It’s a Belinsky and Friends Gala n extravaganza this Monday

“In times of yore, music was a way of life in community, inseparable from dance, story-telling, cuisine, group ritual and the honoring of the cyles Gaia. Our culture has lost touch with this inclusive, co-created approach to music. Today, music is mostly performative and takes place on a stage, separate from the audience. This is a far cry from how our ancestors would circle up and channel the universe with specific medicine songs, i.e. the wedding song, the forest fire song, the equinox song, the grieving song, etc.”

How do we reclaim the potency of group music-making in a world that bows to individualism above community? The solution is: we co-weave the global traditions that we as a community represent and we remix them into something new and never before seen.

Ecstatic dance is one of these neo-tribal solutions, a global movement that returns us to our group music-making roots. We dance barefoot, we circle up, we turn away from speakers and we co-create an altar within the tableau of the non-verbal.

This Monday, Beloveski and Friends are taking a further step in breaking down the wall between performer and audience by bringing live musicians into the fold. "Dancing in Tongues," as band-leader Andrew Belinsky calls the journey, is a sonic two-fold invitation: a) to the musicians to follow the dancers' lead and b) to the dancers to fully participate in the music-making ritual. That means musicians will be on the dance floor and dancers will be invited to actively lead the experience through their voice and movement.

The setlist itself is a portfolio of Beloveski's most ecstatic-conducive tracks. The songs are 100% original music: psychedelic, bass-heavy, soundscapes with lots of space for us to splash our sacred sounds over. Beloveski is particularly stoked to share some unreleased tracks and remixes--a sort of "best of" of his 20+ years as a music producer.

This year's supporting musical cast features some of Central Oregon's most delightful improvisational music medicine players: Elliot Harrod on didgeridoo/throat singing, Gabriel Shonerd on djembe, Kelcey Lassen and Flow Belinsky on vox, Lisa Swisher on crystal bowls, Nate Giersdorf on flute/sax, Owl Chen on guitar.

Participants are invited to bring their percussion instruments to adorn the music altar and to join in for a mid-set drum circle. Come remember what it is to be a community that processes and celebrates life together through music-making.

Bend Ecstatic Dance is every Monday

7:15-9:15pm

At Tula Movement Arts

2797 NW Clearwater Drive

Bend Or

$12-22 sliding scale

Ages 12+