As fall approaches in South Florida, the leaves, unfortunately, are not changing. However, Dance Now! Miami  Artistic Directors Diego Salterini and Hannah Baumgarten created “Random Patterns of Falling Leaves,” a fiery dance piece that expresses the breathtaking beauty of the fall season through dance. Scored by the haunting music of Estonian classical composer Arvo Part, “Random Patterns of Falling Leaves”will open on Oct. 29 through 30 at the Colony Theatre on Lincoln Road. In this interview, Salterini and Baumgarten talk about the process and challenges of putting “Random Pattern of Falling Leaves” together and the catalysts that drive them to create year after year.

Neil de la Flor: In Florida, we don’t often (or ever) get the chance to see the beauty of falling leaves. Does it matter, and will we get the beauty of “Random Patterns of Falling Leaves?”

Diego Salterini & Hannah Baumgarten: Considering that most everyone here is from somewhere else, as they say, I am guessing most have seen the striking colors of fall at some point in their lives. But yes, even if one has never witnessed the grandiose act of autumn, the trees seeming to scream out the last memories of the blazing summer sun in their colors, while the season slowly strips them into their grey winter hibernation, the changing breezes and the piles of fallen leaves whipping in the wind, yes, you will “get” the beauty of it all in “Random Pattern of Falling Leaves.”

ND: I think they will, too. I’m curious about the costuming, setting and lighting for this event. How do they all come together with the dancers to create the effect you’re looking for?

DS/HB: How they will come together exactly? That remains to be seen. Our team of creative people includes return costume designer Marilyn Skow of the FIU Theatre Department and our light and set designer Bruce F. Brown. Both come from the Midwest and had very distinct ideas of what fall meant/looked/felt to them. They have joined us many days in rehearsals, in order to gain as much insight to the dance as possible while they create their layers, which will braid with the dance. Costumes will be rich in colors and will somehow help to explain the transition of the season. Combined with projections and other elements on the stage, we are aiming for a visually stunning, rich multimedia experience, based in dance and heightened by the deep, complicated musical scores we have chosen, several of which are from Estonian composer Arvo Part.

ND: Name your biggest challenge putting the performance together.

DS/HB: The process is always a joy, even in its challenges. Diego and I have one of the most unique collaborative relationships, where we share the creative flow and actually allow each other to move in and around each other’s work, blending it with our own until it becomes one work, which we make together. I have to say, we are lucky in this respect. Within the brass tacks of the journey, the dancers are committed and stunning, although this season has been challenging for them as we prepare three different concerts simultaneously. We are heading to Honduras to perform the week before the Colony show, and, a week later, we will be on the main stage on Ocean Drive for Sleepless Night, so they have so much to learn. I guess the greatest challenge is to get the word out for the shows. Advertising is ridiculously expensive and doesn’t have a great return. It can be stressful wondering how many will come to see a show we have invested so much (artistically) in.

ND: Name one thing you’d like Knight Arts readers to know about “Random Patterns of Falling Leaves” or DANCE NOW!

DS/HB: Art itself is transformative, both for the artist and the viewer. The process of making art can change one’s life and so can experiencing it. In dance, we add one more element, which is (are) the dancers, who participate in the transformative act of the creator as we make the work, interplaying with our ideas and our feelings. They are the catalysts of the art in its delivery, facilitating the art for the viewer. (Imagine if you had to worry about how your letters would appear on the page for each reader.) In this respect, dance is unique, intrinsically human and, as with all live performance, the experience is shared in the moment and will never happen quite the same, ever again. We do hope that people come to share this experience.

Colony Theater, 1040 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach, Fla. 33139, Oct. 29, 2011 8 p.m.; Oct. 30 at 3 p.m.; TICKETS: $35/$30/$15/$10; Available online at dancenowmiami.org via Paypal; Colony Box Office: 305-674-1040 x1; Ticketmaster: 800-745-3000; Contact: 305-975-8489.