Peia

by jasonc | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

I believe that songs live and breathe on our breath, pulsing to the rhythm of our heart beat. If not carried and sung they are lost, forgotten. It is my prayer and intention to gather songs from around the world and share the story of human care, love and connection to the Earth and One another.

Gifted with a broad, soaring vocal range and crystalline tone Peia’s song pierces the heart with bell like clarity.  She sings with depth and beauty, moving audiences to tears and inviting listeners to reconnect with one’s own purpose and the heart of the Earth.  Accompanying herself with Charango,  Harmonium, and Guitar and surrounded by a rich ensemble that weaves lush vocal harmonies, an eclectic array of percussion and virtuoso classical guitar.  Peia’s music creates an organic soundscape for vibrational healing.

As a sacred song preserver Peia has gathered songs from indigenous traditions all across the globe, as well as the stories and teachings with which they are woven.  She has traveled extensively and studied from the rich lineages of Medieval Chant, Bulgarian and Celtic Folk Music, Medicine songs from the Native peoples of North and South America and Indian Classical Raga.  Peia’s original song writing draws upon a deep well love and respect for Mother Earth and the Spirit of all Life.

Born in the back hills of Connecticut, Peia spent most of her childhood playing in the forests, hiding out in tree tops and learning from the sounds and patterns in the nature around her.  In 2002 she  moved to Boston  where she attended New England Conservatory of Music on scholarship to receive extensive training in Western Classical Voice and Opera, vocal pedagogy, composition, and improvisation.  In 2007 she made the long trip west to Portland Oregon where she began a deeper study of Indian Classical singing and joined Trillium Voices – An Estonian vocal ensemble.  In 2009 Peia made her recording debut with Grammy Nominee Ronn McFarlane for the Album Ayre Heart and the following year released Semi Somnus – a beautiful and eclectic collaboration with guitarist Chris Mosley.  In 2012 she released her first solo album The Dance of Devotion  – a stunning collection of poetic and devotional love songs.  Her latest recording  Four Great Winds – a journey through traditional and neo-sacred song – was self released in May 2013 and has been signed to Sounds True for global release in the fall of 2015.

Peia currently splits her time between Portland and the lush, wild hills of Southern OR where she teaches Voice Cultivation and the Yoga of Sound.  Fusing her knowledge of Vocal Pedagogy – (The Science of the Voice) with the ancient meditative practice of Nada Yoga, she imparts upon her students the tools to harness the natural beauty and resonance of the voice.

For further information, see: http://peiasong.com & vimeo.com/65468278

Autumn Skye

by jasonc | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

“My purpose is to create. In that process I find stillness and rhythm, my teacher and passion. With intention, I aim to share honesty and awakening; to celebrate this fantastic adventure; to inspire and be inspired. Each canvas takes me on a journey, and as my paintbrush follows, each time I am lead back to my center.

In this shifting and challenging Time, I feel a deep stirring, a potent blossoming of creativity. It is all around us, gaining momentum and strength; in our own lives, in those of our family and community, and in the collective experience. It is our divine duty to create and share inspiration, especially at this time of change. As we honor our own personal creativity, we contribute vitally to the whole. We inspire those around us to celebrate, we empower them to create, we manifest visual mirrors to the light, divinity, and potential of each viewer.

As in any art form, as we release judgment, silence our mind, breathe deep into the process, and find bliss in each step; we realize that we are boundlessly assisted in our authentic and heart-centered expression. We step out of the way. We realize that the Art is not born of us, but through us, and in this understanding we are humbled, yet profoundly empowered. Each creation is an offering: a positive reflection of ourselves and humanity, a celebration of evolving consciousness, an opportunity for healing and deepening, a vision of a bright future and Now.

May my paintings be a mirror, a reflection of your universal light, your human essence, and your timeless divinity.”

Born in Nova Scotia, Autumn Skye moved with her family West across Canada.  She spent her youth between the majesty of the Rocky Mountains with her Father, and the lush coastal rainforests with her Mother.  Autumn Skye has been painting since she could hold a brush, developing a deep wonder for nature and the world around her.

Amidst journeys to explore the world and share inspiration with the ever blossoming community, Autumn Skye otherwise lives and paints in her home north of Powell River on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia, Canada.  In her studio, she overlooks a sweeping expanse of ocean, islands, mountains, and sky.  She considers herself among the blessed of the blessed.

Dynasty Electric

by jasonc | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

Deepak and the Breath of Life

by Eva VanAken | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

Deepak and the Breath of Life Tribe are a world sacred music ensemble based in Los Angeles that was started in March of 2010. Their style is an eclectic blend of traditional East-Indian music and World Beats infused with an array of modern Western genres ranging from Rock, Pop, Funk, Blues, Jazz, and even Hip-Hop.

They have toured various festivals and events around the world including the World Culture Festival at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, Germany, Bhakti Fest in Joshua Tree, California, the Alternative New Years Revelation at the World Beat Center in San Diego, California and many other programs in just the first two years of their existence.

The Tribe is led by Deepak Ramapriyan who has played with many major artists and yoga teachers in the world including India.Arie, Jason Mraz, Jai Uttal, Dave Stringer, Donna Delory, Saul David Raye, Shiva Rea, Shyam Das etc… as well as being one of the lead kirtan artists that plays for Sri Sri Ravi Shankar when he is doing his discourses around the planet.

Breath of Life Tribe creates a dynamic experience, that leaves people relaxed and charged. The deep healing adventure ranges from sacred chanting in Sanskrit and other languages, meditation, breathing, sound healing, an dancing. A large portion of the live experience is created in the moment thru musical improvisation, freestyle, and through the interaction with the energy of the crowd in the moment.

The Tribe is a collaboration of great artists, teachers, shamans, and musicians of a broad array of backgrounds, which creates a depth in the sound, and in the delivery of the message of connection, unity, and love.

Climbing PoeTree

by jasonc | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

Climbing PoeTree will be performing Friday at 9:00-9:30 on the Unifier field stage

Climbing PoeTree is the combined force of two boundary-breaking soul sisters who have sharpened their art as a tool for popular education, community organizing, and personal transformation. Alixa and Naima interweave spoken word, hip hop, and award-winning multimedia theater to expose injustice, channel hope into vision, and make a better future visible, immediate, and irresistible. With flawless cadence and impeccable lyricism, Alixa and Naima weave together their voices to tell powerful stories of love and liberation, state and personal violence, social, environmental, racial, and sexual justice, woman’s empowerment, and human transcendence. In 15 self-organized tours over the past 10 years, Climbing PoeTree has blazed stages in more than 70 cities across the U.S., and abroad from the UK to South Africa, Mexico to Cuba. At concert halls and conferences, classrooms and festivals, prisons and universities, Alixa and Naima’s words inspire thousands of people to activate the transformation they wish to cultivate within themselves and their communities. Their soul-stirring performances have been featured alongside visionary leaders and artists such as Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Amiri Baraka, Cornel West, Angela Davis, Sonia Sanchez, Alice Walker, Vandana Shiva, Danny Glover, Joanna Macy, The Last Poets, and Dead Prez. Amid their busy touring schedules, Alixa and Naima are committed organizers and educators. They lead workshops in state institutions from Rikers Island Prison to Clark County Juvenile Detention Center, and prestigious academies such as Cornell and Columbia Universities. One Common Unity recognized Climbing PoeTree with an award in 2010 for creating peace and lasting sustainable change in their communities through education, arts and media; and in 2012 Climbing PoeTree was featured on TEDx SIT for their work connecting communities, building bridges, and using their creativity at the service of their vision for a better world.

http://www.climbingpoetree.com/video/when-the-last-tree-stands-alone/

Srikalogy

by jasonc | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

Srikala is an MC, DJ, producer, and percussionist who has established solid footing — and an equally solid following — by creating hip hop rooted in confidence without bravado. The soul in his music is found not only in the rhythms, but in the energy and intention of each beat.

“My music is about transformation. So much so, that if you stripped away the music, that message is still there,” he explains.

For Srikalogy (whose real name is Srikala Kerel Roach), this transformation is at the center of ‘New Paradigm’, his fifth studio album and first widespread label release, due May 20, 2014 on Black Swan Sounds.

Influenced by artists ranging from From Talib Kweli to Radiohead, Michael Jackson to Matisyahu, Jimi Hendrix to Tinariwen. Srikala was raised in the Bedford-Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn, New York. Throughout his West Indian upbringing, he gained a deep love for listening to and creating hip hop, R&B, dub, and reggae music. He recalls spending many days and nights in the basement with his cousin making beats, saying “That’s just something we did growing up.”

In his early days, he was intrigued by the skateboarding lifestyle, much like his “kick-pushing” musical favorite, hip hop artist Lupe Fiasco. Says Srikala, “I was skating a lot because I was up-and-coming in that scene. There was a lot of partying and I eventually burned out in that space,” he recalls. “Ultimately, New York City beat me up.”

Instead of coasting through self-destruction, Srikala chose to meet the city’s challenge and find balance by taking a drastically different route: he spent six years living in an ashram on New York’s Lower East Side, dedicated to refocusing his life through spiritual instruction and meditation. “Whatever healing needed to happen started happening, and as it did, I started writing music again,” says Srikala. As the music became increasingly prominent in his way of life, he was gently encouraged to leave the ashram and embark on the next phase of his journey because, as he notes with a smile, “there weren’t any monks coming out with albums.”

As his first foray back into the city that helped to shape him, Srikala trained in audio engineering at New York’s Institute of Audio Research and began independently releasing records in 2011. His efforts produced four albums in less than three years, each project placing equal significance on both the message and the music. His multiple talents have afforded him the opportunity to collaborate with artists around the world as an MC, producer and DJ. He is also the founder of Unitribe Productions, a community-based organization dedicated to creating socially-conscious nightlife events, and plays regularly with The Flowdown, his jazz-funk fusion band in which he is lead singer and percussionist.

In all of Srikala’s expressions of sound, he seeks to bring a message of hope and inspiration, and defines his philosophy with ease: “I am a fan of the beauty of life.”

In turn, ‘New Paradigm’ showcases sophisticated beat production and songwriting that are seamlessly bound together by his skilled cadence and flow. The track “State of Mind” (featuring J Brave of California-based Luminaries) is a hip-hop track tingling with dubstep sounds promoting unity – a theme strongly advocated throughout the project. “RadheGovinda (DanceHall)” taps into Srikala’s Caribbean roots, blending tones mellow enough for meditation, while “Take My Hand,” featuring conscious rocker Trevor Hall, perfectly demonstrates how naturally a spiritual message blends with head-nodding beats. From start to finish, the 14-song project illustrates his varied musical influences, the complexities of his background, and his current exuberance.

As he embarks upon the next stage of his own journey and transformation, Srikala accurately surmises what music fans of every genre have long known to be true: “Good music is good music,” says this powerhouse of creativity. “It really just depends on how you present it.”

http://srikalogy.com/video/the-realness-official-music-video/

http://srikalogy.com/video/srikalogy-pow-wow/

Discography

• ●  Srikalogy: Self Titled Album : February 2014 (coming soon)
• ●  Optimus Tribe: Urban Mystic – 2014
• ●  Srikalogy: Kirtan Remix Vol 1 – 2013
• ●  Srikalogy Kirtan Sessions (co-produced by Duke Mushroom)-2012
• ●  Sacred Hip Hop (a collaboration with hip hop artist and film director/producer, Abe (Anadi)Heisler) -2011VideoSrikalogy Solo Set @ Cosmic Renaissance – 1-18-14 Srikalogy Solo set @ Unitribe’s 12 – 12 – 12 Party Solo Set
  Srikalogy with Full Band 2013Srikalogy 2012 Video Press Kit2013 Performances and Festivals

• ●  Fontanas – NYC – March
• ●  SRB – NYC – March
• ●  Festival of Colors – Alachua, Florida – April
• ●  Club Divine – Chicago – April
• ●  Krishna Lounge – London, UK
• ●  Wanderlust Vermont – Vermont – June
• ●  Luminous Movement – Santa Monica, CA – May1st
• ●  Mantras, Bass and Beats Tour- California-May 2st- 13th
• ●  Lightning in a Bottle – Lake Skinner, CA – July
• ●  Dance Meditation Practice – Detroit – July
• ●  Bhakti Fest Midwest – July 5th – 7th
• ●  Ecstatic Dance – Oakland, CA – August
• ●  Kirtan Vancouver – Vancouver – August
• ●  Rootwire Festival – Logan, Ohio – August
• ●  EvolveFest – Pennsylvania – August
• ●  Symbiosis Gathering- California – September
• ●  Bhakti Fest – California – September
• ●  Black Swan Midwest Tour – October 16-23rd
• ●  Club Divine Florida Tour – Florida – Nov. 1-11th

April Rose: The Graceful & the Grotesque/Release Technique

by jasonc | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

The Graceful and the Grotesque  INTENSIVE  $45  Saturday 10-11:50am

Description: *begins with a short lecture* Learn a dance that marries raqs sharqi  and freakish isolations of Tribal Fusion. This class is a moving discussion of the historical influences on today’s bellydance. In different places and times, bellydancers have consciously incorporated weightlessness and grace into their movements as well as grotesque and alarming incongruities. This class includes a discussion on theories of the “grotesque”  and how the freak-show and graceful elements have historically made their ways into our modern concept of bellydance.

Beginner/Intermediate

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Release Technique   INTENSIVE  $45  Sunday 2-3:50pm

Description: Using science and visualization to increase your body’s efficiency. Bellydance training regimes often emphasize only the muscular component of strength building; however strength lies in the neuromuscular system and good technique often appears as effortless movement, not muscular strain. Through various “release techniques” developed since the 1960’s, dancers have been learning to move as efficiently and effortlessly as possible by building direct neuromuscular pathways. In bellydance, releasing unnecessary effort from a single movement frees up more muscles and energy for layering and emotional presence. Through guided imagery and hands-on partner exercises adapted from releasing techniques, April Rose leads the class in this approach to movement. Bring a paper and pen for note taking on the history and science behind releasing technique and be prepared for tactile interaction between students.

All Levels Welcome

An educated and traveled dancer of 14 years, April Rose creates playful and thoughtful choreographies that often seek to find a balance between fused traditions and the ethics of intercultural performance.

Director of Rose Movement Studio in Austin, Texas, she teaches weekly classes at home and currently travels abroad on a monthly basis to teach, speak, and perform at bellydance conferences.  In her workshops she teaches a variety of

bellydance techniques, physical conditioning, fusion and the politics of fusion, choreographic method, bellydance history, and adapted psycho-physical awareness practices.

April Rose tours internationally with The Bellydance Superstars and was a performing member of UNMATA for 5 years.  She began Egyptian/American cabaret or raqs sharqi bellydance as a child and has since been trained in tribal bellydance and group improv.  She is certified teacher in the Hot Pot/UNMATA format of Improvisational Tribal Style.

April Rose has a Masters degree in Culture and Performance from UCLA’s World Arts and Cultures|Dance Department, where she also holds a BA in Dance.  Her research explores the transnational history of bellydance since the mid-19th century and the many incarnations of bellydance practice in the post 1960’s US. April Rose has studied choreographic method, the role of dance in the production of culture, and a variety of dance forms (including: ballet, modern, West African, jazz, hip hop, Bedhayo Javanese court dance, Bharatanatyam, Odissi, & Khathak classical Indian dances, contact improv, Skinner Releasing Technique, raqs sharqi, tribal, and fusion bellydance).

Her life is dedicated simultaneously to bringing into bellydance the theoretical, historical, and compositional knowledge she has gained in her academic study and to helping people understand the potential bellydance has for thoughtful self expression, community formation, and challenging of social convention.

Her strategy for life and art is to take risk without taking yourself all too seriously!

-Photo by Reed Burnam

Deb Rubin: Uncoiling the Serpent’s Kiss (3 workshops)

by jasonc | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

Artistry in Motion: Cultivating Performance Quality & Dynamic Dancing  OPEN TO ALL  Saturday 12-1:50pm

Description: Dance is the visual representation of the music. Our bodies  are the vessel of creative expression and art in motion. In this workshop, we will move beyond the bellydance box and explore ourselves as artists, creating shapes, stories, and captivating performances from beginning to end. This workshop will pull from Deb’s studies of dance, music, somatic inquiry, theatre, and yoga to push our edges, encourage choreography development, and push one’s own personal style, intention, and innovation- to be applied to either solo or group pieces. We will explore concepts such as “throwing energy”, “the tension of opposites”,  pacing, and “the art of doing nothing”, as well as as practices to become more comfortable in our own skin, and being seen/interacting with the audience. Exercises in this workshop will help build performance confidence and help build your own voice. Please bring journal, water bottle, and playful spirit.

Intermediate/Advanced

The Ultimate Slink Factor: Uncoiling the Serpent’s Kiss   INTENSIVE $45  Friday 1:30-3:20pm

Description: Next Level Slink! This workshop will begin with Deb’s signature core-integrated yoga for belly dance warm-up as the foundation for slow/slinky tribal, with a focus on asana which will increase space and articulation through the upper thoracic spine/ribs/sidebody for maximum expression in the traditionally ‘stuck’ places. Class focus is on refining your torso and upper body technique, and new slow combos will be introduced to drill the concepts. Moving beyond the basics, however, this TF workshop edition will focus strongly on how to create deeper, core-integrated, jaw-dropping movement quality, suspension, and hyptonizing subtleties and transitions to bring your slow&slinky dancing to the next level of intoxication, presence, and decadence.  She has been coined “The Queen of Slink”. Come learn Deb’s unique tribal stylization and critically-acclaimed teaching perspective of some of her favorite material.

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The Tension of Opposites  INTENSIVE  $45   Sunday 10-11:50am

Description: In this workshop, we will explore the delicate interplay between 2 opposing forces—balancing slow, sinewy, serpentine, fluid transitions and movements, with quick, sharp, crisp, isolated hits and accents to give any combination ‘punch’ and create more dynamic dancing and performance. We will also explore the elements of contrast and creating tension within single movement phrases.  Workshop includes: Deb’s signature core yoga for dancers warm up and technique drills (may include: torso isolations, hip work, traveling footwork, and/or layering).   All material will then be incorporated into a new Deb combo, inspired by the heart of SF tribal, which we will then manipulate and add to, using the concepts explored in class, to encourage dancers to think outside the box and explore their own creative process. Please bring yoga mat and be ready to sweat!

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Deb Rubin, MA, CMT, RYT,  is an internationally-acclaimed teacher and performer of tribal fusion belly dance based out of the SF Bay Area.  Coined “The Queen of Slink,”  for her captivating performance style, she is honored to have shared the stage as a guest artist with the musical inspirations of: Balkan Beat Box, EOTO, David Starfire, Brass Menazeri, Zilla, Vibesquad, Lynx&Janoever, Fishtank Ensemble, Beats Antique,  and more.  Founder of SattyaBody Women’s Health & the SF Mecca Immersion retreat into the heart and soul of San Francisco Tribal, Deb teaches retreats/workshops around the globe, fusing yoga, world-class tribal fusion technique, performance artistry, and therapeutics.

Deb received her foundation in Tribal Fusion from 5 years as a member of DjunDjun and then UltraGypsy BellyDance Theater, under the direction of Jill Parker,  known by many as the mamma of tribal fusion, and–with much gratitude–by Deb as the inspiration who started her on this path.  She was a regular sub for Jill’s classes until Fall 2007.  Deb’s dance technique and stylization is most influenced by inspiration from her long-time teacher, Rachel Brice, whom she  had the honor to assist at Tribal Massive, 2008, and has so  much gratitude for her guidance on this path, both in and out of the studio. A product of the SF dance community, during the boom and global expansion of tribal fusion,  Deb is honored to have studied intensively, over a 5-10 year time span, with many of the masters and innovators of this genre.  She draws from all of her long term intensive studies with: Mardi Love, Zoe Jakes, Mira Betz, Kami Liddle, Carolena Nerricio & Fat Chance Belly Dance, Cera Byer, Amy Sigil, and Suhaila and Jamila Salimpour, as well as modern, ballet, jazz, and contact improvization.  She is level 1 certified in Suhaila Salimpour’s method.

A holistic health counselor, yoga teacher, and integrative bodyworker, Deb’s private practice specializes in women’s health and injury rehab for dancers. She is most influenced by her Yoga studies with IYT, Shiva Rae, Gary Kraftsow, AcroYoga, Darshana Weil, and Rachel Brice, her Thai-Yoga Massage studies in the hilltribes of Northern Thailand under the lineage of Asokananda, and her vision quest experiences in the Northern California desert.  She has a B.A in psychology and pre-med from Princeton University,and an MA in holistic health education from JFK University.  Deb received her  Massage Therapy Certifications through the San Francisco School of Massage, and Sunshine Network in Thailand.  For over a decade, she has worked as a massage therapist in affiliation with chiropractic offices, integrative medicine centers, and/or private practice.  She developed the curriculum for and taught the  very first Thai-Massage course at McKinnon Massage School, in Oakland, CA, in 2007-8.  Her writings are published in Yoga Journal , and FUSE magazines.

Deb was coined “The Best Kept Secret in Tribal” by FUSE magazine, Winter 2011.  She is currently working on a DVD of her unique Dance Therapeutics Material.  With 15 years experience working in the field of mind/body medicine, and 30+years in dedicated study and performance of dance, her focus in 2012 is to be a bridge between those two areas, bringing a keen, integrative approach to the study and embodiment of this evolving art form, while still maintaining the high level of training and artistry that our art form inspires.

The Mast

by Hadas Yanay | Nov 10, 2013 | Talent Pool

“Brooklyn-based duo The Mast’s high-energy electro-pop seemed to instantly magnetize people to the stage…the venue was completely packed with blissed-out dance enthusiasts thoroughly hypnotized by the primal beats and astral sound effects.”  – CMJ 

“The Mast play futuristic-electro pop inspired by early IDM and experimental beat music – James Blake on mescaline” – Village Voice

The Mast is vocalist and instrumentalist Haleh Gafori and percussionist and beat maker Matt Kilmer. Incorporating vocals, electronics, and percussion in their shows, The Mast creates a full-spectrum sonic experience that features “Haleh’s phenomenally powerful, nuanced, and hypnotic voice and Matt’s gorgeous deft beats (both sequenced and live)” (Wompblog). Influenced by early IDM, post dubstep, and experimental beat music as well as acts like Mount Kimbie, Purity Ring, and Bonobo, The Mast creates a warm and inviting sound that booms through the subwoofers, propels the body to dance, and soaks the mind in a bath of endorphins. 

In their live shows, where they have performed alongside Foster the People, Reggie Watts, Blonde Redhead, and Teebs, Matt and Haleh incorporate live electronics, percussion, and vocal  improvisation,  preserving the spontaneity they cultivated as instrumentalists.. “So unique and crisp is their sound, culled from a range of electronic genres, that their fans swarm to be an extended part of the show, transforming it from a performance into a dance fest” (XO Magazine).

The Mast released their full length album “Pleasure Island” in early 2014.