selected to be presented to hundreds of performing arts professionals at ISPA's Congresses.
NEFA National Dance Production Grant Semi-finalist
We are happy to announce that Prehistoric Body Theater has been selected to move to the finalist round of the New England Foundation for the Arts (NEFA) National Dance Production Grant 2023!