Dec 22: A Carol Festival!

Did you know that Carol is the French word for Dance?  

That means those Carols we sing during Christmastide are intended to be danced!

Join us in dancing the carols!

When:  Sunday, December 22, 2019, 4-5:30 p.m.
Where:  Edina Morningside Church, 
              4201 Morningside Road, Edina

Bring yourself and a nosh to share if you'd like.  

We'll teach you all the dances.  And have lyrics and hymnals for those who wish to sing.  And have hot apple cider!

Save the Date: March 16, 2019 at Prairiewoods, Iowa

Points of Light Music is excited to be offering a one-day retreat at Prairiewoods in March 2019!


Save the date for
What:  Transforming Ourselves Through Sound and Movement
When:  Saturday, March 16, 2019
Where:  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center
120 E. Boyson Road, Hiawatha, Iowa

More information on the program and registering is here:  https://tinyurl.com/transformingourselves319.  

Oct 17: DUP at Cross Roads, NJ

I'll be in New Jersey October 16-18 assisting in Music that Makes Community's 3-day workshop at Cross Roads Retreat Camp and Center. 


The logos of Music that Makes Community
and Dances of Universal Peace
overlapping, cross-pollinating!

I'm especially excited for Tuesday evening, October 17 when I'll be leading an hour of Dances of Universal Peace for the MMC participants.  I love it when I get to cross-pollinate my work areas (thus, the overlapping logos here:)

If you're in the area and want to check it the 3-day retreat, or know someone on the East Coast who is looking for musical enrichment or professional development, send them!  Registration ends Sunday, October 8. 

And if you want to check out the Dances for the evening, reach out and let me know. 

Dec 17: Dances of Universal at St. Mary's

The Dances of Universal Peace this Saturday will focus on the Christian inspired Dances and reflecting on the Magnificat, Mother Mary's recitation of Hannah's words (Luke 1:46b-55).  And a little light for the solstice.  Please join us! 

 

When:  Saturday, December 17, 2016, 7-9 p.m.

Where:  St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 1895 Laurel Avenue, St. Paul, MN

On the corner of Laurel and Howell:  north of Summit Ave, south of Marshall, east of Prior, west of Fairview.  Enter the red double doors on Laurel.  Once inside look for a sign directing you to the room.  We're likely to be in the chapel (go up the stairs to your left and through the sanctuary doors) because the Undercroft is prepped for the Lessons and Carols feast on the following day. 

 

Upcoming Dances of Universal Peace: May 21-June 31

I'll be leading my first circle as an all-but-the-official-paperwork-certified Dances of Universal Peace leader this Saturday, May 21, 2016!  Join me in the Undercroft (fancy term for Lower Level) from 7-9 p.m. at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 1895 Laurel Ave, St. Paul. 

The theme I'm working with is growing and we'll have dances that incorporate beauty, lotus, breaking open (like seeds, ya know!), water, light, and more related things.  It'll be a nice follow-up to my temporary labyrinth installation of Tom Vetter's Flower in the Seed design for The Trust for Public Land at Frogtown Park & Farm's Backyard Farm Fest. 

Can't come?  Here's some more upcoming Dance circles you can attend: 

• Sat, May 21, 7-9p @ St. Mary's
• Sat, May 28, 7-9p @ Center for the Performing Arts, S. Mpls (I will be attending my 2nd of 3 Full Voice training retreats this weekend so I won't be present.  Hakim is the host and long time dance leader)
• Sun, Jun 5, 7-9p @ Holistic Gateway, NE Mpls with host Saleem Adam
• Sat, Jun 11, 7-9p @ Center for the Performing Arts
• Fri, Jun 17-Sun, Jun 19:  A weekend long retreat at the Villa Maria Retreat and Conference Center in Frontenac, MN.  More details at PeaceDanceMN.com (No 3rd Sat Dances in St. Paul and Duluth due to this)
• Sat, Jun 25, 7-9p @ Center for Performing Arts

Location details for Holistic Gateway and the Center for Performing Arts is available at PeaceDanceMN.com.  Click on the links for the regular dance circles. 

That moment #201604271940

I seem to be having a flurry of *those* moments. You know, those moments when everything magically aligns more perfectly that you could have imagined or planned.

Tonight's I was part of a prayer vigil for the AME 9. The organizers asked the local AME church to preach.  They responded with "Yes and can we bring a choir?"  We said yes!  So there was awesome gospel sung, honest prayers, an inspiring message ... And me with two paperless chants.

The... first was after the message with its reminder that "The struggle isn't over." As one who doesn't like to rush things, I announced there would be a moment of silence before the chant because well, how does one compete with a fiery message? Then I taught the two lines of the chant and let it take over. Thank G-d because I almost missed the cue for the second voice. That chant knew how long to run, knew more than I how much the people needed to sing it, to let the psalmist's words become their words, a promise deepening into a vow and vision of trust. 

The second chant was after some more prayers. "Spirit of Peace" is from the Dances of Universal Peace canon and is a simple walking meditation with arm movements. Since the list of typical liturgical movement is quite small (sit, stand, kneel maybe, I invited those who felt compelled to join me in the movements if they wished. Sing, hands moving outward like a bird in flight, joining hands, turning, bowing, we walked around. The round started. Quite a few folks joined in. But what really floated my boat was the ending. I started in the middle, walked the perimeter, and then went back into the center again. The attendees were mostly white Episcopalians. There were a few attendees from the AME church. At the end one of the AME women was in the center with me. We processed down the center like equals, turned and bowed to each other as folks sang "Mir, Miru, Mir" (Russian play on words for "peace on earth). We held that wish for each other a long moment. And then she gave me a big hug.

This is a moment I have wished for and didn't know how to authentically make it happen. I'm so glad that I just to put it out there and trust that all the stars will align. 

 

Putting this experience to words only describes a tiny part of what happened.  I can't sing and dance these things by myself to the same effect. The love and longing from all the hearts present added so much. Experiences like this is strong evidence of what we do together is more powerful than what we do alone.

 

After the service there were many hugs and greetings that I'm grateful for and connections and dreams shared and enthusiastically embraced and supported that I want to share. But for now I will dwell in the beautiful moment of shared coming together in the struggle of dismantling racism.

Photos from "Roaming Catholic" at Recovery from Religion conference

Last week, an excerpt from "Tales of a Roaming Catholic" was shared at MICAH's* Recovering from Religion conference.  Here's a few photos from the event.  

 

Mary Martin and Francis lead a seated version of the "Gloria in excelsis" Dance.

Conie teaches a dance (any guesses which one?)

We are so grateful for our financial supporters who made it possible for the crew to convene in Minneapolis' Center for the Open Book and be part of this conference.  We hope to share the whole dance service in a retreat form sometime soon.  If you have connections to folks who would find it beneficial or know of a beautiful retreat location, please contact PointsOfLightMusic@gmail.com and let us know. 

* MICAH is the Minnesota Institute for Contemplation and Healing.  See more of their work at http://www.micahprays.org/

Selected "Tales of a Roaming Catholic" at Recovery from Religion Conference

Selected "Tales of a Roaming Catholic" will be shared at an upcoming Recovery from Religion conference in Minneapolis!  Yay! 

 

Please join us if you can!  Our session will be Saturday morning, April 9, 8:45-10:15 a.m.  Single day registration is available! 

 

This "Recovery from Religion:  Toxic Theology, PTSD, and Road to Healing" conference will at The Open Book, downtown Minneapolis and is sponsored by MICAH, the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing.  Please check the other sessions on the schedule.

 

The Root of the Root

I'm in Madison, Wisconsin this weekend attending "The Root of the Root" lead by Tasnim Fernandez and Saadi Neil Douglas-Klotz.  These two folks birthed the Dances of Universal Peace organization into what it is today and have spread the Dances like Johnny Appleseed planted trees over the last 30 years.  I'm so grateful for their wisdom, leadership and dedication to the dances and look forward to what they have to share this weekend.

 

I hope to share a bit on twitter, but apologize in advance if I don't.  It is easy to get deeply immersed.  I suppose that is going to the root of the root. 

 

Blessings on your day and weekend. 

It has a name!

After much hemming and hawing (though more hemming and hawing is likely to be had ...) the new project has a name-title-moniker attached to it, so I don't have to call it "the thing I'm working on."

Please meet "Tales of a Roaming Catholic: a 12-Step Healing Dance Memoir."

Dance Retreat next weekend!

I'm co-hosting my first overnight retreat this coming weekend and I'm excited, nervous, anxious, and hopeful!  I'm wearing a few different hats, like leading a reflection segment within a larger program piece and coordinating all the dance leaders, so there's a lot of prep. 

All in all, I'm excited because this group of people used to gather annually at this retreat center about 20 years ago, and this is the first time since the mid-1990's that the Dances of Universal Peace will be returning to the Villa Maria in Frontenac, MN.  You can just walk in, but if you'd like a meal from the Villa kitchen or a bed/camp site, registering would be good so there's enough for all.  Details here. 

Programmatically, I'm leading reflection times during the Dance for the Healing of Memories through Prayers and Poems on Saturday morning.  This will include silence, discussion, and art!  Not super messy art, but inviting people to take the bodily and emotional experience of singing and dancing and impulsively transferring that to paper (you know, what I used to call Breaktime Doodles and now calling Visual Niguns, a twist on wordless sung prayers from the Jewish tradition).  The pictures I've included here are some that I've created. 

What I'm even more excited about is the context these reflections will be a part.  My LEAD cohort classmate and friend, Mary Martin Lane, has put together what I believe will be a powerful combination of dances, poems, and prayers to tell the story of how the Dances of Universal Peace transformed her life.  I can't wait to see it fully and hear how it is received.  I think it is universal.  Come and tell me what you think of it. 

Blessings on your day.  C~

Upcoming singing events: September 2013

There's lots of singing opportunities available.  Here's my recommendations for the month!  -Conie
--
Sun, Sept 8, 4-6p: Singing in the Light with Barbara McAfee. Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church, Minneapolis.  Suggested donation of $10-20, but please don't let money keep you away!  More details here. 

Sun, Sept 15, 2-4p: Sing Heavenly Harmony Home (SHHH!) in the Library. Rondo Community Library, St. Paul. NOTE: this is during Open Streets St Paul so University Avenue will be closed between Hamline and Marion Avenues.  The library is open, but the parking ramp will be inaccessible.  Plan to park on the surrounding streets ... Or ride your bike or walk and be part of open streets before and after.  See more sing details here.

Sat, Sept 21, 9a-1p: Sacred Harp Convention.  The Landing - Minnesota River Heritage Park, Shakopee. This is the first morning of a two day gathering of shape note singers.  I plan to attend this portion of it and hope you will try it out with me!  Learn more about this annual event, other weekly events in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, and the basics of this unique American singing tradition made famous in the movie Cold Mountain at http://www.mnfasola.org/. 

Sun, Sept 29, 12n-1p: Dances of Universal Peace  (DUP)focusing on the Aramaic Lord's Prayer. Saint Mary's Episcopal Church, Saint Paul. The Dances are simple circle dances while chanting the sacred words from the world's religious traditions. Lead by John Hakem Bushnell, this monthly series will examine  the 8 lines of Christianity's widely recognized Lord's Prayer in the language of Aramaic.  This language was commonly spoken during the time Jesus was alive and has many layers of meaning. Dive in with us. Come with open eyes to the various possibilities of Jesus' words.  Watch this space for details on this event and other DUP events.

--
 

Upcoming October events:

- Sun, 10/6, 2-4p - SHHH in the Library

- Sat, 10/12, 7p - MN Community Sings

- Sun, 10/20, 12n-1p - DUP-Aramaic Lord's Prayer

- Sun, 10/20, 4-6p - Singing in the Light

Hamba Nathi - Come walk with us the journey is long

I don't often get the opportunity to share the story about a song or go in-depth about it.  Sound like a good blog topic?  I think so too!

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to lead some songs for Minnesota Interfaith Power and Light's Prayer Circle after a rally at the Capitol.  The organizer attends the church I work at (Hi Julia!) and already had ideas of what songs and vibe she wanted to create.  This was on some short notice, so we agreed on songs me and my amazing guitarist and right hand man, Jim, already knew.  Julia promised to make song sheets and away we go. 

Cut to the prayer circle.

After listening to poetry, singing prayers from Jewish and Christian traditions, and taking part in a loving kindness Buddhist meditation, we are at the point of sending ourselves out into the world.  Julia selected a song from South Africa, Hamba Nathi, whose catchy rhythm and simple melody have a way of imprinting itself on people's hearts & souls that they find themselves singing or humming it days later. 

I started with having people echo the Xhosa words in short phrases after me.  As I'm about to tell them about a new verse we made up for the day ("Climate justice for all living things" - you're welcome), someone asks what the translation is.  In that moment, I couldn't remember if the English verses on their piece of paper is a close translation or something completely different, so I just affirmed it was the poetic translation of the first English verse:  Come walk with us the journey is long.  Cross fingers and toes and promise to check when I get home (and thank you for blogging to correct my mistakes and ask forgiveness!). 

I am here to tell you it is a poetic translation!  (Phew!)

Check out a little bit of the song here. 

This gave me an opportunity to learn a little about the translator and song pollinator, Anders Nyberg.  Please checkout this Swedish conductor's mission of bridging one of the most Northern countries with the world's most Southern.  It is inspiring to me.  You may recognize one of his songs.  "Freedom is coming" is one from my college years.  It's another amazing catchy tune full of hope that will carry you through a number of days.  Do watch the YouTube video at the end of the page (after listening to the embedded songtrack) for a performance with great hand and foot choreography.

Eat, dance, and pray together

I engage in a number of different spiritual practices.  I write morning pages (though rarely in the morning), sit for centering prayer, walk labyrinths (especially in the snow), sing chants with my shruti box (though not usually Gregorian or Anglican), and dance. 

I flit from one to another almost daily depending on my mood, anxiety level, ability to focus, need to move, available time, and the brain rats in my head.  The goal is always to feel closer to God and have a greater sense of peace.  Sometimes that means letting the brain rats have their say.  Most of the time it is letting myself be absorbed enough in the activity to lose the distinction of my separate self and to connect with my body, spirit, still small voice, nature, or the wholeness createdin community. 

It is my hope to write about each of the spiritual practices I groove to.  This first reflection will be about the Dances of Universal Peace. 

Remembrance

This weekend has been a time of remembrance, personally and in the world.  I've been reviewing with a friend what has transpired over the last decade and a half as she stands at a transition point not of her own making, processing the pain and how to honor the best of the experiences while moving forward. 

In the world, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened 65 years ago and I will have the pleasure of dancing at a 65th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony with Kairos Dance Theatre Co. and live music performed by the Junshin Girls Choir from Nagasaki.  This event is at a Como Park's Global Harmony Labyrinth (map) in St. Paul at 7 p.m. on Sunday evening, Aug 8 (see event details here or here; more about the Labyrinth here).  Please come.  The girls sing about a beautiful rainbow of peace cranes. 

I am so humbled by the creative spirit that continues to live on here and there to heal the wounds created so long ago.  So grateful that amongst the pain we can reach out to each other, hold hands and seek a better tomorrow together. We may not know what the shape that future will be but it gives me hope that my friend will walk through this painful event to another side with hands full of beauty and grace. 

parks, picnics and poses

If you're looking for a way to enjoy the beautiful park system in Minneapolis, check out Kairos Dance Theatre's performance at the Lake Harriett Bandshell on Thu, Jun 24.  This intergenerational dance company is doing highlights from their Ida & Irv show from this spring.  I attended their performance on Mon night at Loring Park and can tell you there will be jazz, storytelling and smiles -- perfect reasons to plan a picnic in the park! 

Come together

May Day has been a day to celebrate the spring planting for centuries. And in more recent times it is, for much of the world, a day to gather and support the rights and fair treatment of workers. Today, I see these themes of community and beginnings magnify my own life story.

I have spent the majority of my waking hours the last four days with artists and healthcare professionals attending the Society for the Arts in Healthcare conference. I observed movement and color, listened to words and music that in some way set the stage for healing. I have listened to hours of research going on in the field. I have met people who are passionate about healing and how the arts play a role.

And I feel like I’ve found my people, a tribe heeding the call to use the arts to aid in the healing of others.

I had started a music therapy degree about 15 years ago, but shelved it when I felt my maturity as a musician and person were not ready. Experience is the classroom for maturity and so I worked and made music for a decade. Along the way I met amazing people who opened my eyes to different ways of being. And more recently found the strength, courage and faith to make the leap back into the healthcare field armed with a much different arsenal of musical tools than I would have imagined before. It’s like I finally graduated and ready to start that music career in healing and wellness. Or if I stay with the earlier farming reference, my seed is ready to be planted.

Stuart Pimsler Dance and Theater performed with Simone Perrin at the Closing Celebration. In the last dance we, the conference attendees, were invited to sing and waltz ...

“Come together, join in one place.
La-da dee-da-dum dee-da-dum dee-day.”

Like seasons of planting, growing, harvesting and rest, life contains similar cycles. Like communities with a common purpose, we circle round to witness each other. Come together indeed.

Dancing Ruminations

Dave Matthews, of the band with the same name, was asked about his dancing style in an interview with Jon Bream of the Minneapolis Star Tribune ...

I don't do it very well, but I enjoy it. I don't think dancing should be
left up to the people that do it professionally or the people that think they're
really good at it. I think people that feel things in their hearts should
take it away from people who feel things with their brains. I like dancing
because it makes me feel good, and I can make a fool of myself. I like to
make a fool of myself because that's part of what the music in this band is -
being free, really free, away from the confines and conformities of fashion and
hipness and coolness and celebrity and the in clique. That's why I
dance. It feels like freedom.

His statement resonates with me a great deal. There is a place for structure and high art, but it should never upstage its roots. The arts at its most basic is a means for personal expression. Over the ages this has been lost, I think primarily because the wealthy or the church had the means to deem what was worth keeping.

So do as the African proverb says: If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing!