Monday, December 31st, 10p – 1a Join us for an evening of connection and celebration as we close out 2018 and welcome 2019 with a dance party. More details to follow!
Thursday 7:30-9:30pm Oct. 25, Nov. 8, Dec. 13 & Jan. 10 OUSIA (ooh-see-ah) Series ou·sia: noun: true being: essence within Taught by Aubrey Griffith-Zill Founder/Curator of the Living Arts Collective 4-week Series on Thursdays once a month from 7:30-9:30pm (we will meet twice a month - every 2nd & 4th thursday - come spring) [...]
Monday, December 31st, 10p – 1a Join us for an evening of connection and celebration as we close out 2018 and welcome 2019 with a dance party. More details to follow!
Thursday 7:30-9:30pm Oct. 25, Nov. 8, Dec. 13 & Jan. 10 OUSIA (ooh-see-ah) Series ou·sia: noun: true being: essence within Taught by Aubrey Griffith-Zill Founder/Curator of the Living Arts Collective 4-week Series on Thursdays once a month from 7:30-9:30pm (we will meet twice a month - every 2nd & 4th thursday - come spring) [...]
Classes, Workshops, Dance Socials, Live Music, Dance and Theater shows and performances, Community Gatherings and more!
Calendar
December2018
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
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The Science & Pr…
The Science & Practice of Moving From Pain to Comfort
December 1, 2018 at 10:00 am - 11:30 am Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
An experience of integrating the latest brain/pain science with the Feldenkrais Method
You will experience a 30 minute Brain/Pain Science presentation with Caitlin Schmitt DPT. Then Paul will apply that brain science by teaching a Feldenkrais “Awareness Through Movement: Bending & Lifting with Ease & Power” lesson.
December 1, 2018 at 8:00 pm - 12:00 am Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Get Ready for Fusion! It's Time!
**EVERY FIRST SATURDAY**
When: First Saturday of each month!
$7-15 sliding scale
NOV 3rd//
8pm Lesson w/ Aubrey Griffith-Zill & Aaron Hawkins - Rhythm & connection!
DJs: Aaron Hawkins, Dave Warner!
Save these Dates on your calendar!
DEC 1st//
8pm Lesson Robert
DJs: (tbd) …… ? maybe you?
What would you like to contribute?
Save these Dates on your calendar!
JAN 5th//
Lesson TBD
DJs: (tbd) …… ? maybe you?
Save these Dates on your calendar!
Where: In the LAC Movement Studio (downstairs). This studio has a yummy sprung cork floor, powerful sound system, good vibes and new lighting!
Enter: *down the ramp next to Cocoa Cinnamon
Post below if you wanna work a door slot in trade to entry:
Door slots –
8:45-9:30 : Available!
9:30-10:15 : Available
10:15-11:00 : Available!
Fusion Crew holding it down and creating safe space for ALL:
Aaron Hawkins
ErinRenee Murphy
Kay Holloway
Candance Bae
Alan S Best
Shantel Richardson
Alix Arcuni Wicker
Gareth Dicker
Lydie Vanessa
Aubrey Griffith-Zill
Alegra-Ray Dilone
JJ Hurst
Dave Warner
and more....!
What is Fusion?
Fusion is an improvised lead-follow approach to dancing to any style of music that does not have a strictly defined dance aesthetic. Just as music…
The vision of this festival is to create a quality Zouk-learning and social dancing experience that embodies a warm, inviting, safe, and joyful environment placing a priority on the personal and collective wellness of attendees while connecting international, national, and local Zouk communities and artists in Durham, NC.
December 2, 2018 at 11:11 am - 1:33 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed freeform movement in community. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
SUNDAYS: Doors open: 11:11am Open Circle: 11:33am Closing Circle: 1:11pm
FRIDAYS:
Doors open: 7:00pm Open Circle: 7:30pm Close Circle: 9:30pm
Cost $7- 15
Read more about the Durham Dance Wave and the weekly Monday Night Durham Dance Wave here.
December 2, 2018 at 3:30 pm - 5:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Both Orquesta GarDel and Living Arts Collective are thrilled to announce an exciting collaboration for 2018 - GarDel is the salsa-band-in-residence at LAC. Every fourth Sunday we will perform in this intimate, inviting dance studio. All are welcome - social salsa dancers, dancers of all backgrounds and skills, people who just want to chill and groove to the Latin rhythms.
This is a social artistic experiment - GarDel will use the residency to take chances, try new arrangements, workshop original songs in progress and ask for feedback. Overtime, the LAC community will co-locate dance lessons, painters, artisans from many disciplines.
Doors open: 3:00pm
Live Music: 3:30pm-5:30pm
*FREE salsa dance class
Admission - pay what you can to support the artists, suggested $7 to $25.
Djembe FUNdamentals - DUNUN for Adults & Mature Youth
December 2, 2018 at 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Living Arts Collective
Welcome to Djembe FUNdamentals
In Africa life moves to the beat. Make rhythm the soundtrack of YOUR life.
This upcoming course will be short, in 3 weeks we will will focus on the DUNUN family of drums and get charged up before the long break! Our specific focus will be on village style playing. Using the music of Guinea, West Africa, we will begin to hone the basic techniques to enjoy playing Djembe music comfortably. Come jam!
Walk-ins Welcome all 3 weeks
Let's close out 2018 by drumming big!
December 3rd - December 16th
Living Arts Collective 410 W Geer Street Durham, North Carolina
Cost: $42.00 for the course, Walk-ins: $19.00 per individual class
Payment can be made in two $21.00 installments
5:00 pm-6:30 pm
Adults & Mature youth
Drums are available for rent, $5 for the course, $5 per walk-in
please contact me ahead of time to reserve a drum
Family rates available, for more info please contact me
The vision of this festival is to create a quality Zouk-learning and social dancing experience that embodies a warm, inviting, safe, and joyful environment placing a priority on the personal and collective wellness of attendees while connecting international, national, and local Zouk communities and artists in Durham, NC.
December 3, 2018 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Join me for a lunch time meditation practice to awaken your inner landscape, connect with your body & transform the way you experience being. This meditation isn't about sitting like a statue or struggling to arrest your thoughts. You will move into a peace filled release of stagnant emotions, while increasing awareness of energy circulating throughout your being. Come, open to explore. There's no judgement. All are welcome.
Hosted by Abstract Emergence & Living Arts Collective
December 3, 2018 at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience a Bollywood-inspired dance fitness program that combines exhilarating choreography and calorie-burning workouts with upbeat music from around the world.
Come dressed to sweat and ready to dance! All levels welcome.
December 4, 2018 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
When: Tuesdays 5:30-7pm (Final Tuesday, Oct. 30 & Nov. 27 will be followed up with an open-level CI jam)
Instructor: Aubrey Griffith-Zill
Cost: $7-20 sliding scale
Contact Improv (CI) Introductory October Class Series -
a place to explore and grow your Contact Improvisation practice within a structured lab setting. Holding a goal of creating familiarity and confidence in the form so dancers are empowered, aware of their choices relating to safety and comfort, and understand expressions of consent in the context of CI.
The introductory-level class series welcomes newcomers to contact improvisation as well as those movers who wish to refresh their skills in a low-stakes, low-risk environment. A broad variety of rotating, Triangle-based teachers will teach basic skills to help movers acclimate to the jam setting and build basic skills such as entering and exiting a dance, rolling point of contact, light-to-moderate weight sharing, and proprioceptive responsiveness.
December 4, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Melodic Breathing Meditation
Tuesdays 7:30-9pm
What if you could experience some of the benefits that meditation has to offer immediately, and in a single session?
This is exactly what we are offering in our workshop: a tiny peak into what meditation is like.
Through conscious breathing you can silence your mind and feel what it would be like if you cultivated a practice of meditation.
Guided by Theo Feaster and live music provided by Donovan Moran, we'll take you on a melodic journey through diaphragmatic breathing that has been shown to combat anxiety and bolster the immune system.
7:30-8:30: Breathing meditation
8:30-9:00: Group discussion
December 4, 2018 at 7:15 pm - 9:15 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
CI Practitioners Lab - a place to explore and grow your Contact Improvisation practice within a structured lab setting of intermediate to advanced peers. Each week, we will hone in on different skills, dance with multiple partners and practice holding the attention of our shared dance.
Details for November & December:
Classes Tuesdays, November 13, 20
(Final Tuesday, November 27 will be an open-level CI jam)
Classes Tuesdays, December 4, 11, 18
(Final Tuesday, December 25 will be an open-level CI *Holiday* jam)
November Instructor: Megan Yankee
This LAB is ideal for CI practitioners with approximately six months of experience or more. If unsure of placement, please contact Megan. email:
(Practitioners with beginner level skills should seek the beginner series offered at LAC Tuesdays: 5:30-7:00pm Instructor: Aubrey Griffith-Zill)
Drop in classes' slide scale cost $15-25. The whole series (including 3 classes and a jam) sliding scale cost $50-75. No one will be turned away for inability to pay: contact Megan directly to discuss options. LAC CI facilitators can attend free of charge. Payments can be made in cash or by PayPaling .
Students will be guided through contact-based improvisation scores in duets, trios and large groups to increase safety and risk-taking, proprioception and responsively. Topics will range from relating and responding within dances to high-table lifts. We will also focus on identifying boundaries and generating consent practices in the Durham CI community. …
December 5, 2018 at 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Living Arts Collective
Storytelling from Around the World will be each Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at the Living Arts Collective. Come hear stories from our world community. Would you like to share your story? Join us in this exciting space.
December 5, 2018 at 5:45 pm - 6:45 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Come Buti with us! Every week, donation-based Buti yoga class with proceeds going to good local causes. Buti yoga is a combination of yoga, dance and plyometrics designed to break a sweat and build connection. Bring a mat, towel and water, recommended donation $10-15 per class.
December 5, 2018 at 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
We will be mixing the best Zoukable music from neozouk and ghetto zouk to hip-hop, R&B, kizomba, and your favorite zouk remixes and cover songs! We can Zouk to it all!
Cover $7 or $5 for those attending Zouk classes before the social.
December 6, 2018 at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Back by popular demand, our Weekly Community Shaga Class kicks off Thursday, October 18th, at Living Arts Collective!
Shaga is inspired by the movement language of Gaga, developed by Ohad Naharin. Durham-based Shaleigh Comerford, who trained with Ohad, has created an accessible, empowering and fun practice for anyone interested in liberating their body & their mind.
In this community class we will learn to approach movement as a dynamic, healing, and ever-changing power, using evocative ideas and imagery in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Class begins slowly and builds in intensity to continuous motion, providing enjoyable exercise for both body and soul. Shaga allows us to actively explore our habits, expand our range and discover the endless possibilities of healing ways of moving in a welcoming, accepting atmosphere.
This community class is open to ALL and is designed for individuals who wish to open themselves to movement in new ways. Dancers, yogis, and movers of all kinds and abilities are invited to participate. No prior experience necessary.
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and to move barefoot or in socks.
Price: Sliding-scale $15-25 (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
About ShaLeigh:
ShaLeigh Comerford is an Irish & Native American dancer, choreographer and artistic director of ShaLeigh Dance Works in Durham, NC. ShaLeigh was personally invited to train in the Gaga movement language with Ohad Naharin and the Batsheva Dance Company in…
Acro & Handstand Conditioning at Living Arts Collective
December 6, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Join us for a fun pre-jam class on partner conditioning and handstand training! Katie Veleta, certified AcroYoga instructor, and Aimee Kresica, certified Lift Acrobatics instructor, will offer partner and group exercises and drills which increase strength, alignment, grip, balance, and dynamic movements fundamental to the practice of acro.
No experience needed for this all levels class! Partnerships will be honored but no partner is required. Cost is $15 cash at the door. Stay for the jam for free if you come to the class!
UPDATE: Please bring socks or a towel/rag for some of the drills we will do tonight in class! Thanks 🙂
December 6, 2018 at 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Come play with us this Thursday in Durham! Acro jams are non-structured events where we share skills and learn from one another. Cost is $7-15 sliding fee at the door!
12.7~Pre-Dance Wave Sound Journey w XYLEM and InnerSpaceJourneys
December 7, 2018 at 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
This Friday is gonna have hype stacked on hype. In addition to the Living Arts Collective's weekly dance wave, I,Star and Silvermoon Chocolate will be putting on a second dance wave set and offering up really good chocolates to fuel the hype.
Starting at 6 PM, XYLEM and Inner Space Journeys, LLC will lead a Sound Journey meditation with live instrumentation. Eddie will soon be heading out to Colombia to be with family for a bit, so the opportunity to experience the Divine Will Throat Chakra crystal singing bowl is limited. There will be a hand crafted cacao elixir available for purchase to guide you on a heart opening evening.
There will be mats provided, and some mugs, but bringing your own mug is always recommended. Just please keep the mugs off the dance floor.
Following the meditation, Donovan (aka DJ PHLOEM) will provide some live instrumentation and sounds for the dance wave. This is an opportunity to express yourself and embody the music in anyway you feel moved in a judgement free space. We will circle up around 715, and start at 730.
December 7, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed free form movement in community.
Every Friday, 7:30-9:30pm at The Living Arts Collective, near downtown Durham. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
I,Star / Silvermoon Chocolate at Living Arts Collective (Durham)
December 7, 2018 at 9:00 pm - 11:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Asheville musicians and chocolate alchemists, Aradhana Silvermoon and Truth-i Manifest are bringing the sounds and sensations of I,Star music and Silvermoon Chocolate to the Living Arts Collective on Friday, Dec. 7th following the 7pm Dance Wave!!
I,Star:
From the heart of Appalachia, I,Star rises… Encompassing a core fusion of husband-wife duo, MC/poet Truth-I Manifest’s potent lyrical flow, and singer/songwriter Aradhana Silvermoon’s angelic melodies- with their stellar band’s profoundly funky prowess- I,Star’s performances are a dynamic interplay of hard-hitting rhymes weaving through evocative refrains, building to harmonies in the hooks. Their wholly original “folk-hop” carriage bears keen commentary on personal and global transformation, stewardship of the Earth, social justice, and love amidst it all. Whether in configuration as a duo with acoustic guitar and bare vocals, with one or more accompanists, or with the powerful layers of a 7-piece band and their improvisational gifts, I,Star inspires listeners to groove deeply and journey into their rich imagery and soundscapes. Displaying wide, genre- crossing versatility with influences of funk, world, reggae, and rock to accent their folk-hop essence, I,Star’s music has broad appeal to lovers of many flavors. In the expanding constellation of progressive and conscious musical offerings, these luminaries shine brightly.
IStarVision.com for full bio, music, and videos!
December 8, 2018 at 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Living Arts Collective
Community Massage Clinic
Connect to a sense of comfort in your body and freedom in your being through our unique combination of massage therapy and guided group rest. We delight in caring for you from the moment you arrive, until you walk out feeling relaxed and connected and ready to re-enter the world.
Our model aims to support all human bodies with clothed massage to promote comfort and safety, wheelchair access, a flexible sliding scale, and a team that practices anti-oppression and anti-racism.
December 8, 2018 at 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Buy My Art And Call It Holy is a challenge to reimagine what we call art and and we consider holy. Over 10 days and 5 locations, we will co-create spaces to vision, grieve, practice gratitude and revel in our senses.
Over the course of the 10 days, I will be holding space Monday-Saturday at 310 E. Main Street (formerly Old Havana Sandwich Shop). Join me for a cup of tea, some fresh baked bread, a conversation or a place to relax.
I am working with an awesome team of artists to create daytime and evening programming like a night of meditation, mourning, visioning, a movement space and a community dinner. Everything is family friendly (except the Night of Sensuality), wheelchair accessible and Pay-What-You-Can, Pay-What-You-Want, Pay-What-Its-Worth.
This is not about religion. This is an honoring and of the human spirit that connects us. It's a lifting up of our grandmothers' ways of being. A recognition that the work of their hands were were art and holy offerings.
So come. Make and shape this work with us.
This project is generously supported by the North Carolina Arts Council.
December 9, 2018 at 11:11 am - 1:33 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
*SPECIAL cacao offering provided by Silvermoon Chocolate*
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed freeform movement in community. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
SUNDAYS: Doors open: 11:11am Open Circle: 11:33am Closing Circle: 1:11pm
FRIDAYS:
Doors open: 7:00pm Open Circle: 7:30pm Close Circle: 9:30pm
Cost $7- 15
Read more about the Durham Dance Wave and the weekly Monday Night Durham Dance Wave here.
*CANCELLED due to weather* CI interrogates its history + currency with Karen Nelson
December 9, 2018 at 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
"Contact Improvisation (CI) interrogates its history and currency,” facilitated by Karen Nelson, is an inclusive lecture-demonstration-participatory jam event that inquires into the evolution of CI as a living, breathing, changing dance form. This platform— part ritual, part performance, and part social club— calls on experienced practitioners of CI to share embodied stories centering on intersectionality, passion, identity, and one’s own history in the form.
Audience will be invited to at first witness, and later to choose to join (or not) into the dancing. As well, screenings of archival video documentation of early CI practice and performance will provide a context for one creation myth of this work.
*CANCELLED due to weather* Djembe FUNdamentals - DUNUN for Adults & Mature Youth
December 9, 2018 at 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Living Arts Collective
Welcome to Djembe FUNdamentals
In Africa life moves to the beat. Make rhythm the soundtrack of YOUR life.
This upcoming course will be short, in 3 weeks we will will focus on the DUNUN family of drums and get charged up before the long break! Our specific focus will be on village style playing. Using the music of Guinea, West Africa, we will begin to hone the basic techniques to enjoy playing Djembe music comfortably. Come jam!
Walk-ins Welcome all 3 weeks
Let's close out 2018 by drumming big!
December 3rd - December 16th
Living Arts Collective 410 W Geer Street Durham, North Carolina
Cost: $42.00 for the course, Walk-ins: $19.00 per individual class
Payment can be made in two $21.00 installments
5:00 pm-6:30 pm
Adults & Mature youth
Drums are available for rent, $5 for the course, $5 per walk-in
please contact me ahead of time to reserve a drum
Family rates available, for more info please contact me
*RESCHEDULED to 12/16 due to weather* The Art of Meditation Installation
December 9, 2018 at 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Living Arts Collective
Experience the art of meditation inside an art installation. On December 9th from 5 to 7pm at the Living Arts Collective, Conscious Breathing, Xylem and Interspace Journeys will host a musically guided group meditation inside an art installation that is inspired by meditative practices.
December 10, 2018 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Join me for a lunch time meditation practice to awaken your inner landscape, connect with your body & transform the way you experience being. This meditation isn't about sitting like a statue or struggling to arrest your thoughts. You will move into a peace filled release of stagnant emotions, while increasing awareness of energy circulating throughout your being. Come, open to explore. There's no judgement. All are welcome.
Hosted by Abstract Emergence & Living Arts Collective
December 10, 2018 at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience a Bollywood-inspired dance fitness program that combines exhilarating choreography and calorie-burning workouts with upbeat music from around the world.
Come dressed to sweat and ready to dance! All levels welcome.
*CANCELLED due to weather* “Space Mix Dance ” — workshop with Karen Nelson
December 10, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Living Arts Collective
With Karen Nelson
Bringing somatic techniques derived from Contact Improvisation together with compositional choice making practices found in Tuning Scores, this class will explore “inner and outer spaces.” We will land in our sensing bodies and create ensemble, solo and partner dances using scores that stimulate unbounded and embodied curiosity.
sliding scale $15 - $30
*CI special edition* 'CI interrogates its history + currency' with Karen Nelson
December 11, 2018 at 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
"Contact Improvisation (CI) interrogates its history and currency,” facilitated by Karen Nelson, is an inclusive lecture-demonstration-participatory jam event that inquires into the evolution of CI as a living, breathing, changing dance form. This platform— part ritual, part performance, and part social club— calls on experienced practitioners of CI to share embodied stories centering on intersectionality, passion, identity, and one’s own history in the form.
Audience will be invited to at first witness, and later to choose to join (or not) into the dancing. As well, screenings of archival video documentation of early CI practice and performance will provide a context for one creation myth of this work.
December 11, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Melodic Breathing Meditation
Tuesdays 7:30-9pm
What if you could experience some of the benefits that meditation has to offer immediately, and in a single session?
This is exactly what we are offering in our workshop: a tiny peak into what meditation is like.
Through conscious breathing you can silence your mind and feel what it would be like if you cultivated a practice of meditation.
Guided by Theo Feaster and live music provided by Donovan Moran, we'll take you on a melodic journey through diaphragmatic breathing that has been shown to combat anxiety and bolster the immune system.
7:30-8:30: Breathing meditation
8:30-9:00: Group discussion
December 11, 2018 at 7:15 pm - 9:15 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
CI Practitioners Lab - a place to explore and grow your Contact Improvisation practice within a structured lab setting of intermediate to advanced peers. Each week, we will hone in on different skills, dance with multiple partners and practice holding the attention of our shared dance.
Details for November & December:
Classes Tuesdays, November 13, 20
(Final Tuesday, November 27 will be an open-level CI jam)
Classes Tuesdays, December 4, 11, 18
(Final Tuesday, December 25 will be an open-level CI *Holiday* jam)
November Instructor: Megan Yankee
This LAB is ideal for CI practitioners with approximately six months of experience or more. If unsure of placement, please contact Megan. email:
(Practitioners with beginner level skills should seek the beginner series offered at LAC Tuesdays: 5:30-7:00pm Instructor: Aubrey Griffith-Zill)
Drop in classes' slide scale cost $15-25. The whole series (including 3 classes and a jam) sliding scale cost $50-75. No one will be turned away for inability to pay: contact Megan directly to discuss options. LAC CI facilitators can attend free of charge. Payments can be made in cash or by PayPaling .
Students will be guided through contact-based improvisation scores in duets, trios and large groups to increase safety and risk-taking, proprioception and responsively. Topics will range from relating and responding within dances to high-table lifts. We will also focus on identifying boundaries and generating consent practices in the Durham CI community. …
December 12, 2018 at 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Living Arts Collective
Storytelling from Around the World will be each Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at the Living Arts Collective. Come hear stories from our world community. Would you like to share your story? Join us in this exciting space.
December 12, 2018 at 5:45 pm - 6:45 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Come Buti with us! Every week, donation-based Buti yoga class with proceeds going to good local causes. Buti yoga is a combination of yoga, dance and plyometrics designed to break a sweat and build connection. Bring a mat, towel and water, recommended donation $10-15 per class.
December 12, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
We are relaunching our practicas! Our practicas are open to intermediate-level dancers who know the fundamental moves and dance patterns of zouk and are ready to experiment in learning advanced moves. In this space, we'll experiment with moves we are not yet confident to try on the social dance, moves we've seen on YouTube videos or learned on a weekender and want to ingrain into our dance routine. We ask that dancers consider committing to coming to the practicas as much as possible, so we can create a community that grows and learns together. This week's theme is going to be lambada zouk!
The practicas will happen every week when we don't have class. They cost $10, and include entrance to the social afterwards.
December 12, 2018 at 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
We will be mixing the best Zoukable music from neozouk and ghetto zouk to hip-hop, R&B, kizomba, and your favorite zouk remixes and cover songs! We can Zouk to it all!
Cover $7 or $5 for those attending Zouk classes before the social.
December 13, 2018 at 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Back by popular demand, our Weekly Community Shaga Class kicks off Thursday, October 18th, at Living Arts Collective!
Shaga is inspired by the movement language of Gaga, developed by Ohad Naharin. Durham-based Shaleigh Comerford, who trained with Ohad, has created an accessible, empowering and fun practice for anyone interested in liberating their body & their mind.
In this community class we will learn to approach movement as a dynamic, healing, and ever-changing power, using evocative ideas and imagery in a safe, non-judgmental environment. Class begins slowly and builds in intensity to continuous motion, providing enjoyable exercise for both body and soul. Shaga allows us to actively explore our habits, expand our range and discover the endless possibilities of healing ways of moving in a welcoming, accepting atmosphere.
This community class is open to ALL and is designed for individuals who wish to open themselves to movement in new ways. Dancers, yogis, and movers of all kinds and abilities are invited to participate. No prior experience necessary.
Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing and to move barefoot or in socks.
Price: Sliding-scale $15-25 (no one will be turned away for lack of funds)
About ShaLeigh:
ShaLeigh Comerford is an Irish & Native American dancer, choreographer and artistic director of ShaLeigh Dance Works in Durham, NC. ShaLeigh was personally invited to train in the Gaga movement language with Ohad Naharin and the Batsheva Dance Company in…
December 13, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
OUSIA (ooh-see-ah) Series
ou·sia: noun: true being: essence within
Taught by Aubrey Griffith-Zill
Founder/Curator of the Living Arts Collective
4-week Series on Thursdays once a month from 7:30-9:30pm
(we will meet twice a month - every 2nd & 4th thursday - come spring)
Cost: $120 for Series or $35 drop in (email Aubrey for alternative payment options if funds are an issue - )
“Desire to learn from the wisdom of the past, feel this wisdom in your body, and then use that wisdom as a frame for your creativity.” ~ Aubrey Griffith-Zill
Learn the fundamentals of rhythm while developing techniques for freedom and possibility within improvisational form and creative exploration.
We will blend the principles and theories of dance while discovering the interplay and connection of contact improv, social dance and somatic movement in association with the cycles of nature and our evolving surroundings.
Each class follows the same rhythm:
1) Insight: Honest self-assessment. Centering. Breathing techniques. Where am I? What do I feel? What do I need? Identifying needs and feelings through the felt sense of the body.
2) Cleanse: Watch thoughts and clear the clutter through imagination as a playground for choice. Transcend the story. Open to natural wisdom.
3) Nourish: Study and feel the synergy between grounded rhythms of social dance form and the emergent vortex of a shared point of contact in improvisational movement. Listen to impulses…
Introduction to Eurythmy - Heart Centered Movement
December 14, 2018 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Dear dance community friends!
This is very last minute, but I welcome you to arrive next Friday, the 14th of December, at 5:30pm instead of your usual 7:30pm for the Dance Wave, to explore the relatively unknown movement art called: EURYTHMY.
My friend, Rachael Abbott, will lead us in about an hour of eurythmic movement as a group, followed by 15-30 minutes of discussion to bring us to 7pm. She is an excellent Eurythmist and is only in town until the end of December, so I am thrilled she is able to offer this brief sharing with us while she's in town.
But what is Eurythmy?
Eurythmy is a heart centered movement practice which uses gesture of the arms and legs to express harmonious sounds, such as words, vowels, consonants, musical phrases, and poetic or meditative ideas.
Eurythmy is practiced worldwide by communities for the purpose of creating social harmony through group-initiated movements which require the movers to become increasingly aware of the presence of others in the group and their location in space.
On the esoteric side, Eurythmy is used as a meditative practice which brings consciousness and healing to the human being's etheric body through gesture and stillness.
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We will ask for a suggested donation of $7-15 at the door.
I hope to see you there! Eurythmy is important to me and I would be so glad to…
December 14, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed free form movement in community.
Every Friday, 7:30-9:30pm at The Living Arts Collective, near downtown Durham. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
December 15, 2018 at 9:00 am - 10:00 am Living Arts Collective
Come get a free sneak peak of our new program, Body Back, launching in January!
-Dec 15th 9am at Living Arts Collective
Body Back Transformation is an 8-week results-based journey. You will focus on your mind and body, improving your overall health and well being. The experience includes high-intensity interval workouts (HIIT) designed to challenge, empower, and recharge you. The program also includes nutrition guidance, supplemental online workouts, accountability, pre- and post fitness assessments and support. This journey will reconnect you to your inner strength and encourage you to believe in personal transformation.
GIVEAWAYS + Door Prizes:
Bull City Ciderworks Coupons
FIT4MOM Swag
1 FREE 4-week Body Back Mini Session (1 entry for each free class you attend! Winner will be announced Jan 5th!)
Following the free class on 12/15, we will head to Cocoa Cinnamon for Mom’s Morning Out 🙂
December 16, 2018 at 11:11 am - 1:33 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed freeform movement in community. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
SUNDAYS: Doors open: 11:11am Open Circle: 11:33am Closing Circle: 1:11pm
FRIDAYS:
Doors open: 7:00pm Open Circle: 7:30pm Close Circle: 9:30pm
Cost $7- 15
Read more about the Durham Dance Wave and the weekly Monday Night Durham Dance Wave here.
Djembe FUNdamentals - DUNUN for Adults & Mature Youth
December 16, 2018 at 5:00 pm - 6:30 pm Living Arts Collective
Welcome to Djembe FUNdamentals
In Africa life moves to the beat. Make rhythm the soundtrack of YOUR life.
This upcoming course will be short, in 3 weeks we will will focus on the DUNUN family of drums and get charged up before the long break! Our specific focus will be on village style playing. Using the music of Guinea, West Africa, we will begin to hone the basic techniques to enjoy playing Djembe music comfortably. Come jam!
Walk-ins Welcome all 3 weeks
Let's close out 2018 by drumming big!
December 3rd - December 16th
Living Arts Collective 410 W Geer Street Durham, North Carolina
Cost: $42.00 for the course, Walk-ins: $19.00 per individual class
Payment can be made in two $21.00 installments
5:00 pm-6:30 pm
Adults & Mature youth
Drums are available for rent, $5 for the course, $5 per walk-in
please contact me ahead of time to reserve a drum
Family rates available, for more info please contact me
December 16, 2018 at 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Living Arts Collective
Experience the art of meditation inside an art installation. On December 9th from 5 to 7pm at the Living Arts Collective, Conscious Breathing, Xylem and Interspace Journeys will host a musically guided group meditation inside an art installation that is inspired by meditative practices.
December 17, 2018 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Join me for a lunch time meditation practice to awaken your inner landscape, connect with your body & transform the way you experience being. This meditation isn't about sitting like a statue or struggling to arrest your thoughts. You will move into a peace filled release of stagnant emotions, while increasing awareness of energy circulating throughout your being. Come, open to explore. There's no judgement. All are welcome.
Hosted by Abstract Emergence & Living Arts Collective
December 17, 2018 at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience a Bollywood-inspired dance fitness program that combines exhilarating choreography and calorie-burning workouts with upbeat music from around the world.
Come dressed to sweat and ready to dance! All levels welcome.
December 18, 2018 at 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
When: Tuesdays 5:30-7pm (Final Tuesday, Oct. 30 & Nov. 27 will be followed up with an open-level CI jam)
Instructor: Aubrey Griffith-Zill
Cost: $7-20 sliding scale
Contact Improv (CI) Introductory October Class Series -
a place to explore and grow your Contact Improvisation practice within a structured lab setting. Holding a goal of creating familiarity and confidence in the form so dancers are empowered, aware of their choices relating to safety and comfort, and understand expressions of consent in the context of CI.
The introductory-level class series welcomes newcomers to contact improvisation as well as those movers who wish to refresh their skills in a low-stakes, low-risk environment. A broad variety of rotating, Triangle-based teachers will teach basic skills to help movers acclimate to the jam setting and build basic skills such as entering and exiting a dance, rolling point of contact, light-to-moderate weight sharing, and proprioceptive responsiveness.
December 18, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Melodic Breathing Meditation
Tuesdays 7:30-9pm
What if you could experience some of the benefits that meditation has to offer immediately, and in a single session?
This is exactly what we are offering in our workshop: a tiny peak into what meditation is like.
Through conscious breathing you can silence your mind and feel what it would be like if you cultivated a practice of meditation.
Guided by Theo Feaster and live music provided by Donovan Moran, we'll take you on a melodic journey through diaphragmatic breathing that has been shown to combat anxiety and bolster the immune system.
7:30-8:30: Breathing meditation
8:30-9:00: Group discussion
December 18, 2018 at 7:15 pm - 9:15 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
CI Practitioners Lab - a place to explore and grow your Contact Improvisation practice within a structured lab setting of intermediate to advanced peers. Each week, we will hone in on different skills, dance with multiple partners and practice holding the attention of our shared dance.
Details for November & December:
Classes Tuesdays, November 13, 20
(Final Tuesday, November 27 will be an open-level CI jam)
Classes Tuesdays, December 4, 11, 18
(Final Tuesday, December 25 will be an open-level CI *Holiday* jam)
November Instructor: Megan Yankee
This LAB is ideal for CI practitioners with approximately six months of experience or more. If unsure of placement, please contact Megan. email:
(Practitioners with beginner level skills should seek the beginner series offered at LAC Tuesdays: 5:30-7:00pm Instructor: Aubrey Griffith-Zill)
Drop in classes' slide scale cost $15-25. The whole series (including 3 classes and a jam) sliding scale cost $50-75. No one will be turned away for inability to pay: contact Megan directly to discuss options. LAC CI facilitators can attend free of charge. Payments can be made in cash or by PayPaling .
Students will be guided through contact-based improvisation scores in duets, trios and large groups to increase safety and risk-taking, proprioception and responsively. Topics will range from relating and responding within dances to high-table lifts. We will also focus on identifying boundaries and generating consent practices in the Durham CI community. …
December 19, 2018 at 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Living Arts Collective
Storytelling from Around the World will be each Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at the Living Arts Collective. Come hear stories from our world community. Would you like to share your story? Join us in this exciting space.
December 19, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
We are relaunching our practicas! Our practicas are open to intermediate-level dancers who know the fundamental moves and dance patterns of zouk and are ready to experiment in learning advanced moves. In this space, we'll experiment with moves we are not yet confident to try on the social dance, moves we've seen on YouTube videos or learned on a weekender and want to ingrain into our dance routine. We ask that dancers consider committing to coming to the practicas as much as possible, so we can create a community that grows and learns together. This week's theme is going to be lambada zouk!
The practicas will happen every week when we don't have class. They cost $10, and include entrance to the social afterwards.
December 19, 2018 at 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
We will be mixing the best Zoukable music from neozouk and ghetto zouk to hip-hop, R&B, kizomba, and your favorite zouk remixes and cover songs! We can Zouk to it all!
Cover $7 or $5 for those attending Zouk classes before the social.
Acro & Handstand Conditioning at Living Arts Collective
December 20, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Join us for a fun pre-jam class on partner conditioning and handstand training! Katie Veleta, certified AcroYoga instructor, and Aimee Kresica, certified Lift Acrobatics instructor, will offer partner and group exercises and drills which increase strength, alignment, grip, balance, and dynamic movements fundamental to the practice of acro.
No experience needed for this all levels class! Partnerships will be honored but no partner is required. Cost is $15 cash at the door. Stay for the jam for free if you come to the class!
UPDATE: Please bring socks or a towel/rag for some of the drills we will do tonight in class! Thanks 🙂
December 20, 2018 at 8:30 pm - 10:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Come play with us this Thursday in Durham! Acro jams are non-structured events where we share skills and learn from one another. Cost is $7-15 sliding fee at the door!
December 21, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed free form movement in community.
Every Friday, 7:30-9:30pm at The Living Arts Collective, near downtown Durham. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
December 21, 2018 at 6:00 pm - 12:00 am Living Arts Collective
We will have an open house highlighting:
THIRD FRIDAY ARTWAVE:
Artwork created and displayed by: TBD
LIVE painting by: TBD
LIVE music by: TBD
Nourishment provided by: TBD
Durham Dance Wave- Ecstatic Dance in Durham starting at 7:30-9:00pm
LIVING ROOM open mic for music and spoken word 9:30-10:30pm, shortly following the Ecstatic Dance. This is a chance to bring something beautiful to share. When you arrive we'll put your name in a hat and order the evenings performances. This will be a simple, intimate, acoustic, pillows-on-the-floor venue for us to share a bit of who we are with each other. Facilitated by Gareth Dicker & LAC Crew
December 23, 2018 at 11:11 am - 1:33 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed freeform movement in community. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
SUNDAYS: Doors open: 11:11am Open Circle: 11:33am Closing Circle: 1:11pm
FRIDAYS:
Doors open: 7:00pm Open Circle: 7:30pm Close Circle: 9:30pm
Cost $7- 15
Read more about the Durham Dance Wave and the weekly Monday Night Durham Dance Wave here.
December 23, 2018 at 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Transform your inner landscape through visualization meditation.
Connect with your body & luminous being. Slow down time, transform your emotions, clear your mind, create movement in your energy body and discover the root of your heart beat. Each class is a new opportunity to deepen your mindfulness practice, awaken to new depths of perception and align mind with heart.
All are welcome! $5-$15 donation.
December 24, 2018 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Join me for a lunch time meditation practice to awaken your inner landscape, connect with your body & transform the way you experience being. This meditation isn't about sitting like a statue or struggling to arrest your thoughts. You will move into a peace filled release of stagnant emotions, while increasing awareness of energy circulating throughout your being. Come, open to explore. There's no judgement. All are welcome.
Hosted by Abstract Emergence & Living Arts Collective
December 24, 2018 at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience a Bollywood-inspired dance fitness program that combines exhilarating choreography and calorie-burning workouts with upbeat music from around the world.
Come dressed to sweat and ready to dance! All levels welcome.
December 26, 2018 at 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm Living Arts Collective
Storytelling from Around the World will be each Wednesday from 4:30 to 6:00 PM at the Living Arts Collective. Come hear stories from our world community. Would you like to share your story? Join us in this exciting space.
*CANCELLED due to holiday* Zouk Night Practica *downstairs studio*
December 26, 2018 at 8:30 pm - 11:00 pm 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
We will be mixing the best Zoukable music from neozouk and ghetto zouk to hip-hop, R&B, kizomba, and your favorite zouk remixes and cover songs! We can Zouk to it all!
Cover $7 or $5 for those attending Zouk classes before the social.
December 28, 2018 at 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm Durham Ballroom, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed free form movement in community.
Every Friday, 7:30-9:30pm at The Living Arts Collective, near downtown Durham. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
December 30, 2018 at 11:11 am - 1:33 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience authentic self-expression in a safe space free of judgment & instruction. This weekly ecstatic dance event offers an opportunity to explore delicious states of being from stillness to unfettered wildness through self-directed freeform movement in community. The 90 minute practice takes us on a movement journey with musical texture and form.
SUNDAYS: Doors open: 11:11am Open Circle: 11:33am Closing Circle: 1:11pm
FRIDAYS:
Doors open: 7:00pm Open Circle: 7:30pm Close Circle: 9:30pm
Cost $7- 15
Read more about the Durham Dance Wave and the weekly Monday Night Durham Dance Wave here.
December 31, 2018 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Living Arts Collective, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Join me for a lunch time meditation practice to awaken your inner landscape, connect with your body & transform the way you experience being. This meditation isn't about sitting like a statue or struggling to arrest your thoughts. You will move into a peace filled release of stagnant emotions, while increasing awareness of energy circulating throughout your being. Come, open to explore. There's no judgement. All are welcome.
Hosted by Abstract Emergence & Living Arts Collective
December 31, 2018 at 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Living Arts Collective Dance Studio, 410 W Geer St, Durham, NC 27701, USA
Experience a Bollywood-inspired dance fitness program that combines exhilarating choreography and calorie-burning workouts with upbeat music from around the world.
Come dressed to sweat and ready to dance! All levels welcome.
Wednesday, December 12, 7:30 – 8:30p *movement studio* We are relaunching our practicas! Our practicas are open to intermediate-level dancers who know the fundamental moves and dance patterns of zouk and are ready to experiment in learning advanced moves. In this space, we'll experiment with moves we are not yet confident to try [...]
Wednesdays, January 9th – February 13th, 7:30 – 8:30p Whether you're curious about Brazilian zouk, or wanting to learn this beautiful partner dance that can be danced to almost any music, here's your chance to dive in with us! This six-week series covers the fundamentals of Brazilian zouk connection and movement. You don't need a [...]
Friday, December 7th, 6 – 9p This Friday is gonna have hype stacked on hype. In addition to the Living Arts Collective's weekly dance wave, I,Star and Silvermoon Chocolate will be putting on a second dance wave set and offering up really good chocolates to fuel the hype. Starting at 6 PM, XYLEM and Inner Space Journeys, LLC will lead a Sound Journey meditation [...]
Saturday, December 15th, 9 – 10a *movement studio* Come get a free sneak peak of our new program, Body Back, launching in January! -Dec 15th 9am at Living Arts Collective Body Back Transformation is an 8-week results-based journey. You will focus on your mind and body, improving your overall health and well being. The experience [...]
Friday, December 7th, 9 – 11pm Asheville musicians and chocolate alchemists, Aradhana Silvermoon and Truth-i Manifest are bringing the sounds and sensations of I,Star music and Silvermoon Chocolate to the Living Arts Collective on Friday, Dec. 7th following the 7pm Dance Wave!! I,Star: From the heart of Appalachia, I,Star rises… Encompassing a core fusion of husband-wife duo, MC/poet Truth-I Manifest’s potent lyrical flow, and singer/songwriter [...]
Sundays, January 20 — February 24, 6:30 — 8pm Capoeira angola is an Afro-Brazilian art form that blends martial arts, dance, music, and ritual. All are welcome to join a six-week series of capoeira classes especially for beginners: SUNDAYS JAN 20 - FEB 24 6:30-8:00 PM Living Arts Collective (downstairs studio) $5-$15 Please wear comfortable [...]
Monday, December 31st, 10p – 1a Join us for an evening of connection and celebration as we close out 2018 and welcome 2019 with a dance party. More details to follow!
Saturday, December 8th, 3 – 5pm Buy My Art And Call It Holy is a challenge to reimagine what we call art and and we consider holy. Over 10 days and 5 locations, we will co-create spaces to vision, grieve, practice gratitude and revel in our senses. Over the course of the 10 days, I [...]
Mondays, 1 – 2pm Sunday, November 25th and December 3rd, 1:30 – 2:30pm Transform your inner landscape through visualization meditation. Connect with your body & luminous being. Slow down time, transform your emotions, clear your mind, create movement in your energy body and discover the root of your heart beat. Each class is a new [...]
Sunday, December 9th, 5 – 7pm Experience the art of meditation inside an art installation. On December 9th from 5 to 7pm at the Living Arts Collective, Conscious Breathing, Xylem and Interspace Journeys will host a musically guided group meditation inside an art installation that is inspired by meditative practices.
