Madtown Ecstatic Dance

More play lists

2009-07-20T11:51:00.001-07:00

Good times dancing on Sunday!

July 5
Celestial Challenge, Mars Lasar
Balinese Fantasy, Zakir Hussain
Agnelicus, Delerium
Vuelvo Al Sur, Gotan Project
Attention, Rouge Rouge
Break of Dawn , Karsh Kale
Kalmadi, Mustafa Sandal
Love Simulator, Second Sun
Slipping Into Darkness, Carl Bradney
In Your Eyes, Peter Gabriel
Bodhisattvas, Peter and David Gordon
Fairy Dances, Elven

July12
Live For Tomorrow, Moby
Erbalunga, Urban Trad
Halling from Macedonia, Garmarna
Wandering Spirit, Baka Beyond
Min Min/My Husband, Garmarna
Big time , Hardage feat. Peter Gabriel & Electrokingdom
Ayahuasca Wind, Tulku
Love'll Set Me Free, Michael Franti And Spearhead
Shine, David Gray

July 19
Rhythm Divine, Yello
I Come From the Other Side, Mari Boine
Caravan, Spiral Rhythm
Sing, Annie Lennox
Ayego, Nana Simopouilos
Funky For You, DJ Common
Gurus Of Peace, A.R.Rahman
Lo Que Dice, Ozomatli
Marisi , Cantoma
Undenied, Portishead
Summer Rain, Celtic Tales

La Fete de Marquette

2009-07-09T13:29:00.000-07:00

Marquette Fest starts tonight. The line-up look amazing for many of these days. This is a great opportunity to dance.

http://www.marquette-neighborhood.org/festivals/index.php?category_id=2209

Play Lists

2009-07-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

Hey-

It's been ages since I've posted playlists. Here are some for the Spring.

Mother's Day
Mother, Mother, Cris Williamson
Love Throughout the World, Banzai Republic
Xel, Aby N'Dour
Oha Falan Oldum Yani, Tugba Ekinci
Mother of the World, Sharon Knight
Brandenburg, Black Violin
Banani, Issa Bagayogo
Resulina, Stellamara
Ra-Li-O, Baka Beyond
Mother, Afro Celt Sound System
Beautiful, India.Arie
Mother's Spiritual , Laura Nyro

May 17
No Mind , John Wubbenhorst
Non Sarai Mai , Bandabardo
Odin's Hill, Achillea
Sweet 'Tater Pie, Mongo Santamaria & His Orchestra
Jammin', Black Violin
12 Yaar Bolda, jay-z-ge
Agib, Natacha Atlas
Crucial, K-Os
Truppa Truppa, Rromatek
Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You, Led Zepplin
The Awakening-Dream of Lover, Mercan Dede
Seacht Suailci Na Maighdine Muire, Aoife Ní Fhearraigh

May 24, 2009
Tango To Evora, Loreena McKennitt
Abyss, Anoushka Shankar & Karsh Kale
Dub Gubbi, Tulku
Touch The Sun (Rank 1 Remix), Alex Bartlett Feat. Anthya
Quand Lo Rossinhols Escria, Gai Saber
Gulan Du (Those Norwegians) Mix, Mari Boine
Maid Aigoot Muinna Eallin (Bil, Mari Boine
Diaraby, Ry Cooder & Ali Farka Touré
Ich Weiß Warum, 2raumwohnung
Lagoinha, Carlinhos Brown
Segesta, Lino Cannavacciuolo
Dance 'Til The Rain Begins, Laura Powers

May 31
Song 1, DJ Krush
Invocation, Zingaia
Snakes and Ladders, Basia Bulat
Outro Lado, Zuco 103
Lake Dolores, Dengue Fever
Revenge Of The Tarantula [Remix], Dengue Fever
Gunes Dogudan Dogar, Mercan Dede
Single Ladies Remix, DJ Two
Path of the Blazing Sarong, Ravi Harris & The Prophets
Planetary Hop, The Quiet Mind Project (Tanzi)
Burn, Anoushka Shankar & Karsh Kale
Malkauns, Indofunk Unplugged
Faith, Sharon Knight

June 7
Fraoch a Ronaigh, Mouth Music
Oh, Girl, Shukar Collective
Akalamagbo , Lysa Nalin
Mile Marbh-Phaig Air A'Ghoal, Mouth Music
Tariquat, Jamshied Shanfi
March into Dream, Jamshied Shanfi
Ain't No Sunshine, Ladysmith and Desiree
Saharnoy Ellil, Ragheb Alama
Say You Will, Ben Harper
Garden, Irina
Enchanted, Delerium
Love has Nine Lives, Music for the Goddess

Everybody Here Wants You, Jeff Buckley
El Kreiz Hag Endro, Alan Stivell
Moving to the Top, Don Carlos & Gold
Better Way , India Arie
Soro (Afriki), Salif Keita
Malchik Gay, tATu
Put Your Lights On, Santana, Everlast
Goodnight Moon, Shivaree
Moi Et Toi, Abdel Ali Slimani
La Biguine des Enfants du Bon Dieu, Kali
Kerua, Urban Trad
A Thousand Curses On Love, Baka Beyond
Parting Glass, Emer Kenny
Dusk, David & Steve Gordon

June 14, 2009
Green Island Serenade, Vienna Teng
Angelicus, Delerium
Wassiye, Habib Koite
Salao de Beleza, Zeca Balerio
Seed, Afrocelts
Dirty Orchestra, Black Violin
Angel Face , Joan Osbourne
Shadowman, Afrocelts
Malört, Hoven Droven
Rock With Me (Lange Mix), TR Junior
Incurable (feat. Mayia James), Butti 49
Summer Rain, Celtic Tales

June 21, 2009
Meditations In An Ancient Cave, Paul George Webb
Heart's Desire, Sharon Knight & T.Thorn Coyle
Suvetar (Goddess Of Spring), Gjallarhorn
Vanner och Frander/ Friends and kin, Garmarna
Spring Madness, Roger Drawdy
Kali Durge, Suzin Greene and Sura
Yemaya (Goddess of the Moon) , Buddhatribe
Bomboko Awuti Na New York, Occidental Brothers Dance Band International
Exactly, Amy Steinberg
Bouba (Cool), Dady Mimbo
Senza Trucco, Traccia Mista
I Lay Down, Zucchero & John Lee Hooker
Hallelujah, K-Os

Current Dance Events

2009-06-17T20:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
Some great dance opportunities this week if you like DJ-powered music:

-Nice Nice @ the Terrace this Thursday
-Nee High @ Natt Speil this Thursday@ 10 pm
-DJ Rekha @ the Majestic this Friday @ 10 pm (after the Boogie which is at
8-11pm at the Tai Chi Center!)

Next weekend is the starkweather creek solstice celebration & bonfire at Olbrich
park 6/21 6pm.

A group of us are working on an Earthdance event in Madison - www.earthdance.org
It will be at Commonwealth Gallery on Baldwin St. on September 26th - the date
of the international event. If you have interest in helping with this let me
know!

Yeah for summer!

Mariah

Kari Synnøve's PhD party

2009-05-07T06:46:00.000-07:00

Dear dancers,
We are invited to have fun @ Kari Synnøve's (as in Casanova's) Ph. D.
graduation party/ Costume Party/ Dance & Drum party
featuring Madison's beloved Carnival Band Pagee Go Go!

Saturday May 9th 09 @ 9

Chez Jerome and Ver in the Purple House, behind the white picket fence, on
Jenifer and Paterson.

You can bring a drum, purple rain, food for thought and/or dress like, or
be, your favorite fantasy figure...

Light and life,
Kari Synnøve

April Play Lists

2009-04-27T11:54:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2009
The Water is Wide Mae Robertson & Don Jackson
Kaleidoscope Mythos
Ain't That the Way Ani DiFranco
Sleep in the Garden Ruby Suns
Mecanix Remix Urban Trad
Mofolo Hall (Akulalwa) Ndumiso
If They Could They Would Foundation
Warning Shots Thievery Foundation
Make It Funky (Part 1) James Brown
Yes I Will Michael Franti
Air Batucada Thievery Foundation
The Sunset Boiled In Lead
Waiting Waldeck
Healing Ocean David & Steve Gordon

April 12
Free Spirit Budi Siebert
Pray for Grace Michael Franti
Rete Jean-Philippe Marthely
Sky Giant Transglobal Underground
The Big Bhang Kamel Nitrate
Berim Dance Urban Trad
Work Me The Black Keys
Jai Jaga-Jananim Swami Bhajananda
The Lost Song The Cat Empire
Whaling Ship Mouth Music
As the Wind Blows Autumnal Blood Moon
on the Still

April 25
Everybody Here Wants You Jeff Buckley
El Kreiz Hag Endro Alan Stivell
Moving to the Top Don Carlos & Gold
Better Way India Arie
Soro (Afriki) Salif Keita
Malchik Gay tATu
Put Your Lights On Santana, Everlast
Goodnight Moon Shivaree
Moi Et Toi Abdel Ali Slimani
La Biguine des Enfants Kali
du Bon Dieu
Kerua Urban Trad
A Thousand Curses On Love Baka Beyond
Parting Glass Emer Kenny
Dusk David & Steve Gordon

Kristin's Easter poem

2009-04-13T14:14:00.000-07:00

Five years ago I wrote this poem on Easter weekend in front of a fire in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Thank you for being a community which I can share my full intentions with, even when I am absent.

it is with great hesitance

that i slip

into a state

reverence

and light my insecurity

on fire

the flame of

transformation

awaits an opportunity

to grasp

a slip of paper

folded in four

a death is written

across its creases

yet my

fate will not wait

so

i

let

the

air carry

me through

currents

of timeless vents

where red ember

snaps with pure elements

and she speaks

to me as a burning

tree. she says,

"to me, send the ashes

of that which

cowers

your

dances."

Om Shanti

2009-04-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, for our birthday celebration, we played a CD from the summer with the 30-minute Om Shanti chant by Layne Redmond. (Yee-ha!)

Several people have asked What does Om Shanti mean?

I looked it up on the internet (so it must be true):

Om has no literal meaning. Some say it is the sound of the universe, infinity, the divine, or something like that. “Shanti” means simply “peace.”

Om Shanti
Let there be Peace. Peace, beautiful Peace. Peace within, Peace without. Peace in this world, Peace for all beings.

And speaking of peace, many heartfelt thanks to Thistle for singing her beautiful peace song in our circle. All dancers are invited to bring a song or poem or reading to share for our dance. We build this magic together.

Dance cancelled on March 22

2009-03-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

So sorry!

Main Street Yoga is having a weekend workshop that interferes with our ability to have the space on Sunday.

See you next week.

All Races, All Genders, All Body Types - Part 3

2009-03-19T12:23:00.000-07:00

By Thistle http://www.thistlespace.org/

When I moved back to the Midwest, I found that ecstatic dance was the thing I missed the most about California, so I decided to start a group here in Madison in March 2008. From those beginnings, a community has evolved and ecstatic dance has expanded to two days a week. Our basic structure is similar to that which I described in Garberville—building an altar, stretching, coming together to state an intention, dancing our hearts out, and coming back together to the circle to share.

Growing up Lutheran gave me two things; a sense of the sacred and dogma that would control my deepest parts. Ecstatic Dance is a way to continue experiencing the sacred, but without being manipulated by larger church forces. It is also community-building and supportive. The influence you have on the group makes the dance unique every time. It is a constant experiment in creating healing, loving group dynamics in communion with whoever shows up. If you breathe, you can dance.

All are welcome, regardless of age, gender, race, religion, history, ability or creed. We only ask that you respect our drug and alcohol-free space and that you respect your fellow dancers. We meet Sundays at Main Street Yoga from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Bring something for the altar and a light snack to share if you wish. We ask for a $5-$10 donation to rent the space.

Although we still hold to the ideal that we share facilitation and music mixing, presently Madelon is mixing music for our dances, providing a totally new mix almost every Sunday. Madelon has a life-long love of music and recalls sitting in her bedroom at the age of 8 spinning her older brothers’ 45s—a DJ in the making. She has been delighted at the opportunity to revisit cherished favorite music, discover new music (particularly world beat and fusion), and work with it all to delight and move the dancers.

Madelon seeks music that both has strong rhythm and emotion common to our human experience. She says, "I like to work with music that supports the energy of our intentions and makes us move. Our bodies have their own intelligence, and my musical intention is to provide a container for that to emerge. Plus, it’s fun to sweat with wonderful people.”

For more information about Ecstatic Dance in Madison, call Diana @ 608.225.9886.

All Races, All Genders, All Body Types - Part 2

2009-03-18T11:12:00.000-07:00

By Thistle http://www.thistlespace.org/

In northern California, some of the group started doing very focused intentional yoga the hour and a half before the dance officially started and we began sharing mostly raw local foods after the dance was over. For nine months, a community like none other I had experienced emerged in my life and swept me up in moment after moment of compassionate and totally dynamic, fun healing.

Some of us fondly referred to it as "Dance Church" because it gave us a sense of meaning, purpose and hope like an established religion might. The important difference being that our "church" had no dogma and was democratically organized. Alexa was our facilitator, but we took turns and she eventually moved from the area and the dance continued on in her absence.
Our "church" has leaders and followers who are any and all of us. Ecstatic dance is building community wordlessly and with our words emerging smashing dogma and old religion and creating spontaneously with all the love genes we got, spilling motion that heals.

Sound utopic? Try it. Another thing we have in common with religion is that we have break-through experiences and moments of non-judged euphoria. We become a gigantic mirror for ourselves, and what I see makes a world of difference in my daily experience of life. As a result of Dance Church, I am more relaxed, open, curious and easily delighted.

Though our moments together in ecstatic states are limited by time and space, the current stays strong with you all week and you may find yourself floating or dancing at work. You may find your feet feeling lighter and colors brighter, especially red, and you may feel like you are just plain in love with everything. Or you may find emotional, spiritual blocks deep within non-verbal layers, unraveling and spilling forth tears of rage or envy, or any number of unsavory states that could be holding you back.

Continuing to dance is the healing motion needed to move through these blocks to greener pastures. Or maybe the anger and frustration, pain and sorrow stays with you and you find yourself punching the air like a teenage boy, enraged the whole time. Or crying long, hard tears of sadness the whole dance. That could be. Or maybe you will just check it out, meditate to yourself, have fun and be light-hearted about the whole thing. Dance is something for everyone and different for each of us.

To be continued . . .

All Races, All Genders, All Body Types

2009-03-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

By Thistle http://www.thistlespace.org/

"If I still lived in LA, I would've had to pay over a hundred dollars for that" remarked an ecstatic dancer after she reached a place of personal growth at her weekly dance spot in Northern California. When I lived for a year in Garberville, I had the privilege of experiencing ecstatic dance led by a young woman from Washington State who had learned it from her community in Maui. For nine months in the rolling hills of rural California, I stepped outside myself and into an ecstatic oneness that was healing to all who attended.

Our only fee was to rent the space in the beautiful community center we used once a week on Sundays. It was octagon-shaped, with a skylight at the center that shed light on native madrone and redwood carved into a big star in the middle of the floor. Bay windows opened up to a deck on the edge of the valley where we gathered. Hawks regularly swooped across the sky, along with jet airplane trails and with them, the reminder of mechanized man.

But our place, out there in the country, took us away from cars and motor sounds for the most part, and into the surrounding sound of Alexa's musical muses and mixes played on a great stereo system. And sometimes, we would have drummers pounding along with the beat, and sometimes we were bare foot and sometimes we had socks on if it was cold.

The first ten minutes when we arrived were spent stretching and meditating, before we gathered into a seated a circle at the center of the room to greet each other before the dance. Alexa, our young leader, would always set up an altar by the bay windows with things she'd found in the woods, or she had made with her crafty hands. She invited each of us to place something on the altar if we wanted to.

Once in the circle at the center of the room, Alexa would read a poem or sing a song or lead us in an ohm or some other thing before or after we introduced ourselves and said, if we so desired, what we were dancing for that day. Answers would vary from "peace and relaxation" to "joy and bliss" to any number of reasons including "gratitude" and "just 'cuz."

The key was that we were all there together in community, supporting each others' healing and emotional/spiritual/physical growth. Or we were there just to move and dance for the sheer fun of it. After a while, we began interacting with each other as we danced in wild and unexpected ways that would leave us pondering the mystery of sound plus spark.

To be continued . . .

Play Lists for March 2009

2009-03-06T11:36:00.000-08:00

March 1

Sleeper ~ Joan Baez
A Wing and a Prayer ~ Laurel Macdonald
Lump Sum ~ Bon Iver
Will Your Love ~ Sin
Noite Longa ~ Urban Trad
Amma ~ James Asher and Sivamani
Laulutyttö ~ Värttinä
One Glimpse of You ~ Boden, Brigid
Good Morning Breaks ~ 10
Amitabh Bhangra Mix ~ Desi Dance Crew
Purple Rain ~ Prince
Hands of Love ~ Aeone

March 8

Woods ~ Bon Iver
Ohureo ~ Baka Beyond
Una Musica Brutal ~ Gotan Project
Indusufi ~ Bahramji
Bataquente ~ Digital Bled
Chez Roger Boite Funk ~ Troublemakers
Encantadore ~ Digital Bled
Going Under ~ Rocker's Hi-Fi
Pump Me Up ~ Krosfyah
On Taobh Tuathail Amach ~ Kila
Black Sheep ~ Martin Sexton
When My Morning Comes Around ~ Iris Dement

March 15

Asleep from Day ~ Chemical Brothers
I want'a Do Something Freaky to You ~ Funky Stuff
Nika Pata Lambo ~ Kaissa
The Lagos Communique ~ Thievery Corporation
Zeze ~ Tidd
Twisted ~ Annie Lennox
Say That You Love Me ~ Fleetwood Mac
Old School Bangra 98 BPM ~Desi Dance Crew
Ave Maria ~ David Bisbal
Quem Me Guia ~ Almir Guineto
Kalicom ~ Julien Jacob
Crushed ~Cocteau Twins
Beyond the Blue ~ Beth Nielsen-Chapman
Forest of Silver and Gold ~ Elven

March 29

Ganesha ~ Colin Mansfield
Heat Chant ~ Layne Redmond
Jaan ~ Talvin Singh
Suffer in Silence/Kuvarira Mukati ~ Thomas Mapfumo
Don’t go Back to Sleep ~ Vision II–Spirit of Rumi
All I Need is Everything ~ Over the Rhine

Play List for February 22

2009-02-19T09:48:00.000-08:00

Sneak Preview

Ker Karane African Dreams
Holy Spirit Neville Brothers
Musafir A.R. Rahman
If Your Girl Only Knew Aaliyah
Got Glint? Chemical Brothers
Si Tu Le Veux Faudel
Nour El Ain Amr Diab
Camp Orange Cornershop
Aline Orchestra Baobob
El Agua De La Vida Salsa Celtica
Mary’s in India Dido

Play List February15, 2009

2009-02-19T09:31:00.000-08:00

Mo Ghra Thu (Salm 17)
Celtic Artists
Mother's Spiritual
Laura Nyro
Beyond the Ocean
Tasha
I Put a Spell on You
Natcha Atlas
Ya Rahah
Rachid Taha
Rock With Me
Time-Life Music
HardKaur Bhangra 100BPM
Desi Dance Crew
I Wanna be Your Lover
Prince
Kamande
Violaine Corradi
Trippin'
Andrea Brown
I, Voyager
Transglobal Underground
Look What Love has Done
Chris Whitley
Comin' Back to Me
Jefferson Airplane

Wild Geese

2009-02-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

Wild Geese
by Mary Oliver

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

Dancing my way into being

2009-02-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

Beautiful dances, ugly dances, dances that shake the bones of the earth. All of these have arisen from my body on Sunday mornings. I am astounded by how much energy can move through a room. I am in love with MadTown Ecstatic Dance!!! How else could you describe the joy, the contentment, the excitement, the thrill, the work, and the community? In love sounds right by me! Madelon's music magic is waiting, and I can't wait to dance again!!

A Word from our Sponsor

2009-02-12T12:55:00.000-08:00

Dance, when you're broken open.
Dance, if you've torn the bandage off.
Dance,in the middle of fighting.
Dance,when you're perfectly free.

~Jelaluddin Rumi (13th century)

2009-02-08T13:38:00.001-08:00

Colleen asked me to post the playlist for our dances. So here's today's.

One by One	Yoav
Locusts	The Frames
Things have Changed	Bob Dylan
De Sangre Hermosa	Ill Nino
Ebla	Novalia
Singing Bowls Call	Lucyan, Kovi Szaboics, Piotr Kolasa
Silence	Sarah McLaughlin
Brazilkum	Butti 49
Hookers in the Street	Otis Taylor
What Becomes of the Brokenhearted	Joan Osborne
Soiridh Leis	Baka Beyond
Chasing the Moon	Calliope's Burden

Love, Madelon

Air Dance

2008-12-15T07:04:00.001-08:00

Greetings Dancers-

Recently, we've been dancing to a different element each week, and yesterday's dance was air. One of our dancers suggested I was trying to burn her up with last week's fire theme and blow her away with air.

Our group continues to attract at least one new person each week, and the people who attend continue to be kind, gentle, fun, and loving.

Our Ecstatic Dance group is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

Ashe

Madelon

Air Playlist

1. Feather Moon	Vienna Teng
2. Mountain Song	Ancient Future
3. Bird Calls	The Nones
4. Cyberia	Afro Celts
5. Deep Red Bells	Neko Case
6. The Word	Beatles
7. Breath, Music, Dance	Shapeshifters
8. Sarasvati	Ketertic
9. Saraswati Suite	Indofunk
10. Hey Soniye	Slinder Pardesi
11. The Otherside	Afro Celts
12. Tariqat	Jamshied Shanifi
13. Air that I Breathe	Simply Red
14. Listen	K.J.