The Compañía de Danza Acuarela Boliviana (Bolivian Watercolour Dance Company), under the direction of Natalia Loma Paz, presented the Canticle of the Creatures in ballet form for the first time in Bolivia: an artistic and spiritual tribute commemorating the 800th anniversary of this immortal work by St Francis of Assisi.
The premiere took place in September 2025, during the Provincial Chapter of the Friars Minor of the Missionary Province of St Anthony in Bolivia, marking a fraternal event in the dialogue between art, faith, and culture.
The presentation is also part of the commemoration of the tenth anniversary of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si', which draws on Franciscan inspiration to remind us of the urgency of protecting our Common Home. In the Bolivian context, this call takes on special relevance given the deforestation of the Amazon, the pollution of rivers and lakes, the loss of biodiversity, and the effects of climate change that strongly impact rural and indigenous communities, ancestral guardians of nature. Acuarela Boliviana's artistic proposal transforms poetry into movement: each choreography is praise and denunciation, prayer and prophecy. The ballet becomes a danced prayer that celebrates the beauty of creation and, at the same time, reminds us of the responsibility to care for it.
In its universal language, dance invites us to rediscover the brotherhood with the sun that gives us warmth, to bless the purity of the water that gives life, to give thanks to the earth that nourishes us, and to embrace the air, the fire, the night, and life itself as part of a great cosmic family.
Internationally recognized for bringing Bolivian art and culture to stages in Europe and the Americas, Acuarela Boliviana offers with this work a testimony that transcends borders. With its combination of tradition and modernity, the Canticle of the Creatures becomes a song of peace, universal brotherhood, and commitment to life.
Ultimately, this ballet bridges centuries and cultures: a work that honors the past and looks to the future, reminding us that caring for the planet is not only an ecological necessity, but also an act of love and hope for future generations.
