60th Anniversary of the United Nations, Omega West Dance Company

"The Peace of Wild Things" and "In This Fateful Hour"
The Omega West Dance Company performed on June 26, 2005, for the 60th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations. The United Nations Society hosted at Grace Episcopal Cathedral in San Francisco a “World Celebration” of music, dance and film and a panel discussion on "The UN at 60 -Threats, Challenges and Changes." Almost 1,500 people attended. Mary Robinson, former U.N. high commissioner for human rights and president of Ireland, spoke of the challenges and hopes of the United Nations. "In This Fateful Hour" included dance inspired by “The Peace of Wild Things” by Wendell E. Berry which was choreographed by David McCauley and by “The Rune of Saint Patrick” which was choreographed by Carla De Sola with David McCauley. Stephen McDermott Meyers proclaimed the poetry and Claudia Florian-McCaffrey, Sylvia Miller-Mutia, David Henry, and David McCauley danced.
Acclaimed author Madeleine L’Engle (1918-2007) and De Sola were both invited to be artists-in-residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. De Sola spoke of L’Engle spreading out her very wide arms and dramatically proclaiming by memory “The Rune of St Patrick.” This ancient prayer of protection was at the center of the plot of the book which L’Engle authored in 1978, A Swiftly Tilting Planet. In this award winning science fiction novel, a dictator is about to start a nuclear war. The main character is told to prevent the disaster by using “Patrick’s Rune” a rhyming prayer of protection.
Learn more of Carla De Sola, the Omega Dance Companies on the west and east coasts, and of sacred dance at spiritmovesomeg... The Carla De Sola Collection is in the Graduate Theological Union Archives, Berkeley, CA. gtu.edu
Credits: “Woodsong C” Music composition, 0:36 - 2:52 play match, Doyle Music Group Inc. DBA Canyon Records.