Duration: 5 minutes | Composed: 2012 (Ensemble Offspring, Sydney Australia) | Recording: Performance by Ensemble Offspring - Jason Noble (Clr.) and Claire Edwards (Perc.)

Winged female and male Leafcutter Ants leave their respective nests en masse and engage in a nuptial flight known as the revoada. Once on the ground, the female loses her wings and searches for a suitable underground lair in which to found her colony. One of the most interesting things I find about this species of ant is that if their newborn Queens are not able to take this flight, they are still incorporated into the colony and adapt to some sort of function within the group… rather than being eaten or driven out. So, this composition is my salute to these resilient little princesses and the metaphor of survival, versatility, and resilience they have. Next to humans, Leafcutter Ants form the largest and most complex animal societies on Earth.

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