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Dear Drummers, Dancers, Creative People,
Happy New Year! I am excited
to share 2010 Drumming the Dream Alive drum sessions
& other events with you. Please check the Classes
& Performances pages for more
detailed information. Below are some upcoming events &
links.
__________________________________________________________________
Seattle
World Rhythm Fest April 23, 24, 25
The yearly
migration. A FREE weekend of rhythm, dance, performances
& workshops, with many artists from USA & Canada.
Thousands of people go, and yet it manages to feel intimate
- a merging of many small communities, also due to the size
of Seattle Center and how the events get spread out. Check
out this link for a sense of the Sat night performances.
It's from several years ago when we played there with Pepe's
Drum Prayers.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KABS78wlw_M
Also check
out this page for some WRFest pics
http://swps.org/swps?dpage=gallery
If a few
people are interested in going, you can ride share, share
hotel rooms, and make the cost lower. The festival itself
is free, by donation. You will get to experience world class
players, as well as the warmth of community.
__________________________________________________________________
TA KE TI NA Workshop On
the Drive
I love this work. My friends
Brian and Shasta will be offering a workshop soon at Open
Door Yoga on Commercial. I highly recommend this healing
rhythm work and have studied with them. It involves doing
vocal clap step rhythms while a Brazilian Bass Drum player
keeps a pulsation on drum and anklets in the center of the
circle. It culminates in chanting with the drum and Brazilian
Berimbau in center (played by facilitators) while participants
clap, step, and chant. Powerfully reconfiguring for body,
mind, and soul.
TA KE TI NA
A Journey into Rhythm
Saturday, March 6, 2010
2:00 5:00 pm
Open Door Yoga Studio, 1111 Commercial Drive
With your voice as your
guide and your body as your instrument, relax into a process
of rhythmic stepping, clapping and vocal chanting. Discover
your own path to stillness within movement and silence within
sound.
Experience the joy and
vitality of group singing and the transformative power of
chaos, while learning to be at ease with uncertainty. No
musical experience is necessary.
$40 if paid in advance,
$50 on the day of the workshop
Call 604-947-2283 or email
jshasta@telus.net or bhoover@telus.net for
more information and to register
TaKeTiNa http://taketina.com/
is a group process created by Reinhard Flatischler that
uses rhythm to take us on a journey in which we can:
- learn at our own pace
- find our foundation as we move between the simple and
the complex
- open to the joy of group music making
Shasta Martinuk and Brian
Hoover are certified Ta Ke Ti Na teachers.
See www.rhythmkeepers.ca for more information on their work
I may see you there!
____________________________________________________________________
Some of
my favourite recording artists for drumming are:
Babatunde
Olatunji
I recommend Healing Rhythms & Chants, Drums of Passion,
The Beat of My Drum
Available at Highlife Records on Commercial Drive, or itunes.
Geoff
Johns
various recordings available thru Sounds True Label / itunes
(I think)
Chuck
Jonkey
great soundscaper - available on itunes
-
that's a start.........If you are very curious and have
time, spend some time on youtube and search the above, or
search African Drumming, Chant, etc. There is a wealth of
stuff available!
________________________________________________________________
Many blessings of body
and soul in the New Year,
Navaro

~Spring
2009 Newletter~
Dear
Drummers, Dancers,
DRUM
CLASSES START NEXT WEEK, March 10, Tuesdays and March 12,
Thursdays.
Please
register now for new Drum Classes with me. Read below for
details,
and for info on lots of great events and classes in our
community & beyond....
I am excited
about new directions for my Drum Classes. My next classes
are going to work toward performances at two wonderful venues:
Just Dance, and Little Woo's Healing Garden area at Commercial
Drive Car Free Day Festival. It's a lot of fun, it focuses
us, and it gives a sense of hugeness to the experience of
drumming when we can go out and share it with a dancing,
appreciative community. We will experience the drumming
fulfilling its purpose - to be shared, as music always wants
to be! I facilitated dance and drummed at Journeys with
some students last night (thank you Natalie & Elfina!),
and it was a lot of fun to power the dancing crowd, and
go higher and higher together!
I
am late getting this large newsletter out, so please contact
me right away if you'd like to join Tuesday class next week
on March 10. If you can't make it till the following week
I will give an extra hour of intro to latecomers on the
2nd class March 17. There is already a nice sized group
registered.
June
Drum Class Performance at Little Woo's wondrous Healing
Garden: The whole block of Grant St. just East of the Drive
is full of healing practitioners and demos of different
kinds. Visit these pages below to have a little sense of
Woo's Healing Garden and Drive Fest. It is huge, has many
different areas and aspects to it, and is a lot of fun.
Each year it shows the incredible arts community that exists
here in the East End (I say 'here' because that's my neighbourhood!)
http://2008.carfreevancouver.org/healing-garden-commercial-drive-festival
http://www.changeeverything.ca/blog/kate/commercial-drive-festival-it-car-free-day-Sunday-June-17

CONTENTS
OF THIS EMAIL
1)
New Drum Class Sessions in West and East end with Navaro,
March & April (register now)
2)
Deep Rhythm & Tribe dance facilitation with Navaro at
Just Dance / Journeys March 6, 9pm-12midnight.
3)
Deep Rhythm & Tribe Dance Workshop with Navaro, at Open
Door Yoga March 28 2-5pm
Poster Attached
4)
Children's Rhythm Circles, family learning & facilitated
music making inspired by principles of Homeschooling. Material
is African rhythm, chant, handheld percussion.
Open to all. March 10 - Apr 6 Mondays 11 am-12 noon. Pre-reg
required.
5)
Navaro with DivaDrum & others, at Chai Gallery, Global
Peace Network Benefit, Sunday Apr 5 (and the first Sunday
of every month, and 3rd Wed of the month.
6)
Info on Related Community Connections & Events in Rhythm
& Dance:
- VRAD Vancouver Rhythm And Dance website
- Seattle World Rhythm Festival Apr 24, 25, 26
- Women's Spirituality Celebration March 13, 14
- Ta Ke Ti Na Rhythm Workshop
- Dido Honoring Drum Circle July 25 at the Anchor
- In The House Festival's Circus Astoundicus
- Birthfest 2009
- Chai Gallery, Kits
- Waldorf Hotel
- Work Less Party: The Enchanted Forest
- Drum Cafe
- Raw Food Website
- My Personal Health Tips
7)
A personal note from Navaro
8)
Closing Poem

1a) DRUM
CLASSES WITH NAVARO East Side Join Mar 10 or 17
Mar
10 - Apr 21
Tuesdays 7-9pm
at 1461 Venables
Register now please
Exciting
new session of solid drum pieces. Focus on this session
is learning pieces in community, and clarity of direction
& form in our music & class time together.
Mixed
levels. Parts will be given to beginner to advanced level
sections in the group. We learn in community.
Option
to perform with group to power the dancing crowd at session's
end at Just Dance!
Please
note: I am allowing new people / latecomers to join in class
#2 on March 17, with a catch up hour before that class (no
extra cost), due to the lateness of my advertising the class
(Issues with my business mail server). There is a core group
of about 10 people so far registered.
$99
for 7 weeks if you have your own drum.
$110 if you use a drum. $18 drop in.
Payment plans can be arranged if you need, for 2 payments,
with a postdated cheque
register
with me by email or phone
navaro@tribal-bliss.com
from
a student: "It is bringing me a kind of connection
and grounding that I have been missing in my life for the
last little while and teaching many things about myself.
I am having many revelations during the classes." E.L.

1b) DRUM
CLASSES WITH NAVARO
Downtown
/ West side (easy access from West Van. Very close to West
End)
Mar 5 - Apr 2
Thursdays 730-915pm
at Coal Harbour Community Center West End
An exploration of Drumming & Healing Energies of rhythm.
New material this session.
Traditional Rhythms & Chants & original compositions
Option to perform at Just Dance with Tuesday Drum Class
group at end of April
Register
with Coal Harbour online
www.westendcc.ca
info:
navaro@tribal-bliss.com

2) DEEP
RHYTHM & TRIBE DANCE WORKSHOP
Join
us for an afternoon of diving deep into drumming and dance.
Being
in Rhythm creates an inner strength, an alignment of body,
mind and spirit....and also physical vitality thru greater
connection to the body.
Deep
Rhythm & Tribe
A Healing Dance Workshop with Navaro Franco
Learn
to dance and be in deep rhythm individually and as a collective
moving body. Live Drumming as well as amazing deep rhythmic
tracks. Rhythm supports the structures of matter from the
microcosm of molecules and atoms, to the macrocosm of solar
systems and galaxies. We will learn to internalize and anchor
rhythm consciously in our bodies thru movement, let its
healing power move thru us, become conscious of moving in
and with it, and also spend time in rhythmic chant sitting
in circle. We will also learn techniques to dance tribally
together that allow for spontaneous synchronized movement.
This
work is inspired by tribal traditions which keep the village
whole individually, collectively, and in balance with Earth
and cosmos. (please note this is not an African Dance workshop,
but an Ecstatic Dance workshop: ie letting your own dance
arise from within, inspired by the facilitator's words and
direction of attention).
Sat
March 28, 2-5pm
At Open Door Yoga at Commercial and Parker
www.opendooryoga.bc.ca
$27
paid in advance, $35 at door
info
& reg.
navaro@tribal-bliss.com

3) JOURNEYS at JUST DANCE
Theme: Deep Rhythm & Tribe. Lightly facilitated by Navaro,
with 2 DJ's
(Please check out this
monthly event, as well as the Just Dance nights. They are
a great place to dance freely to excellent music in a safe
and joyful community environment. No alcohol.) Fri March
13 9-12 midnight 2114 W 4th Ave, at Arbutus
Come at 9 and be part of Opening Circle, or join us later
in the evening.
Deep Rhythm & Tribe
will be lightly facilitated by Navaro giving ideas for your
dancing periodically thruout the evening, based on letting
the healing power of rhythm 'in' to your body, and dancing
with awareness to the 'tribe' around you.
This is a dance, usually
about 100 people in the room, free-form movement with inspirations
offered by Navaro, chill spaces to relax in, community,
lots of fun!
$10 tix / $5 students
http://www.justdance.ca/journeys.php

4) TOTS
& PARENTS RHYTHM CIRCLES with Navaro
This
is a new class that I am excited to be offering.
Children's
Rhythm Circles, family learning & facilitated music
making inspired by principles of Homeschooling. Material
is African rhythm, chant, handheld percussion.
Open to all. One parent is asked to accompany each child
so that the adults support their children by making music
with them. Drums & handheld rhythm instruments provided
or bring your favourites. Navaro will teach rhythms and
songs. Ages 5 to 8
March
10 - Apr 6 for 4 Mondays
(5th class Mar 16 extra & optional for those here for
Spring Break)
11 am-12 noon.
Course Fee $60 pre-paid.
Location between Main & Cambie on 23rd Ave.
register
with Navaro
navaro@tribal-bliss.com

5) Navaro with DIVADRUM & OTHERS AT CHAI GALLERY
Global Peace Network Benefit, Sunday Apr 5, 6pm till late,
bring your family
This is my favourite venue
in town. It has beauty, comfort, community, great food,
ethics, great music and dance performance all night long,
and authentic Eastern all you can eat salad, main course
and dessert buffet. Not to mention the best Chai Tea in
town. Please check these link to view a video of these performance
nights (and many others). My women's collective DivaDrum
plays here the first Sunday of each month at a night called
'Chai Imin Shekere'. (It means 'you are the sugar for my
tea').
Once you come you will
return over and over!
http://sites.google.com/site/chaishekeresite/Home
for video clip
http://www.eastiseast.ca for info on the venue

6) RELATED
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS & EVENTS IN RHYTHM & DANCE:
~
VANCOUVER RHYTHM & DANCE WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER
http://www.vrad.ca
The
best resource for info on drum events, classes, teachers
in town.
If you are a drummer, you must get on their newsletter for
occasional announcements. A wonderful organization!

SEATTLE WORLD RHYTHM FESTIVAL
http://www.swps.org
April 24, 25, 26 Fri eve
thru Sun eve.
The yearly migration. Essential
for drummers, dancers, and rhythm people!
Free workshops and performances all weekend long with world
class teachers and performers, at Seattle Center just across
the border. Check the website for info.
I will be teaching 2 workshops
at World Rhythm Fest:
- Dancing Shekere
- Shakin' Shekere Seattle Monday, 27th April 6-8pm $25
My women's drum trio /
collective DIVADRUM will open the big dance evening on Sat
night mainstage!

WOMEN'S
SPIRITUALITY CELEBRATION 2009
Relearning
Ancient Wisdom: Reclaiming our sacred & sensual feminine
This
is a really beautiful weekend gathering on Fri and Sat March
13, 14, with circling, workshops and being in community
with lots of other women! There will be many talented women
there sharing their creativity. Brochure attached. It is
at the beautiful Centre for Peace, at 16th & Burrard.
I
will be teaching a Deep Rhythm & Tribe Dance workshop
Sat afternoon, playing for opening ceremonies, and there
are also many other offerings thru-out the weekend.
Women's
Spirituality Celebration
WOMEN'S SPIRITUALITY CELEBRATION
Relearning
Ancient Wisdom Reclaiming Our Sacred & Sensual
Feminine
Friday
Evening, March 13th & all day Saturday March 14, 2009
Small
workshops & large group multi-faith gatherings designed
to nourish women of all faith traditions as well as individual
spiritual seekers.
www.wscelebration.com
604-327-9273
wspiritc@yahoo.com
Canadian
Memorial Church
Centre for Peace
1825 West 16th Avenue

TA KE TI NA with Brian
& Shasta
I love this work, and my
friends Brian and Shasta are the only teachers of this healing
rhythm method in Western Canada. I highly recommend them.
They teach workshops locally.
Brian and Shasta's website: http://www.thelisteningwell.com
For info on the method
and its Austrian founder, highly accomplished world musician
Reinhard Flatischler: http://taketina.com
Ta Ke Ti Na is an amazing
healing rhythm method that involves polyrhythmic layers
of vocal, clap, & step rhythms in circle, with facilitators
playing deep bass drum and Brazilian Berimbau (rhythmic
bow & gourd instrument) and doing call and response
singing in the center of the circle. Ta Ke Ti Na will enhance
your rhythmic skills and also is a tool for personal growth.
UPCOMING VANCOUVER WORKSHOPS
IN TA KE TI NA:
Certified TaKeTiNa teachers
Brian Hoover and Shasta Martinuk will be leading a series
of workshops at the Crossreach Seniors Centre on West Broadway
March 27 30. TaKeTiNa is a rhythmic process which
uses simple stepping, clapping and vocal chanting to invite
participants into a journey towards inner stillness. The
journey presents ample opportunities to learn at your own
pace, accept where you are in the moment, find your own
foundation as we move between the simple and the complex,
and open to the joy of group music-making.
Cost of the workshop is $30 for Friday night (6:30 to 9:30
pm)
Saturday 9:30 5:30 $95
($110 for both Friday and Saturday)
Sunday 9:30 5:30 $95
Entire weekend $185
Group discounts available
for groups of 3 or more who register together
Call 604-947-2283 or email jshasta@telus.net <mailto:jshasta@telus.net>
or bhoover@telus.net <mailto:bhoover@telus.net> for
more information and to register

HONORING DIDO DRUM CIRCLE THIS SUMMER
July 26
Many
years ago I came across a drum circle in Jericho Park. This
was my introduction to the drum, which I felt an immediate
passion for. It was Dido leading a drum circle at the beach,
in 1982. He was the first one to do regular circles here,
and one of the only drummers in town. He began what today
is a rich and vast network of drummers in Vancouver (and
also Montreal). He recently died. Dido was my first teacher,
and for many others that now have successful careers in
rhythm in Vancouver. His wake happened last month, and attracted
hundreds of people.....We listened to those close to him
speak of him and his life. We feasted, visited, and played
music. Vancouver's finest came out to honor Dido, and performed
in a huge drum jam on stage....and then we played in community
in a circle of about 100 drummers for hours into the night,
as dancers, led by Jacky Essombe, danced up the energy in
the center of the circle. It was heartwarming. Wonderful.
Inspiring. I was deeply nourished by this evening. Mahara
Brenna facilitated with beauty, power and grace.
There
will be another opportunity to honor Dido, with a kick-ass
fun community drum circle, this coming summer:
Sunday
July 26, 3pm
At the Anchor, Spanish Banks
-drive
past Jericho on the way to UBC. Follow 4th Ave past Jericho
Park and take the R turn off 4th Ave just at the Western
end of the Park. Follow that road to the last parking lot,
park and walk toward the water.
If
you missed the last Drum Circle, come out to this one, and
celebrate Dido's life and legacy! :-)

Check out this event, with
some of my favourite performers. I will be there playing
with Carnival Band.
In the House Festivals
Annual Fundraiser: Circus Astoundicus
Saturday March 21, 2009
March 21st is not only
the first day of spring, but its the In the House
Festivals (in)famous fundraiser! This year we are
presenting CIRCUS ASTOUNDICUS. Animals, clowns,
acrobats, jugglers, puppeteers, musicians, dancers
in a word, all the right ingredients for a circus
will be present to provide you with an evening of ribald
fun, laughs, and pure unadulterated joy.
Amazingly Fun Things To
Do include : watching performances, dancing to great music,
pinning-the-tail on the donkey, kissing a mermaid, playing
games, interacting with roaming characters, and so much
more! We will also be doing the raffle draw. If you dont
have your tickets yet, this will be the perfect opportunity
to get them and potentially win one of these fantastic prizes:
2 Superpasses and 2 t-shirts to the Fringe Festival, 2 tickets
to Vancouver Operas production of Salome,
a 10-ticket pack to the Vancouver Film Festival, 2 tickets
to a concert at MusicFest, Dinner for 2 at Waazubees
and 2 tickets to a show at The Cultch, dinner for 2 at Divinos
and 2 tickets to the Vancouver Symphony or 2 weekend passes
to the In the House Festival in June. (Thank you to all
those wonderful organizations who donated these tickets
and dinners!)
By the way, although totally
not obligatory, costumes are highly encouraged. Dress up
as your favourite clown, animal, or circus character. Add
flavour to the event in your own special way.
Date: March 21st, 2009
Time: Doors at 6:30 pm
Show at 7:30 pm
Where: St. Marys
Ukrainian Centre, 3150 Ash St., Vancouver
Tickets: $20 advance tickets
$25-50 sliding scale at the door
Tickets are available at Highlife Records on Commercial
Dr. or on-line at www.inthehousefestival.com. Sorry no reservations
for this one.
Feel free to send this
announcement to friends, family, co-workers and anyone you
think may be interested.
Performers:
Ringmaster: Naomi Steinberg
Little Woo Mermaid Kissing Booth
Vitaly Beckman (International Magician)
Ariel Amara
Hobo, Bobo and Lobo the Bonobos (aka Tami, Colleen and Ian)
Ilya Parizhsky, Kat Single and others
Kesseke Yeo
Travis Jones
The Carnival Band
For more info the performers,
In the House and upcoming shows, please visit the website
at www.inthehousefestival.com
You can also email info@inthehousefestival.com
or phone 604-874-9325.
If you are not able to
make it to the fundraiser, but would nonetheless like to
support the festival, you can go to https://www.canadahelps.org/DonationDetails.aspx?cookieCheck=true
where you can make your contribution. You will get tax receipt
emailed to you within minutes of your donation. You can
also mail us your donation to 2256 Parker St., Vancouver,
BC, V5L 2L9. We will send you a tax receipt for donations
of $25 or more in the mail.
Myriam Steinberg
Artistic Director
In the House Festival
www.inthehousefestival.com

BIRTHFEST
2009
Celebrating
Bellies, Birth, & Babies
Sat March 14, 10am - 3
Brittania Center Gym D
1661 Napier St.
This
is a sweet little festival co-organized by my dear friend
and ex-housemate Sarah Juliusson, of Dancing Star Birth.
There will be live music throughout the day, tables with
birthing practitioners, information, and other lovely presentations.
For new or prospective parents, or those just dreaming......
I will be there playing some music at 10am. Gentle Mbira
(thumb piano) and maybe some drumming. (Babies and tots
love drumming!)
Also
contact Sarah for Dancing Star Birth info on her company's
excellent classes & Birthing Support work.
www.DancingStarBirth.ca
Sarah
Juliusson, (604) 254-1100
infro@birthlounge.com
www.birthlounge.com

7) A PERSONAL
LETTER FROM NAVARO
Dear
Drummers,
I'd
like to share with you some of my favourite things lately.
These are things that have been nourishing me, bringing
me joy, expanding me, comforting me. Check them out:
~
Little Woo - Private healing sessions and classes in Epic
Alchemy, Burlesque Performance, Shadow Puppet Plays, and
much more! I have experienced Woo's work in her Epic Alchemy
Classes and in performance. She is amazing!
http://www.littlewoo.org
______________________________________
CHAI
GALLERY IN KITS
Two
nights ago I went to Chai Gallery for the Enlightened Cinema
night. You should go! It was so cosy and relaxed. I went
with a bunch of friends and it is so nice to hang out in
an atmosphere that feels like home but where someone else
makes you comfy! There was delicious Chai tea, communal
bags of popcorn around, and we, a small group of about 25
people, watched the movies laying on low couches and cusions.
The facilitator for the evening had several movies to present.
Short films about children, and a long feature about Indigo
Children (the phenomenon of children who come in with great
intelligence and awareness, past life memory, and a clear
knowing of their higher purpose here on the planet). Super
inspiring. Check the Chai website for a calendar of all
their events.
Film night is by $5 donation.
Chai
also nourishes me on the music nights that I play (info
above in section # 5), and sometimes I just enjoy going
to their connected restaurant on Main St. East Is East,
for the best food and atmosphere, as well as live music
and dance. There was flamenco the night we went, on a Friday.
Chai
Gallery in Kits has many music nights, dance nights, and
other special kinds of gatherings that are open to the community.
http://www.eastiseast.ca
______________________________________
WALDORF
HOTEL - great venue!
Another
fun thing I did recently was to go out to the Waldorf Hotel
to play with Carnival Band and see my fave moving percussion
group, SWARM, and dance up a storm! We went to the after
party at DJ Timothy Wisdom's house. Music was amazing, tribe
there was cool and still dancing. Check out the Waldorf
Hotel on East Hastings St. It is often a venue for great
shows.
http://www.waldorfhotel.com
_________________________________________
WORK
LESS PARTY: THE ENCHANTED FOREST
Also
check out the Work Less Party parties. The next one is this
coming Saturday March 7, and the theme is THE ENCHANTED
FOREST.
Lots of fun and wildness, great DJ'd music to dance to,
some live music, body painting, shows of different sorts,
and much much more!
Sat
March 7
487 Alexander St, doors at 8pm.
check this page for more info, and link to promo
http:/www.worklessparty.org/
I'll
see you on the dance floor. Don't forget your costume!
___________________________________________________
DRUM
CAFE Corporate Drum Group
I
am still loving working with Drum Cafe. My first gig with
them last month was at the Whale Festival in Ucluelet. Beautiful
community and wildness.
Check
out Drum Cafe and if you have a corporate or large community
event that you want an amazing facilitated DRUM SHOW &
CIRCLE at, Sarah and Munkie Ncapayi's show is the best I
have experienced. I am part of the band 'team' for facilitations.
Munkie
is also a great teacher and is available for workshops,
classes, lessons.
Munkie also does excellent drum care: Re-heading drums.
www.drumcafe.ca
sarah@drumcafe.com
___________________________________________________
RAW FOOD WEBSITE LINK
- & my personal health tips!
For
those of you who can't believe that I am 47 years old at
this point.....Check this raw food website out.
http://www.rawfamily.com
These people introduced me to Raw Food, are doing a workshop
in April here in Vancouver, Who knows....this could be a
fun source of info for you, or the beginning of a path to
greater health, vitality, and beauty!
People
often, when they discover my age (- Should I be hiding my
age at this point? The number seems to alarm people :-)
- want to know everything about what it is that I 'do'.
For
those of you that are curious, here are some of my keys.
~
Lucky genes (Mom & Dad / Dutch and Philipeno respectively.....grew
up in their countries of origin and traditional diets...mom
is feisty and fit in her 70's).
~Lifelong
interest in nutrition and health. Especially the Raw Food
diet (I don't eat 100% raw but incorporate the knowledge
into my diet to a high degree).
I
have also have been informed greatly by Food Combining/Acid
Alkaline knowledge, and by Ayurveda and Macrobiotics. I
draw from those systems of knowledge and translate for my
own particular mix of diet.
~Yoga
all my life (I am a member right now of Open Door Yoga on
the Drive. Highly recommend getting a pass there). Great
prices when you buy a pass, and excellent choices of teachers
all day long, also 2 other studios on Main St. to use passes
at. http:/www.opendooryoga.bc.ca
~
Dance - The purifying sweat regularly thru my life, and
o, the joy!
~
Drumming the fire thru my body regularly.
~
Happy family life ( I love my daughter, who is 19 now, and
her dad and their new family, including my Godchild Coco.
I also am greatly nourished by all my new family and tribe
that I have encountered over the years)...and happy community
life.
~
Connection to the Earth, spending time outside, receiving
fresh air, sunlight, starlight, moonlight whenever possible,
awareness to the aliveness of all the elements that move
around the planet, recycling thru our bodies and the bodies
of all the planetary beings. eg. I thank the water when
I let it out of my bath, and know it returns to cycle in
rivers, oceans and rain.
~
Sleeping on a hard bed, on my back.
~
Energy work, visualization
~
Currently, the teachings of Abraham-Hicks
http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php
There
is lots more, but that's good for starters!
_______________________________________________________________
CLOSING
POEM
Dancing
with Drum
December 17,2008
By Motoko Hanyu
Let
your body & soul free
Listen to the sound of drum
Sound of drum circled around me
Dancing with drum
Sound of drum swept me away to the sky
Dancing with drum
I reached the stars and grabbed the stars
Dancing with drum
Pockets full of stars, full of twinkling stars
To share them with my loved ones
Dancing with drum
~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Inspiration:
December 17,2008 (Drum & Healing dance class (closer
of a series) with Navaro)
A heartfelt thank you for the very beautiful poem, Motoko!
Blessings,
Navaro

NAVARO'S
2008 NOVEMBER NEWSLETTER OF EVENTS
Dear Drummers, Dancers,
Friends & Community,
It's been a long time since
I wrote a letter to you, in my class listing. I wanted to
not overwhelm you with information and more writing, so
haven't been adding this lately, but noticed how I do enjoy
receiving personal news from other such newsletters, and
had a request from a friend, so.....Here is some sharing
from my life - Windows into our city and what I have been
up to in it.
I am loving being in Vancouver.
This marks the beginning of my fourth year here in town.
This community is so rich and diverse! I love the level
of creativity, and how much people show up for art and spirit
events here. Two of my favourite events this last month
were Parade of Lost Souls on Commercial Drive, and the last
Work Less Party in Japan Town - which I attended with my
darling daughter who just turned 19! www.worklessparty.org
This was Willow's first adults only event, and she chose
to be there with her mom! How's that for pretty cool?! We
danced for hours and hours. And enjoyed, among other things,
a body painting contest, a band called the Furry Animals,
great burlesque by Little Woo, music by an awesome DJ -
best I've ever danced to! - DJ Timothy Wisdom.
At the Parade of Lost Souls,
I loved dancing with the Carnival Band Dancers, who I recently
joined. (A beautiful community of musicians and dancers),
and playing Shekere with the band as they paraded. One creative
household along our band parade route thru the neighbourhood
had created a red fabric backdrop for a stage in their house's
huge wall of windows. They danced in fun costumes as we
passed, creating the impression of a sexy theatre stage
in the middle of the residential neighbourhood of quaint
old homes. We were accompanied by torch bearers and incredible
stilt walkers in masks that added a mythical element to
our parade. Fire and music and costume in the dark spoke
to my subconscious and stirred ancient forces within me.
Delight and wildness!
I also loved catching some
of Little Woo's Shadow Puppet Show, www.littlewoo.org and
hearing her silky voice crooning the delightful rhymed verse
/ voices of her characters. The crowd was tightly milled
around her tent in Grandview Park as an archetypal drama
played out in shadow and light. I looooved seeing all the
costumed people. One of my favourite costumes: 2 Barbie
women in boxes head to hip with windows to see them in,
and on the boxes it said 'Mattel' & 'Barbie'. I loved
hearing the faint strains of Sambata thru the crowds. Trying
to find them was fun, too.....following the ghostly strains
of music, yet never quite finding them.... The fire dancers
in the tennis courts at the evening's grand finale was very
different this year, as I was inside playing with the band.
Last year pressing up against the fence surrounded by hundreds
of costumed parade goers somehow made it even more magical!
If you haven't attended the Parade of Lost Souls, you must
next year! I think of it as our own West Coast kind of creative
craziness along the lines of Brazilian Carnival :-) (I just
wish it went on all night like it does there!).
I just started training
with Drum Cafe, www.drumcafe.com -headed by Munkie Ncapayi
& his powerhouse wife, Sarah. I am blown away by the
positive energy of their team (in the office and on the
drums) and so impressed by the amazing Corporate show that
they do. They bring drumming to the business world on an
international level. There are so many niches of the world
of the drum, here in Vancouver and all over the planet.
I am very moved by the movement of the drum and all the
tribal wisdom that it carries into our modern world. What
Colonialism did its best to erase on a global level can
never be held down or back! As father of the community drum
scene in the West, Yoruba land's Babatunde Olatunji liked
to say: 'One day there will be a drum in every household"
(of N America). - A side note for drum fans: 'Babatunde'
in Yoruba means 'the return of the Grandfather spirit. Like
many other peoples connected to their ancient wisdom, African
tribal people believe that the spirits of ancestors keep
reincarnating down the family line. What better place to
be!? - than with those you have loved over and over again,
and who love you... What better place to bring forth knowledge
held by the soul, than in the family lineage that understands
and can best uphold it, continuing and strengthening it
over and over again! For more info along these lines check
out one of my favourite writings, currently: www.anastasia.com
In the book about Anastasia called The Book of Kin, there
is fascinating and resonant info about lineage and the history
of our planet.
Coming up for me that is
exciting: My next Earth Prayers Ecstatic Dance Journey.
(Nov 22). I am looking forward to the sacred-sweat and the
moving-as-one-with-the-group..the exalted moments as we
dance to live drumming (this time with a wonderful new musical
connection (the very sensitive and dynamic percussionist,
Robin Layne of Kocassale Dioubate's Jarimba). I am waiting
to 'download' the themes for this November's Journey. Dancing
to drums is my bliss. Dancing in an intentional group of
people and having a mini experience of tribe in the ancient
sense of the word, as well as the kind of 'Tribe' that we
can be when we gather in this day, age, and gorgeous city
of Vancouver, is something I await with pleasurable anticipation.
I will send out an individual email soon with details. We
will dance, raise our voices in song, and share deeply thru
dance and community. Check my site for info on previous
Earth Prayers (Posters in recent events & plenty of
letters about it in my Testimonials
Page Hope to see you on the dance floor!
May the fall find you enjoying
the fruits of your year's learning and labour, and all the
seeds that you have sown, as we approach the deep gestation
and reflection of winter.
deep joy to you,
Navaro
September's
AfterGlow, October's Vision
~
EARTH PRAYERS OCTOBER ~
next journey: Sunday, Oct. 28,
3-530 pm,
Indigo Yoga $20 * RSVP required *
Earth
Prayers September AfterGlow
Greetings, beautiful dancers! It was such bliss to move
with you all... I look forward to ever deepening journeys
together. Many of you who were present have shared with
me since the evening about how you were affected. I am grateful
and humbled to hear your experiences, and want to share
this with the group, because I believe it adds so much to
our experience to know how we are being affected. 
Different people expressed the following.....feeling energized,
re-vitalized, relaxed, able to see and sense energy in a
powerful, real, and new way......getting connected with
blocked areas inside, seeing oneself anew.....experiencing
incredible connection with community
....seeing
such beauty and power in each other....feeling cleansed
by the clean clear sweat.....injuries surprisingly not being
bothered by the 1 & 1/2 hours of solid dancing, but
actually feeling good............feeling fatigued but carrying
through and finding new energy of opening from it.....feeling
the power of the healing energy moving out of the hand chakras.....and
the power of receiving energy from other's hands......feeling
love and warmth from the energy in the room, from me, from
the music.....experiencing harmony and unity in the group
and in the space.....
For
me, I am so honoured to be doing this work, and so excited
to explore attuning to Earth voice & prayer to Earth,
through ecstatic dance with you. I have been exploring Trance
Dance & the healing power of movement since 1981. For
5 years before returning to Vancouver in 2005, I held twice
weekly ecstatic dance classes. Since coming to Vancouver,
and focusing on performance of ecstatic dance & drumming
for the last 2 years, there has been a shift in what is
moving through me, and I am truly excited about this new
phase of my work. There are many ideas that are coming through,
incorporating chant, dance, and healing music.
We are supported in the way that we have all known as humans,
somewhere back in our lineage......describing pulsation
and cycle, the building blocks of the manifest world, with
our dance.....
Sept Earth Prayers was another beautiful, deep and joyous
experience. It is good to dance on the land of our neighbourhood.
After living here for 2 years, I am now feeling like my
roots go into the land here and I feel the resonance of
this neighbourhood. It
is also valuable to be a very full group in the space. The
concentration of energy supports a powerful experience.
Sometimes dancing in a larger space that has emptiness in
it can drain energy. It is also extremely helpful that Madhuri
and Chai have created the space themselves, putting in the
floor, painting, etc....and that they use it with a strong
healing and sacred intent. That vibration makes it all the
easier for us to walk in and do the work that we do.

"The
ancestors are alive now in the land, alive in us.....We
can hear their voices in the wind and water, in the soil
and trees, in the voices of the animals....in our own bodies
and spirits. When we resonate with the longer, deeper rhythms
of Earth, we have access to All Knowledge, All Memory, all
Knowing.
Gaia's
(Earth's) body is strengthened by our physical joy, and
by our awareness of her as a living, conscious being. Her
strength is our strength. Her health is our children's legacy."
~
Navaro

Call
or email Navaro to facilitate events in Corporate, Community,
Festival, and Retreat Center settings: Workshops, Performances,
School Shows, Dance Events & Private Instruction in:
~ African Hand Drumming & Chants
~
Mbira (the 22-key African Thumb Piano)
~
Healing Movement / Ecstatic Dance, and Tribal Dance.
Click
to Join my One
With Drum Facebook Group to get my Event Invitations!

CONTACT
INFORMATION
Email
: navaro@tribal-bliss.com
Address : Vancouver Canada
Cell: (778) 239-8444
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