World renowned mermaid Hannah Fraser and model/waterman David Langlois, joined with Emmy award winning cinematographer Shawn Heinrichs to produce the first choreographed ballroom dance 30 ft deep on the ocean floor at night with graceful Mobula Rays (commonly referred to as Devil Rays), a harmless family of rays now under severe threat by unsustainable trade in their body parts. With generous support from the The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation, Shawn, Hannah and David converged on La Paz, Mexico, one of the only destinations in the where one can dive at night with Mobula Rays. Like their larger cousins Manta Rays, Mobula Rays offer awesome potential as a tourist attraction, yet these rays are being slaughtered across the oceans primarily for their gills that are used as a purported health tonic in Asia. Over-exploitation is now driving them toward extinction. Every three years, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), a United Nations body of some 180 member countries, meets to decide if certain species receive international protection. This September, CITES will be hosted in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a proposal to list Mobula Rays on Appendix 2 will be put to vote. With time running out for Mobula Rays, the trio created ‘Dance with Devil Rays’ to highlight how interactive, charismatic and vulnerable these “little mantas” are, and to inspire nations to afford them the critical protection they deserve.

Learn more and/or book AWA Oasia, visit our website: www.awaoasia.com or @awa.oasia *AWA Oasia is an events center focused on elevating consciousness through immersive events. *Our goal is to bridge the conscious community of creatives, healers and changemakers with corporations, high end clients, influencers and conscious forward companies. By curating unique experiences, robust programming and a diverse array of services, AWA merges ancient-future technologies designed to uplift, inspire and advance personal and collective well-being.