An Experience of Transformational Entertainment
When we were invited to install the Earth Harp into La Parroquia for La Calaca festival in San Miguel last month we responded with an ecstatic yes! WOW…this experience was full of life. Art, music, ancient traditions, expression, innovation, ancient culture and more…
San Miguel de Allende, a village founded in 1542, is a colonial gem of cobblestone streets and picturesque churches inspiring artists and visitors with its color, character and light. Widely considered a symbol of San Miguel de Allende, La Parroquia. This iconic pink sandstone church is set in the village center and is a unique treasure of Mexico.
La Calaca (The Skeleton) is a collaborative citywide festival of arts and culture that explores the themes intrinsic to Dia de Los Muertos: respect for the past, joy in the present, and honor for the universal cycles of death and rebirth. It is always an honor and inspiration to collaborate on Earth Harp production with Andrea Brook. However, this particular journey exceeded my wildest dreams and expanded my horizons into a whole new realm of possibility.
Andrea masterfully weaved together a collaborative team to empower the dream of turning La Parroquia into an instrument that would create an experience of a new paradigm of entertainment.
Onyay Pheori, vocalist and violinist and Andrea Brook co-created a phenomenal musical journey; Javad Hashemi, joined us as the steady force behind our installation; cinematographer Rich Van Every captured the visual magic; locals, Tomas Buckley and Julian Garcia held the spirit of the drum beat; and local Marco Martinez Valle finessed the production supporting me with all logistical details and connecting us to the heart of San Miguel.
Together, we lived the dream of turning La Parroquia in the center Jardin of San Miguel de Allende, into a powerful chamber of sound that carried hundreds and hundreds of people through an unforgettable transformational entertainment experience.
Andrea and Onyay, attuned to the heart and soul of this journey, composed a special song for the experience. The song, “Mariposa”, was inspired by the journey of the Monarch butterflies. It carried the vibration of transformation and the essence of the ancient traditions.
My horizons and heart were blown open when Andrea invited Javad and I to accompany her on the Earth Harp for this special song. Full of inspiration and possibility we embodied the “mariposa” (butterflies)…we quickly learned the basics of playing the Earth Harp and spread our wings flying into a new horizon when we stepped on stage for the debut of this amazing new song.
When I close my eyes I can still feel the way my cells were dancing in the light of the love pouring from the hearts of the audience. It was beyond surreal to witness people shoulder to shoulder in every direction, peaceful, connected, tears streaming down their faces, quiet, completely entranced…and transformed by the experience that they expected to simply be “entertainment”.
*Blog Post written for Prana and posted on Prana Life Blog 12/2012
See Prana Posting and Video at: http://www.prana.com/life/2012/12/02/earth-harp-la-calaca-festival-2012/
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