Music Facilitator Guidelines
Thanks for your interest in facilitating our musical journey! We appreciate your interest. Please read through our guidelines, and then let us know in the form below.
Kona Ecstatic Dance Collective ~ Music Facilitator Guidelines
Aloha
Thank you for your interest in facilitating the music for our dance. Here are the logistical details as well as information about the sonic journey that we wish to curate.
Kona Ecstatic Dance is a Community Movement Ceremony. We create a sacred container for our community members to safely Process, Express, Heal, Recenter, Ground, and Enjoy.
Logistics:
Timeline:
6:30pm - Soundcheck
7pm - Opening circle (10 minutes or less). Toward the end of this circle will be the Invocation (such as deep breaths together, a poem, a prayer, etc.). During the invocation is the opportune moment for the music facilitator to move to the dj booth and fade in the music as the invocation is ending.
7:10pm - Music begins
9pm - Music ends
9pm - Closing Circle
Location: Kona Dance and Performing Arts - 81-973 Halekii St. Kealakekua. Beautiful space with high ceilings, professional dance floor, a wall of big mirrors, fans, vibey patio. We decorate (including beautiful lighting) and build an altar every week. We provide a 36” high dj table with decorative table cloth.
Our sound system: Alto brand, two 12” subs, two 3x8” tops, booth monitors, 8 channel mixer with phantom power capability and built in effects. Please let Micah know if you will be playing any instruments or using a mic, so we can accommodate that.
Payment: We can guarantee $100, possibly more depending on attendance and tips. You get 2 “plus ones”.
Guidelines to support the container we create:
The Ecstatic Dance Journey created by Max Fathom is inspired by Gabrielle Roth’s 5Rhythms. We aren’t 5Rhythms, but it’s helpful to study that modality to deepen the understanding (Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, Stillness)
The Journey aka The Wave:
The first 10 minutes or so has ambient soundscapes without a beat or lyrics, giving dancers an opportunity to ground and find their inner center.
Then the musical facilitator introduces slow, relaxed rhythms and beats and very gradually brings the energy up for about 25 minutes. This gives people space to warm up and prepare for expansion, expression, release, etc.
About 35 to 40 minutes in, the high energy section of the journey begins, lasting about 40 minutes with a strong climax. Please include both break beats and 4-on-the-floor beats, as our dancers love both. This is the time for dancers to experience Ecstasy, Trance, Exhilaration, Expression, Freedom. And burn some calories!
Please begin the very slow descent from the peak at least 40 minutes before the set ends. Great time to begin slowly decreasing the tempo and energy, and bring in ethereal and pretty sounds, and poignant lyrics and vocals. Good time for a playful, sentimental or nostalgic song.
The last 15-20 minutes is the cool-down which is very important for bringing us back to stillness and resolution. This part of the musical journey helps dancers to integrate the powerful experiences of the dance. Some dancers process trauma during the dance, some have breakthroughs, some have out-of-body experiences, and we want to make sure they all have ample opportunity to ground during this time.
On words:
The first guideline of Ecstatic Dance is that it is a non-verbal space. Using language activates the analytical/judgmental part of the brain. One fundamental aspect of our journey is to allow dancers to get out of their head and into their body, and avoiding language helps facilitate that process.
With that in mind, please:
Avoid talking to the dancers during the dance.
If you need to talk to a facilitator during the dance please do so discreetly and quietly. We’re happy to help if you need anything.
Not more than 15% of the songs should have lyrics in English.
Lyrics should be free of obvious profanity, drug references, and content that is sexually explicit, materialistic, and political.
If you choose songs with english lyrics, please choose with intention, lyrical content that supports the sacred container for Healing, Processing, Grounding, etc.
To reiterate, the first and last 10 minutes of the dance should have no words.
Other guidelines:
Please follow an evolving single wave, rather than 2 or more completely separate waves
Please provide diversity of:
Rhythms (not too much 4-on-the-floor or any other specific type of beat)
Genres
Styles/Vibes (please facilitate movement thru many different feelings and experiences for the dancers)
BPM (Don’t be afraid to go very fast/heavy at the climax, 140+bpm. We love a strong high energy peak!)
Cultures/Nationalities (our dancers like sounds and rhythms from around the world
If we book you, please provide us with a short bio, a picture/art/image that you would like on the flyer (optional), and your socials/links.
Mahalo for taking the time to tune in to our intention and support our mission. Let us know if you have any questions.
Ophir 617-820-6356
Micah 808-494-8505
Emma: 206-507-1314
Katy
Interested in facilitating the dance? Let us know here. In your message, include:
Why you’re interested
A summary of your experience facilitating dance experiences
A description of the vibe of the set you’d share with us