A month ago i held my first proper Ecstatic Dance ritual and DJ set. It went great and i received very positive feedback, including a friend who said it was the best ED event she attended.
Last night i held another Ecstatic Dance event, and this experience was very different.
I decided to go “all in” with this one – including electronic, neo and traditional classical, hip-hop, dub-step, tech-house, techno, latin, world, spanish, drone, and ambient.
I chose a few intense tracks – specifically a Rachmaninov Prelude – that i knew will polarize the audience.
And indeed they did – some people loved it, and others left, including the friend i mentioned earlier.
It was challenging for me to see people stop dancing and leave.
I was aware it’s a step in my growth and learning process.
I witnessed the emotions, the hurt, the fear, my own judgement of myself and others, and the “i’m not good enough” feeling.
I had moments of bliss, even as people were leaving.
And still, it was challenging.
I got reminded of conversations i’ve been having with DJs about the balance between expressing our art, our personal tastes, and our perception of what ED should be like, vs pleasing the audience, playing stuff they know and like, and focusing on making them dance.
I love inspiring people to dance but more than that, my intention with my music journeys is to connect them to all parts of themselves and to each other.
I say that in the beginning of every dance journey, and add that they are encouraged to express whatever comes up for them even if they don’t like a particular track.
Last night i learnt that as a conscious-dance DJ, i need to find the balance between my own expression and the best way i can serve others through music and dance.
I also realized that as an iconoclast, an artist and a leader, i can’t satisfy everyone, and i’m not interested to.
I’m doing this for the people who resonate with me, who are open minded and willing to go to the places i show them.
At the end of the evening, the people who stayed shared:
“This was the fastest i ever dropped from nothing to bliss”;
“First time i shook my ass to piano music”;
“It was weird music, in a good way”;
“I enjoyed the range and depth of music and emotions you led us through”,
and “I cried”.
I’m so excited to be going deeper into DJing and holding sacred dance journeys.
Listen to the DJ Set i played last night below:
I’d love to know what touches you and what constructive feedback you might have – share on the mixcloud page (Subscribe so you don’t miss my next music journeys):