February 11, 2019

heart and mind festival power of the sacred human

The Heart and Mind Festival Annex is honored to present The Power of the Sacred Human, a special event to celebrate the Spring Equinox, in partnership with the Rubin Museum or Art. This event is dedicated to the concept of the Sacred Human as presented through different global traditions. Elders, teachers, indigenous wisdom keepers, artists, philosophers, and freethinkers from the Taino, Quechua, Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Sicangu Nation, and Tibetan traditions will take part, including Maestro Domingo Dias Porta, Maria Guadalupe Abundis De Dias (Lupita), Maestro Manual Ruffino, Tata Pedro Cruz, Tito La Rosa, Melaine Stoneman and MaryAnn Bearheels, and Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche.

Through an interactive experience that will include sacred rituals, concerts, meditations, lectures, and panel discussions, attendees will learn about the presenters’ visions, wisdom, and ways of life. Join us in celebrating the Power of the Sacred Human.

Co-presented with Golden Drum, The Sacred Arts Research Foundation, Movement of the American Indian Solar Culture (MAISC), Acción por la Unidad Mundial, and the Universal Initiatic College.

Tickets available for purchase here.

About the Speakers

MAESTRO DOMINGO DIAS PORTA was born in Caracas, Venezuela in 1930. Under his guidance, the Initiatic Sovereign Solar Order of Chichaan Itzaab (S.O.S.X.I.) has developed in different places in Venezuela, Mexico, the United States, Europe and Peru. He has founded and organized cultural and spiritual activities in almost all countries in the Americas, in 10 European countries, in Israel and in Morocco.

He is the founder of the Association of the Solar American Indian (M.A.I.S.) Movement of Cultural Approach to the Autonomous Traditions and Peoples of the Continent. He is also the founder of “Acción por la Unidad Mundial” (A.U.M. – Action for Global Unity), a movement of International Cultural Integration to promote a culture of peace through dialogue of personal transformation, through exchange of knowledge, and joint participation in activities and programs (both on the individual and group level).

MARIA GUADALUPE ABUNDIS DE DIAS (LUPITA) has dedicated her life to the Sacred Initiatic Tradition for her own spiritual and human evolution and for the benefit of those who surround her. She graduated with a Masters Degree in primary education in 1982 and she entered the Initiatic path and became a student in the lineage of Dr. Serge Raynaud De La Ferriere In 1998. She currently works with many women’s groups and has helped organize many women’s gatherings at both the national and international levels, having lived in the United States, Mexico, and Venezuela. Lupita is a member of “Insignias Aztecas”, a non-profit organization promoting and preserving the tradition and teachings of the Aztec dance. She has participated at the Shoshone-Kumiai Ghost Dance in Escondido, California and has participated in the “Magos de La Tierra” seminar with Jose Arguelles in Chile and Portland, Oregon. Lupita is currently a member of S.O.S.C.H.I. (Sovereign Solar Order of Chichen Itza), an organization promoting peace and the spiritual development of individuals for the benefit of all humanity and L.H.A.S.S.A. (the Academy of Ancestral Wisdom).

She is the director of the Superior Course in Theurgy, an on-line course taught by Maestro Domingo Días Porta and is an essential member of the organizations M.A.I.S. (Commonwealth of the Solar American Indian) and Accion por la Unidad Mundial (A.U.M.) / Action for Global Unity as a personal support to Maestro Domingo Dias Porta. Additionally, she is currently studying to receive a license in Gurukul Ayurveda under the direction of Dr. Ramon Gonzalez at UPTM University in Mérida, Venezuela. Lupita is happily married to Maestro Domingo Dias Porta, is the mother of 4 children, and grandmother of 2.

MAESTRO MANUEL RUFINO is a recognized elder in the Taino tradition and World Director of M.A.I.S.C. (The Movement of American Indian Solar Culture). He is a spiritual guide, gifted ceremonial leader, and teacher of sacred initiatic traditions of the world. Maestro Manuel is also an artist, certified iridologist, naturo-therapist, vegetarian chef, and the visionary guiding the Golden Drum community and many vegetarian restaurants including Jungle Café in Brooklyn. Guided by his teacher, Maestro Domingo Dias Porta, Maestro Manuel has been following the trails of indigenous healing arts for over 40 years. Maestro Manuel travels around the world sharing initiatic traditions, leading workshops, lectures, sweat lodges, and healing rituals.

In 2010 Maestro Manuel and a number of his students opened Golden Drum as a space for sacred traditions in New York City. Founded to give voice to the worldview of Native Americans, indigenous peoples, and the esoteric schools, Golden Drum features living representatives and students of these great traditions.

TATA PEDRO CRUZ is one of the few surviving members of the Mayan Council of the Elders of Tz’utujil, which is a branch of the Maya Qui-che. “Tata Pedro,” as he is most affectionately known, is a traditional Mayan Ajq’ij and Day Keeper, and one of the principal authorities of the Council of Mayan Elders of Lake Atitlan in Guatamala. He received the title “Heart of the Lake Atitlan” K’U’XYA by his fellow Mayan Council of Elders and Tz’utujil people. Tata Pedro recognizes the interconnectedness of all people, the expanding consciousness of the planet, and the urgent need to unify our spiritual, cultural, and ethnic wisdom for the benefit of the planet and humanity. Tata Pedro is a globally recognized elder in the Mayan tradition and has traveled far and wide sharing knowledge, ceremonies, and practices. He is the interpreter of dreams for his community and a leader of the preservation and education of Mayan day keeping and fire ceremonies.

TITO LA ROSA is a descendant of Quechua Indians of the Peruvian Andes. For many years, he has been recovering and preserving, studying, and intuiting the ancestral music of Peru. He is also a Curandero de Sonido, a sound healer, who enters into an altered state to bring forth sound that elevates, allowing for healing and balance to occur.

Ancient Andean wisdom teaches us that the earth was made while the creator sang, thus all beings are made of sound, rhythm, and harmony. Through his concerts, flower ceremonies, and music classes La Rosa helps reawaken our memories (memoria antigua), weaving sounds into frequencies that open the heart and encourage the spirit to soar.

La Rosa has recorded with Mary Youngblood on the Silver Wave record label. His 2002 CD, “The Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor,” was nominated for a Native American Music Award, for Best World Music Recording.

Melaine+Stoneman%3A+Wakinyan+Ska+Wi-+White+Lightening+women.jpg

MELANIE STONEMAN (Wakinyan Ska Wi—White Lightning Women) and MARYANN BEARHEELS (Ta Oyate Waste Wi—Her Good Nation Women) are Sicangu Lakotas from Rosebud, South Dakota. They will share a discussion on Native American Community Genetics: Learning Our Oral Traditions, Creation Stories, Spiritual Food & Bear Dance.

“Our Lakota way of life starts with our creation stories and oral traditions that have been handed down over 500 years. We are creating awareness about our Indigenous environmental issues through our teachings of the water, buffalo, and bear teachings. Re-vitalizing our spiritual and physical being as Lakota women is vitally important to our future generations. Lakota community genetics is an overall look at how we are able to re-birth our nation utilizing our sovereignty and inherent rights to protect our ceremonies and women. We are the backbone to our nation and the umbilical cord to our earth.”

VEN. KHENPO TSEWANG DONGYAL RINPOCHE was born in eastern Tibet and enthroned as a Nyingmapa abbot by His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche. He traveled and studied with H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, as well as with his late brother, Vajrayana master and scholar Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche, and his father, the hidden yogi Lama Chimed Namgyal.

Ven. Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Ven. Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche established the Padmasambhava Buddhist Center (PBC) in 1989 to preserve the authentic message of Buddha Shakyamuni and Guru Padmasambhava in its entirety, and in particular to teach the traditions of the Nyingma school and Vajrayana Buddhism. PBC includes over 20 centers in the USA, India, Puerto Rico, and Russia, as well as monastic institutions in India, the USA, and Russia.

As a holder of the complete Nyingmapa lineage, Khenpo Tsewang Rinpoche is fully versed in the Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana schools, and is a master of Dzogchen. He has co-authored over 30 Dharma books in English with Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche, and travels throughout the world giving teachings, empowerments, and personal guidance in fluent English at numerous retreats.

Burru, Afro-Jamaican Djembe Rhythm with Joakim Lartey @ Tribal Rhyhtm Gathering 2018

Guest Author

February 11, 2019

Burru is a super fun Pan-African rhythm with a number of variations that can be played. It is commonly used in Jamaica as a dance and ceremonial rhythm.

The simple way to write the Burru rhythm is:

B B TT B B TTTT (where B is bass and T is tone).

See video for more info on how to play the Burru rhythm.

Joakim Lartey is a drummer/percussionist, storyteller, educator and sound designer. He was co-founder, lead singer and percussionist of Woodstock’s Futu Futu. He is engaged in a lifelong exploration of recording technology and the fusion of traditional/ancient and contemporary musical forms. He has collaborated/played with Natalie Merchant, Jack DeJohnette, John Hall, Baba Olatunji among others. He currently performs with the duo Joakim & Chris [with guitarist Chris Lane] and The Sonark Trio [with multi instrumentalist Thomas Workman and cellist Gabriel Dresdale]

What Is A Clave Rhythm? Joakim Lartey explains at Tribal Rhythm Gathering

Guest Author

February 11, 2019

A clave rhythm is a repeated rhythmic figure, usually played on a single or dual toned instrument such as sticks or bells, and usually has some level of syncopation, meaning it contains notes both on the strong beats and on the weak beats.

In this video, Joakim Lartey explains a few different clave rhythms from Latin and African music traditions. Make sure to clap along as Joakim plays them so you can learn them yourself.

Joakim Lartey is a drummer/percussionist, storyteller, educator and sound designer. He was co-founder, lead singer and percussionist of Woodstock’s Futu Futu. He is engaged in a lifelong exploration of recording technology and the fusion of traditional/ancient and contemporary musical forms. He has collaborated/played with Natalie Merchant, Jack DeJohnette, John Hall, Baba Olatunji among others… He currently performs with the duo Joakim & Chris [with guitarist Chris Lane] and The Sonark Trio [with multi instrumentalist Thomas Workman and cellist Gabriel Dresdale].

Holiday Gifts For Music Lovers: A Quick Guide

Shopping

Guest Author

December 12, 2018

‘Tis the season for holiday shopping! By now you’ve probably made a list that details everyone that you need to shop for. If you have someone on your list that lives for all things music, you might be a little perplexed as to what you should buy. With a little research, you can find some special holiday gifts for music lovers in your life. Whether they like country music, classic rock or rap, there is something for everyone out there. Let’s take a closer look at some of your options.

1. Themed Notebook

People who love music, usually like to jot down their favorite song lyrics, write original songs, or bring a musical flavor to their ideas. If they love music, an appropriate themed notebook will be the perfect place to brainstorm some ideas. You can most likely find a notebook with a certain band’s logo on the front or a musical note theme as pictured here.

2. Bluetooth Speaker

Someone who likes music probably has their favorite songs on their smartphone. A great way to play that music at home is by way of a Bluetooth speaker. Not all speakers are created equally. Apple has their line of speakers that you can purchase. Bose is another brand that makes exceptional speakers. This is a great item to look for on Black Friday, or during the month of December when online sales are peaking. Our pick for this holiday season is the bundled JBL Flip 4 with case:

3. Guitar Stand

For someone who plays guitar and loves music, investing in a nice guitar holder is a great idea. There are companies online that create wood guitar holders. You can have them monogrammed with a special message. Many of them even hold guitar picks. Here’s our pick for the most economical yet sturdy and functional stand:

4. Vinyl Record in a Picture Frame

A true music lover understands the importance and quality of vinyl records. If you know your loved one’s favorite band, try to find a rare item that is part of that band’s collection, or get their favorite record. Place the record in one of these sharp frames to make it a decorative wall-hangable gift:

5. Music Themed Jewelry

The item that you choose for the music lover in your life doesn’t have to focus on sound, instruments or music itself. You can purchase a really beautiful piece of jewelry that highlights what they love the most. You can stick with something general like a music note or treble clef. You may even be able to find a charm with a specific band’s logo on it. Here’s a few of our favorite pieces:

6. Musical Instruments

For the music lover that plays instruments, there are so many options on what to get.RAV Drum, Airdidge and Shipibo Shamanic Rattles are some of the best selling items from Didge Project:

Final Thoughts

When shopping for holiday gifts for music lovers, spend a little bit of time to research holiday gift giving guides and you will be sure to find some great ideas. Though it might seem like a difficult task, rest assured that there is a great deal somewhere, you just have to find it.

Author

Michelle Walter is firstly a mother of one beautiful daughter, and secondly a freelance writer. She loves to write articles that have an impact on other’s lives. When she gets free time, she tries to stay active and enjoy the outdoors. She can be reached at michelle.walter984@gmail.com.

Didgeridoo Beatbox Tutorial: 3 Essential Rhythms

Jerry Walsh

November 27, 2018

In this didgeridoo beatbox tutorial video, Didge Project’s Jerry Walsh demonstrates how to play 3 basic beatboxing rhythms for the didgeridoo. What’s great about these rhythms is that they do not require circular breathing, so even if you haven’t mastered circular breathing yet, you can pick up the instrument right away and begin to play.

What is didgeridoo beatboxing?

Didgeridoo beatboxing is exactly what it sounds like: a combination of the arts of didgeridoo playing and beatboxing. To practice didgeridoo beatboxing, one must have skills in both beatboxing and didgeridoo playing as separate arts, and then combine them to create a unified didgeridoo beatbox sound. Many exponents of didgeridoo beatboxing draw influence from popular music genres such as hip-hop, rock, dubstep and R&B. As artists, didgeridoo beatboxers are great at synthesizing music across genres.

In this video, Jerry Walsh demonstrates many of the basic sounds used in the didgeridoo beatbox art form, and shows how to combine these sounds in time to create specific rhythms, or “beats.”

Want to see more didgeridoo beatbox tutorials here at Didge Project? Write what you would like to learn in the comments section below.

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Order Airdidge at https://www.didgeproject.com/Airdidge

Airdidge is the #1 travel didgeridoo. As seen in this video, the Airdidge has a great sound. It is super light-weight and packs down into a 13 inch long by 3 inch diameter cylinder.

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Free Download: Didgeridoo Fundamentals, 45-minute beginners course: https://www.didgeproject.com/didgeridoo-fundamentals/

Improve Your Rhythm With Vocal Exercises – Glen Velez @ Tribal Rhythms Gathering 2018

AJ Block

October 27, 2018

Improve your rhythm with these fun singing and clapping exercises!

Glen Velez is truly a master of the frame drum and he is also an excellent teacher of rhythms for musicians of all levels. I think everyone had a blast taking his workshop at Tribal Rhythms Gathering 2018 which covered vocal rhythm, which we will go through in this video, then went into stepping, clapping, playing rattles and frame drums, all while singing throughout.

If you learned something from this video, make sure to check out “Improve Your Musical Rhythm with Metronome Exercises”. This is one of our most popular videos and features some very simple clap-alongs that will help you take your music to a higher level: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIzLXr7xecY

Question of the day: What is your #1 challenge with rhythm? Write your answer in the comments section below and I will do my best to respond to every sincere answer.

On behalf of Didge Project, I want give a huge thanks to Glen Velez and to you, our viewers. Make sure to hit that subscribe button and we will see you in the next one.

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Didge Project features music tutorials and instrument reviews. Follow us:

http://www.facebook.com/didgeproject
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Camera by Kyle Martin and Karma Hallmark

This High Tech Travel Didge Packs Snug And Sounds Great

Instrument Reviews

Jerry Walsh

October 10, 2018

Bring the didgeridoo to places previously unimaginable with Airdidge!

Airdidge is the first carbon fiber telescoping didgeridoo designed for musicians on the go. With a weight of 1.2 lbs and a packed length of 14.57 inches, this instrument is the ideal companion for traveling and hiking.

Purchase Airdidge

This travel didge fits in any backpack and plays in 3 keys: Bb (fully extended), C# (with smallest tube pushed in, and E (with end piece removed). Great for all levels of didgeridoo players, from beginners to advanced.

Need a portable travel didge? Order Airdidge here.

RAV Vast B Celtic Minor Double Ding: Scale Overview and Review

AJ Block

July 10, 2018

In this demonstration of the RAV Vast B Celtic Minor Double Ding, AJ Block demonstrates the different chords you can play and

What does “double ding” mean? Double ding means there are two low notes, and this is one of the only handpans we have seen where the lowest note is not the center ding, but is in fact the larger tongue tuned to A. The two high notes (as shown in the cover photo) are not the ding notes at all, they are simply a way for the RAV makers to add in an extra note.

*Purchase RAV Vast B Celtic Minor Double Ding (the instrument used in this video) here: https://www.didgeproject.com/rav

The RAV Vast B Celtic Minor Double Ding scale:
(B2), (A2), F#3, A3, B3, C#4, D4, E4, F#4, A4

Scale tones: (1), (b7), 5, b7, 1, 2, b3, 4, 5, b7

Here is the list of some chords you can play on the RAV Vast B Celtic Minor Double Ding:

B Minor (B, D, F#)

A Major (A, C#, E)

D Major (D, F#, A)

F# Minor (F#, A, C#)

E5 (E, B, no 3rd)

C# Minor (C#, E, no 5th)

*Private RAV Drum lessons with Didge Project are available via skype anywhere in the world. Contact: aj@didgeproject.com

RAV Drum (aka RAV Vast) is a relatively new instrument that fuses the concepts behind handpans (hang drums) and tongue drums (traditionally made of wood). Perfectly cut steel tongues vibrate harmoniously together to create an ethereal sound perfect for meditation, relaxation, and other mystical music experiences. RAV was invented in 2013, the same year PanArt stopped making the Hang. RAV is from Russia with cut keys as opposed to the hammer tuned Hang drum, which is not cut or welded in anyway. The RAV has a deep resonance and profound reverb effect where the sound lasts for a long time while the Hang drum sound goes for a much shorter duration. This allows for a lot more space between key strokes in the RAV because the sound carries so long without losing the rhythm, which can make for more experimental playing in some respects than the Hang or handpan. The fullness of the sound and the duration of each key stroke makes the instrument very meditative to play because it renders itself to slow playing but of course can also be played very quickly and rhythmically. The backside is not as accessible or resonant as a handpan but can still be played rhythmically. The price of a RAV is 1/3 the cost of a Hang and is also generally easier to play than the Hang for most people. It is also a much more durable and sturdy instrument. The handpan can be knocked out of tune with too hard of a hit and over time may need to get tuned up regardless while the Rav does not and is almost impossible to knock out of tune. The Rav also has harmonics beyond the fundamental key like the Hang/handpan and both are available through Didge Project for purchase at https://www.didgeproject.com/rav.

Tuvan Throat Singing Masters: Alash Ensemble

AJ Block

June 13, 2018

In Tuvan throat singing, the performer produces a fundamental pitch and—simultaneously—one or more pitches over that. Often, singers travel far into the countryside looking for the right river, or go up to the steppes of the mountainside to create the proper environment for throat-singing.

Alash Ensemble (http://www.alashensemble.com), seen here, is one of the most celebrated Tuvan Throat Singing groups. Alash and its individual members have consistently won top honors in world throat singing competitions.

Throat singing developed among the nomadic herdsmen of Central Asia, people who lived in yurts, rode horses, raised yaks, sheep and camels, and had a close spiritual relationship with nature. Singers use their voices to mimic and interact with the sounds of the natural world — whistling birds, bubbling streams, blowing wind, or the deep growl of a camel.

The people of Tuva have a wide range of throat singing vocalizations. The three predominant styles are called khoomei, kargyraa and sygyt. Khoomei is traditionally a softer sounding style, with the fundamental (or drone) usually in the low-mid to midrange of the singer’s normal voice. Sygyt, literally ‘whistling’, has a midrange fundamental and is characterized by strong, flute-like or rather piercing harmonics, reminiscent of whistling. Kargyraa has a deep, almost growling sound to it and is technically related to Tibetan Buddhist chant.

Join these Tuvan throat singing masters for workshops and performances at The 2018 Tribal Rhythms Gathering in Upstate New York, August 2-5. Full details at at https://www.didgeproject.com/gathering

The Tribal Rhythms Gathering is an annual camp-out retreat in the mountains of upstate New York with musical masters in the fields of didgeridoo, percussion, Tuvan throat singing, traditional African rhythms, handpan, beatboxing, live looping, and much more. Participants at the Tribal Rhythms Gathering experience the mastery and magic of these world-renowned musicians through performances and workshops, and have the opportunity to experience a traditional healing sweat lodge and experience sound baths, yoga, vegetarian food and more. Prepare yourself for a mesmerizing gathering of global culture, world-class music, workshops, and ancient shamanic wisdom.

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Source video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xia8OERlNU

The Tribal Rhythms Gathering, Aug. 2-5, 2018, with Alash Ensemble, Glen Velez, Maestro Manuel Rufino, Dream Seed, Beatboxers, Percussionists and more, Upstate NY

Past Events

AJ Block

May 22, 2018

THE TRIBAL RHYTHMS GATHERING 2018

THURS. AUG 2, 7PM – SUN. AUG. 5, 5PM

DRUM MAKING WORKSHOP WITH XANGO SHOLA ON SUN., AUG. 5

UPSTATE NEW YORK (2 HOURS FROM NEW YORK CITY)

Welcome to The Tribal Rhythms Gathering, a woodland camp-out retreat with masters of music and sacred traditions. Experience musical performances and workshops in the fields of didgeridoo, percussion, Tuvan throat singing, traditional world music rhythms, handpan, beatboxing, sacred song and much more. This year’s gathering will feature artists: Alash Ensemble (Tuva), Glen Velez featuring Rhythm Vocalist Loire Cotler, Maestro Manuel Rufino (Taino, Dominican Republic), Dream Seed: Shamanic Sound Ensemble, Ohana (Brooke Gillespie), Ixchel Prisma, Jerry Walsh, AJ Block, Sacred Song School with Xango Shola and more! In addition, participants will have the opportunity to experience a traditional healing sweat lodge with Taino elder, Maestro Manuel Rufino, take daily yoga classes, and be provided with full vegetarian meals throughout the festival. Prepare yourself for a mesmerizing gathering of global culture, world-class music, workshops, and ancient shamanic wisdom.

Watch our video from last year’s event:

DETAILS

Accomodations: There is camping available for free on site. Hotels are available 20-minutes away. All participants who are camping must provide their own tents, sleeping pads and sleeping bags. We will send you information on the nearest hotels as soon as you register.

Food (All-inclusive): Vegetarian meals will be provided throughout the retreat. Meals include Thursday dinner, all meals for Friday and Saturday, and Sunday breakfast and lunch. Drum making participants will also be provided with meals through Monday. We guarantee you will feel satisfied with quality food prepared by quality people.

Location: This event is being held on private land upstate New York (2 hours driving from New York City). The exact location will be given upon registration.

Arrival/Departure: Activities begin the night of Thursday, August 2 at 7pm with dinner and opening ceremony. Activities will end on Sunday, August 5 by 5pm.

Parking: Parking is available on site and we encourage carpooling as much as possible. Please let us know where you will be coming from and if you would be able to bring additional people in your vehicle.

Public Transportation: Shuttles can be arranged to and from the event site and nearby towns. We will send you the best transit options via email as soon as you register and will help you find the best option.

What to Bring:

Tent
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Pad/Camping Mattress
Pillow
Clothing
Sweat Lodge outfit (bathing suit or sweat lodge dress)
Bug Spray
Rain Gear (just in case)
Waterproof boots or hiking boots
Musical instruments
Yoga Mat or blankets for sitting outdoors
Comfortable long pants and long sleeve shirts
Jacket (it may get cold at night)
Towel
Flashlight

A Substance-Free Event: Tribal Rhythms Gathering is an alcohol-free, drug-free gathering. This helps us to promote spiritual cleansing, health, family, and community building.

See who’s playing at this year’s gathering:

TICKETS

Ticket cost is $347 for a full EARLYBIRD event pass and $397 for a regular full price ticket. This price includes meals, accomodations, workshops, sweat lodge, concerts and all activities Friday through Sunday. This price does not include the drum making workshop, details of which you will find below.

Ticket cost is $150 for a 1-day pass. This includes 3 meals and all event activities during a 24-hour period.

Purchase tickets below.

BONUS EVENT: DRUM MAKING WORKSHOP with Xango Shola

Sunday, August 5, 9am-4pm

Join Dream Seed’s Xango Shola in making your own shamanic frame drum. The drum is a sacred instrument that invokes the heart and speaks a universal language. Its rhythmic heartbeat is at the center of ceremonies held by people all over the world.

In this workshop we will come together in a sacred space to create our own ceremonial drums and learn a frame drum-tying technique that Dream Seed received from our community’s spiritual leader and elder, Maestro Manuel Rufino.

We will be making one-sided hand drums, using wooden frames made of maple; the hide of elk, buffalo or deer; and sinew.

The creation of the drum is a prayer and a ceremony in itself. We will work with our drums as a visioning meditation for our lives and our paths, so that our thoughts and intentions remain in a high vibration as we create the drums and through that process they become part of the drums. During that time we will share and listen to sacred songs from different Native traditions. Making your own personal drum is a sacred journey and the power of making something like this with your own hands is incredible, it becomes an extension of your own heart & mind.

Workshop includes all drum making materials. Participants may opt to bring their own lunch or to participate in communal meals at the gathering for $10 per meal (breakfast and lunch available). Participants who are only attending this workshop are not required to purchase other tickets to the Tribal Rhythms Gathering.

REGISTRATION ENDLINE: WEDS., JULY 25!

Drum Making Workshop cost is $275 – $290 (depending on drum size) in addition to the event ticket price. Participants who are only coming to this workshop do not need to buy any other festival ticket.

Click here to Register for the Drum Making Workshop.

BUY EVENT TICKETS HERE

Space is limited. Sign up now to reserve your spot!

Earlybird admission tickets cost $347 (20 available). After the first 20 tickets sell, tickets will increase to $397 each. The Drum Making Workshop costs an additional $270-295.

PRESENTERS

ALASH ENSEMBLE

Alash Ensemble is comprised of masters of Tuvan throat singing, a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches at the same time. They are among the leading exponents of traditional Tuvan instruments and are deeply committed to traditional Tuvan music and culture. At the same time, they are fans of western music. Believing that traditional music must constantly evolve, the musicians subtly infuse their songs with western elements, creating their own unique style that is fresh and new, yet true to their Tuvan musical heritage.

Glen Velez featuring Rhythm Vocalist Loire Cotler

Glen Velez has been titled, “The undisputed master of Frame Drums” by the New York Times. The Jerusalem Post has described Loire Cotler’s performance as being, “Peerless artistry.” Together they create a duo full of energy, passion, drums, vocal percussion, and deep respect for the art that they create.

As a four-time Grammy Award Winner, Glen Velez is the icon of the modern frame drum movement. Velez often tours around the globe and performs solo repertoire as well as with many ensembles. His career has expanded over four decades; bringing a new genre of composition and drumming into contemporary percussion. Through combining different hand drumming techniques from around the globe, he has created his own performance style. Velez currently teaches at The Julliard School and Mannes College of Music.

Jazz Rhythm Vocalist, Loire Cotler, has defined her life by the healing power of rhythm and jazz through the art of vocal percussion. Her style combines a range of techniques from Medieval, Be-bop, Avant-Pop, South Indian drum language, Middle Eastern taksim, and others. She has been featured as a soloist with the National Chinese Orchestra, Long Beach Opera, and the American Composers Orchestra. Cotler is a passionate educator and certified Music Therapist and presents master classes worldwide, including The Julliard School. Please visit: www.rhythmvocalist.com for more info on Loire Cotler.

Maestro Manuel Rufino

Maestro Manuel Rufino is a recognized elder in the Taino tradition and World Director of M.A.I.S.C. He is a spiritual guide, gifted ceremonial leader and teacher of sacred initiatic traditions of the world. Maestro Manuel is also an artist, certified iridologist, naturo-therapist, vegetarian chef & the visionary guiding the Golden Drum community and many vegetarian restaurants including Jungle Café in Brooklyn. Guided by his teacher, Maestro Domingo Dias Porta, Maestro Manuel has been following the trails of indigenous healing arts for over 40 years. Maestro Manuel travels around the world sharing initiatic traditions, leading workshops, lectures, sweat lodges and healing rituals.

In 2010 Maestro Manuel and a number of his students opened Golden Drum as a space for sacred traditions in New York City. Founded to give voice to the worldview of Native Americans, indigenous peoples and the esoteric schools, Golden Drum features living representatives and students of these great traditions.

Dream Seed

Dream Seed is a shamanic sound ensemble featuring members of Golden Drum and Didge Project. Shamanic chanting, mantras, overtone singing, Native American songs, indigenous music, didgeridoos, crystal singing bowls, bells, gongs, harmoniums, tuning forks and other overtone-emitting instruments are used to create an environment conducive to deep relaxation and inward investigation. Participants are led through guided meditations and sound healing practices designed to harmonize body, mind and spirit.

Sonark Trio

SONARK TRIO is a musical braid of three diverse traditions. Bringing together the sounds of Africa, North and South America, Joakim Lartey: percussion, Gabriel Dresdale: cello, and Thomas Workman: flutes, didgeridoo, tuba and more, meet in the middle exploring an infinitely new soundscape, finding the balance in the dance between freedom and form, Sonark Trio’s repertoire includes a mixture of free improvisation and composed pieces. These include original works, the music of Brazilian virtuoso Hermeto Pascoal, South African composer Abdullah Ibrahim and Bassist Dave Holland.

AJ Block

AJ Block is the director of Didge Project and is active as a didgeridoo teacher and performer. In addition to didgeridoo, AJ has spent years studying music traditions from all over the world including jazz (trombone and piano), western classical music, Indian Classical Music, guitar and world percussion. AJ has developed a number of programs for Didge Project including The ABCs of Didgeridoo, The Didgeridoo Skills Course, and Circular Breathing Mastery. He is also the author of Didge For Sleep, a didgeridoo learning method designed specifically for people with Sleep Apnea. As a performer AJ is a member of Dream Seed: A Shamanic Sound Journey. AJ is a founding member of Sacred Arts Research Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of sacred art traditions through education, ritual and study. As a student of spiritual teacher Maestro Manuel Rufino AJ is an active member of the Golden Drum community.

Ixchel Prisma

Ixchel Prisma is a vocalist, song writer, and sound healer who brings the medicine of beauty and vibrancy through her music. Subtle electronic sounds and acoustic instrumentals are blended together with uplifting lyrics, wide ranging vocals, and poetry, submerging listeners into a full spectrum experience. In addition to writing her own material, Ixchel has also been studying and singing sacred healing songs from many indigenous cultures for many years. The intention of her music is to facilitate opening through movement in combination with the medicine of prayer, intention and sound. She has been performing since childhood, and studying indigenous music culture and sound healing for 5 years. Ixchel has performed at West Coast transformational festivals, local events, and private shows for the over 6 years. She is currently in collaboration with several influential music producers and musicians, including Desert Dwellers, Shaman’s Dream, Dream Seed, and Jerry Walsh. Her offerings vary from acoustic performance, sound healing, song circles, and live electronic fusion dance sets.

Brooke Gillespie (Ohana)

Ohana is Brooke (Flying Bear) Hamre Gillespie’s solo musical project of all original music and compositions in the spirit of awakening and remembering the eternal soul. She creates ceremonial prayerformances of original music, video, art, clothes, dance and more; collaborating with musicians and artists from around the world. She is a visionary song-writer, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, working with guitar, piano, ngoni, harmonium, violin, flutes, crystal singing bowls, Tibetan singing bowls, gong, shamanic drum and percussion, and is a music producer/engineer. Brooke is currently working on her first solo album. It will be featuring musicians from the Golden Drum community, members of Dream Seed, other world-class musicians and special guests. She is also a co-founder of Dream Seed: A Shamanic Sound Journey, a sound healing collective.

Brooke is a member of the Golden Drum community. She is a student of Maestro Manuel Rufino, learning the intertribal Native American traditions, sacred sound healing, and sacred traditions of humanity. Brooke has also had the opportunity to study and perform with Incan sound healer and teacher, Tito La Rosa. Ohana honors the sacred traditions of the Earth and aims to connect to the heart of humanity and raise consciousness through sound, songs and healing. Ohana collaborates with members of Golden Drum, Didge Project, Dream Seed, Made In Prayer, Orzel Kondor Koliber and the Sacred Arts Research Foundation.

Jerry Walsh

Jerry Walsh is a musician and vocalist, weaving together ancient and otherworldly sounds from sacred traditions across the globe to create ceremonial shamanic journeys. He has collaborated with Merkaba (Kayla Scintilla), Srikala, Native American hip-hop artist, Supaman, and American beatbox champion, Mark Martin. He has been student of Taino elder, Maestro Manuel Rufino, for over six years, studying the indigenous shamanic cultures of the Americas and other wisdom traditions. Jerry has travelled to over twenty-five countries on five continents and spent a full year studying Buddhism and Himalayan culture in India, Nepal, and Bhutan from 2010-2011. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with the Golden Drum community when he is not on tour sharing music and meditation with partner, Ixchel Prisma.

Sacred Song School with Xango Shola

The Sacred Arts Research Foundation and Golden Drum Community members have been cultivating their connection to sacred sound, chanting, mantra, folkloric and healing songs from around the world. Under the guidance and inspiration of Maestro Manuel Rufino, Taino Elder & world director of M.A.I.S.C, we have come together to create an educational platform for sacred songs to be learned.

Music is one of the deepest forms of prayer and healing that we carry with us throughout our lives. To learn, carry and sing a sacred song is an ability we all have, we simply need to tap into it. In our school, we invite you to tap into your own ability to use sacred song as a study, practice and way of prayer and expression. We will create an environment that promotes the development and learning of traditional sacred songs from all around the world. Each class will focus on a selection of songs, where we will learn the pronunciation, translation, and intention of the songs, as well as covering the melodic and rhythmic structure of singing the song.

Xango Shola is the director of Sacred Song School and a founding member of Sacred Arts Research Foundation.

YashAkasha of Worldchangers Organization

Born to Jewish immigrants, Yasha is a renaissance being with a visionary spirit, who brings a spark of relentless passion to the planetary roundtable. He is a founder of Worldchangers Organization and the Blue Bird Black Cat Society as well as a Hip Hop Emcee and Energy-Worker. Over several years, he has traveled the world studying syncretic transformational practices, such as Dream-work and Taijiquan, and is an initiate of the ancient mystery schools, such as the Inayati-Maimuni Order. YashAkasha will be offering a Hip Hop workshop at Tribal Rhythms Gathering 2018.

The Worldchangers Organization is a 501(c)3 public charity that is developing a Transformational School for spiritual growth and self-actualization. Our mission is to share Inner Peace with the people of Planet Earth at this key point in time.

Forefeather

Forefeather (Zac Hills-Bonczyk), E-RYT 200, is a Zen-hop artist, producer, rapper in a Hip Hop/Funk brass band, a yoga and mindfulness teacher, skillful living coach and advocate, wilderness trail guide, and an ecstatic dance facilitator. Originally from Minneapolis, MN, Forefeather performs solo and with his band Big village Little City, as well as leading workshops and retreats around the world, at his family’s yoga studio in the midwest, and in his current home of New York City.

U.N.D.A.K.O.V.A.

For over twenty years, David Jason Williams a.k.a. U.N.D.A.K.O.V.A. has been awakening audiences with his special brand of insightful & knowledge infused Hip Hop. A globally renowned emcee, DJ, musician, songwriter, producer, and activist, he teaches by example that self love and artistic expression are the keys to empowering communities. Released during the summer of 2015, Undakova’s latest masterpiece ~ WISDOM ~ is a meditative & inspiring double disc compilation of liberating lyrics laced upon a sonic feast of rhythms & moods.