| 2009 Calendar December __________________________________________ --Early Winter greetings!
1. This time of year is so interesting. Nature is beginning to fall
into a deeper sleep, and to take into herself all the bits and pieces of things
sloughed off of trees and bushes, the unripe or rotted fruits not harvested.
This becomes the process of making raw compost from which nutrients are drawn
for new creation. At the same time we might be reflecting on the past year and
how we feel our life has been through it, and there is a natural urge toward
quiet, reflection, ingathering, hibernation. Yet there is another current of
surging activity, whether or not we take part in it, which can pull on us- the
shopping and sales, the festive gatherings, the pull to be with one family or
another, the dream of an idealized holiday experience. How do you navigate
these streams in a way that is healthy and honors who you truly are?
And on a global level- I was in my homeopath's office last month,
waiting for my remedies to be prepared, and I picked up a copy of Gregg Braden's
book 'The Isaiah Effect' from one of her many bookshelves. I loved the opening
20 pages or so. He shared how he was on a long drive, listening to someone on
the radio talk about the impending disasters of the next 20 years or so, and how
troubled he was to know this was being broadcast to so many people. (This also
reminded me of the disaster movies '2012' and 'The Road' which are out now.)
Braden realized that this was just one person's perspective on what he was
seeing take place in his world, and then he went on to draw out this eloquent
teaching using the metaphor of a woman giving birth: If someone who knew
nothing of a birth saw a woman in childbirth, they might see screams of pain and
anguish, exhaustion and fear, great upheaval, the body losing a great deal of
fluids- in other words, a crisis situation. But there is a deep knowing that
this is all necessary to give birth to the new life. Braden's writing was much
better than my synopsis, but the idea of birthing pains is one I feel is good to
keep in mind as we do go through these seemingly traumatic times, as it can help
keep the greater purpose of evolution in mind, and prevent getting sucked down
into the gyre of dread and anxiety being trumpeted from many sources.
2. Dates for Drum & Dance
Camp 2010, and new registration details Registration for the 2010 Kumandi
Drum & Dance Camp, at Wildacres Retreat in Little Switzerland NC, is now
open. The dates are Tuesday, May 4th- Sunday, May 10th, 2010. This is the 25th
camp since it was begun in the winter of 1994, and the ninth one at this
beautiful site in the Blue Ridge Mountains. This camp has sold out most of the
last five years, so don't wait too long. Up to 130 people, including 12
instructors, gather to celebrate with West African drumming, dance, song,
culture and community. See more on the camp at www.kumandi.com/camp.htm
I hope to have it updated with this year's dates shortly.
For the first
time the registration and payment can be done electronically. Please go to this
website to register:
Early registration has been open to previous
attendees for over a week and it's close to half full now. A couple notes: to
register multiple people, just fill in all the names on the form; when you come
to the end of the process and see the Paypal payment buttons, you won't find a
choice for multiple payments. If you want to register more than one person,
just go back into Paypal and pay either the deposit of $100, or the full
payment, for each person, and include a memo to me indicating who it's for.
That way you don't have to go back through the entire survey again just to pay.
Also, the contributions for the scholarship fund do not have a Paypal button
yet, so just do the same if you want to give to the scholarship fund to support
one teenager coming to the event- go back into Paypal and make your payment and
include a note on the memo line. And you can also register online and pay the
deposit by mailing me a check. Thanks to Bob Frisinger of Charlotte for setting
up the new electronic registration! 3. Upcoming gigs- Macy's Lenox
Mall tomorrow, Friday in Carrollton, etc.
Thursday December 3rd- tomorrow!
See Ten Blocks Away perform in the Home Goods section, Upper Level, in the
Macy's at Lenox Mall in Buckhead! Macy's has for several years sponsored the
Path To Peace Basket Project with women from Rwanda, and sold their hand-woven
baskets in their stores. They are hosting a shopping party tomorrow, and Ten
Blocks Away will perform West African drum music as part of the celebration.
Janet Nkubana, co-founder of the Path to Peace project, will be present to speak
about her work with the women of Rwanda. Drumming sets at 6:30 and
7:30pm.
Friday December 4th- the next
day! Ten Blocks Away in performance at the Alley Cat, in Carrollton, Georgia,
9pm-12midnight. Put on your dancing shoes and come early to the east coast of
Alabama- the last four times we played here we sold the place out. See our page
at www.myspace.com/tenblocksaway Also, I've heard that video
footage of our August performance at the Red Light Cafe is available on
Facebook- I cannot confirm or deny this as I haven't joined that. Also plan
ahead for Friday January 29th, TBA at the Red Light again in Midtown
Atlanta.
Saturday December 5th- Drumming
Hike in north Georgia! (I just received this email and am passing it along, you
may need to join the organization Georgia Forest Watch to do this. www.gafw.org)
Celebrate life and the great outdoors with a hike that incorporates a drum
circle facilitated by renown local drummers.
We'll start from Warwoman Dell and learn a bit about William Bartram.
Along the way we'll visit Becky Branch Falls, a 250 year old hemlock, and Martin
Creek Falls (45 feet tall!). At lunch
we'll be joined by Julie Longhill and Tom Deven, drummers/flutists/singers from
Mountain Rest, SC. We'll share in a drum circle with rocks and sticks and drums
to celebrate life just as has been done for centuries in these mountains. After
drumming we'll hike back to Warwoman Dell. Option: After drumming, ambitious
hikers may want to do a difficult side trip to Pinnacle Point where you can see
the mountains of 3 states. Date of
outing: Saturday, December 5, 2009 Meeting time, place and directions: 10:00am at the north end of Ingles
parking lot on Hwy 441 in Clayton, GA - just north of the intersection of Hwy
76. Expect to return between 2:00 & 3:00PM. Leaders: Brooks Franklin and Maureen Keating, ForestWatch
volunteers
Sunday, December
20th- Annual Nia Winter Solstice
Celebration. Mark your
calendar, you're invited! 6-8pm at The Seminole Studio, 675 Seminole Avenue.
It's the stone structure at the back of the Highland Building, and a very
vibrant space. Join friends & family to Welcome the Return of the Light.
Live music provided by Chuck Cogliandro & Petro Bass and more! Lively
dancing, contemplation, ritual, food, celebration. Come share Holiday Joy and
dance to the light. $ donation for musicians suggested.
4. Holiday
sales- drums, bags, CDs, gift certificates for classes and
lessons
As is tradition, I am offering holiday discounts on all the things I sell. Ivory Coast professional djembes, normally $250, are on sale at 10% discount for $225. Humes & Berg djembe bags, normally $90, are only $70. And a bag purchased with a new drum is only an additional $50. Youth sized djembes, normally $100, are only $80 each. The drumming CDs "A Call To Drum", "In the Circle", and the collaboration CD by Inclusive Rhythm Foundation titled "Do U Love You" are all on sale for only $12 each, or $30 for all three. In addition, gift certificates for class series or individual lessons make great presents. Six-week class series, normally $90, are only $75, and a set of three private one-hour lessons, normally $90, is also $75. The prices for all these things are good through midnight on December 31st. 5.
New group
class series in January - dates for
2010
Alpharetta, Roswell, Marietta,
Gwinnett County and Candler Park!
Alpharetta Beginner Class-
Mondays The first class series in Alpharetta this past fall on Monday
nights, 7-8:30pm at the Dogwood Forest of Alpharetta was a
great success, with seven people participating, so it will be offered again.
This class is open to everyone, especially those of you in the northern suburbs
who can't easily make it into the city, and is held in the Life Enrichment
Center, lower level, at the Dogwood Forest of Alpharetta, 253 North Main Street,
Alpharetta GA, 30009 (close to exit 9 Haynes Bridge Road off GA400.) Call
770-410-9169 or see www.trinitylifestyl
Roswell Beginner Class- Tuesdays
The Tuesday drumming class through the Roswell Parks & Rec Department returns with a new winter series. This class meets from 5:30-7pm,
and is offered at the Adult Recreation Center at 830 Grimes Bridge Rd. in
Roswell, Georgia. Dates for this class series are six straight
Tuesdays, beginning January 5th and ending on February 9th,
2010. The fee for each six week series will be $70
for Roswell residents, and $105 for non-residents. The class is identified by
Program 30151-01. If you can't find these classes on
the City of Roswell website, just call Kiran Fatania at 770-641-3950 at the
Grimes Bridge facility to pre-register, and for any questions you have. These
classes are open to everyone, they are just being held at the Adult Recreation
Center which serves a population of adults age 50 and up.Some loaner and
sale drums will be provided for the class; please contact me ahead of time for
availability. Check this site for registration and information: http://www.roswellg Candler Park Beginner class- Wednesdays
This long-running beginner class is held on Wednesday nights,
7-8:30pm, at the home of Dick and
Jesse Bathrick in Candler Park. This Atlanta class will be offered again at the
home of Dick and Jesse Bathrick in Candler Park. Thanks, as always, goes to
Dick and his family for opening his newly renovated art studio to these
classes. The house is just a few blocks from Little Five Points Central. I
will send exact directions once you register. The new six-class beginner series
will be held on Wednesday nights beginning January 13th and end on
February 17th, 2010. Early registration deadline for this new series
is January 5th: the course fee is $90 for six classes
if postmarked by January 5th, after that date the fee is $105. Drop-in fee for
any class is $20. Please send checks payable to "Kumandi Drums" to PO Box
003, Decatur GA, 30031-0003.
Emerson Drummers- Tuesday nights in
Marietta Always open to beginners and new
members-
This fall the Emerson Drummers began their 14th
year together! This group was begun with members of the Emerson Unitarian
Congregation, and has grown over the years with hundreds of beginner drummers
passing through the group. It is not strictly a beginner class, but we do have
brand new drummers regularly joining the group. The first hour has the teaching
of at least one rhythm piece, and the second hour has more rehearsal of our
performance pieces, in which everyone is invited to participate and learn on the
fly. The group has a strong welcoming spirit and sense of community sharing.
And with many experienced drummers taking part, you can really be lifted by the
power of the rhythm. Emerson Unitarian Congregation, 7:30-9:30pm every Tuesday
night, $15 per class or $45 per month if paid at first class. 2799 Holly
Springs Road in Marietta, just north of Post Oak Tritt. Loaner drums and sale
drums available by request at class. Call the church at 770-578-1533 or see
www.emersonuu.org for
directions. See the Emerson Drummers website at emersondrummers.tripod.com
Drumming and Healing- Saturdays in Gwinnett
County
My good friend Matt Zavadil has asked me to put
together a class for his large community of drummers in Gwinnett County, and I
am very excited to be offering this new series. Here's
a description:
I am pleased to have the opportunity
to offer a new type of class, different than anything I have shared in the 18
years I've been doing drumming full-time in the Atlanta area. Having known Matt
for many years, and after hearing his ideas on what he would like to also
experience in drumming with the Gwinnett community, it was clear that there was
an opening for a class that would deal with the spirit and energies that
underlie all of our deep longings for connection in drumming. This will be a
six-week class, taking place on Saturdays beginning January 16th; skipping
Saturday February 6th for Sunday February 7th instead; and finishing Saturday
February 13th and 20th. Fee for the six week series will be $100 per person.
Some loaner and rental drums will be available. Class will be from 10am-12 noon
each meeting at a location to be determined.
This class will cover the material I would
include in a djembe workshop, which includes basic strokes and sound technique;
warmups, exercises and drills for improving your balance and facility; the
teaching of some traditional West African rhythms with break, accompaniment
parts, dunun parts, song, echauffement, and soloing, as well as cultural
background and history I have learned studying with artists from West
Africa. This material will be shared in the context of a larger framework of
our experiences together, which is the essence and consciousness of rhythm. On
a practical level this may include guided meditations, journeying, the human
energy field and how it is transformed by rhythm as well as group entrainment,
embodying rhythm in a group, multiple simultaneous rhythms using the TaKeTiNa
process, and other things that arise from the needs of the group. There will be
homework between classes.
Matt is currently looking for a space for the
class, and once that's secured registration will open. To register or for any
other questions, please contact Matt directly at mattzavadil@
6.
TaKeTiNa Atlanta - 2010!
The TaKeTiNa workshop in Atlanta
in October was probably more successful than we imagined it could be. We had
almost 50 people taking part in the beautiful main hall at the Clarkston
Community Center. Participants had deep learning experiences, with insights
into rhythm as well as their selves. We have now, in the words of the
leaders Reinhard and Cornelia, 'opened up a field' in the southeast. They were
so pleased with Atlanta that they shifted some things around in their schedule
which has allowed us to offer another 3-day workshop next fall in the same
location. Save the dates of September 17-19th, 2010 for another experience with
this rhythm process. We will open registration sometime in the spring of next
year.
NOTE: The listings in this calendar are
provided as a service to those interested in drum and dance as well as world
music, and are as accurate as I can make them at the time the calendar goes
out. Always be sure to check with the instructor, performer or venue if there
is any doubt about the accuracy of what you find here. If you wish to
*subscribe* to receive this calendar automatically
as an email, simply send a blank email to KumandiDrumsNewsletter-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To *unsubscribe*, simply send a blank email to KumandiDrumsNewsletter-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
|
||
|
______
Organizational Training
& Team Building
______
School Programs
______
Drum Circles, Lessons
& Classes, Camps &
Workshops
______
Performance Ensembles
& Recording Sessions
______
Healings, Rituals,
Celebrations,
Personal Exploration
______
Drums, Bags & CDs
for Sale, Drum Repair
Services