Dance Festival at the Churchtown Dairy, Hudson, NY

Taiji Dao Dance, Calligraphy & Sound Celebrating the Five Elements of Dao through the Art of Dance, Calligraphy & Sound. A solo performance by Lorelei Chang accompanied with live music by Joseph Getter and narration by Nini Melvin This performance opens a three-part dance series, After the Dance, curated by Richard Colton and inspired by the architecture and principles of Churchtown's biodynamic farm and herbal gardening sites, and is produced by Churchtown Dairy. Date: Saturday September 6th Time: 3:00PM to 4:00PM Location: Churchtown Dairy, 357 Country Road 12, Hudson, NY 12534 Suggested donation at the door: $20 There will be a Special Offer for “Friends of Lorelei”: A private calligraphy workshop with Lorelei Chang, in addition a calligraphy gift for each participant/friend of Lorelei Taiji Dao Dance, Calligraphy and Sound Performed by Lorelei Chang Music and sound bath by Joseph Getter Narrated by Nini Melvin Taiji Dao Dance & Calligraphy & Sound expresses the ancient Chinese philosophy of Dao and Wu Xing, the five elements. Chinese people believe that the Dao is the absolute principle of life, it rules the universe. In the Dao De Jing, Lao Zi mentioned: “Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, three gives birth to a thousand things.” We are one of those thousands who interconnects with nature and all beings. Five Elements are associated with all things. Each element is corresponding to a season, climate, emotion, sound, smell, archetype, inner organ and more. How each element flows to the next as life begins from birth to death. It is constantly changing, growing, evolving, and transforming. Water gives birth to wood, is associated with the winter season, and has the character of flow and adaptability. Wood produces fire, is associated with Spring, growth and expansion. Fire burns to ashes, returns to earth, is associated with summer, transformation and passion. Earth is associated with late summer, stability and nourishment. Within the earth, we find crystals and minerals….the metal element. Metal element is associated with the Autumn season, and quality of refinement and strength. Metal transforms to liquid form when it is burned, and returns to our formless form as we return to our spirit. There, we begin our re-birth cycles. The concept of the performance ties to these ideas, integrating the art of movement, Chinese calligraphy and sound. It promises to be a mesmerizing experience for our audience. Please join us for this inventive and insightful concert at the beautiful Churchtown Dairy in Hudson, New York. Artists Bios for The Taiji Dao Dance, Calligraphy & Sound Lorelei Chang-Please see about page: https://www.dancenlight.org/company/ Joseph Getter is a creative world musician who composes and performs for dance, theater, kirtan, yoga, soundscapes, free improvisation and much more. He sings and plays hand drums, piano, guitar, bass guitar, clarinet, saxophones, harmonium, the bamboo flute of South India, and gamelan music of Java, Indonesia. Joseph is also a scholar and educator, teaching gamelan, woodwinds, percussion, piano, ethnomusicology, and world music, and serves as the director of the Youth Gamelan at Wesleyan University. He lived in India for two years and has degrees in religion from Oberlin College and in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan University. Nini Melvin created a nature-based healing art, HUMANATURE, blending Shiatsu, Chinese Medicine, Dance, Qigong and five element meridian movement. Her book, HUMANATURE - Elemental Pathways to Personal and Planetary Healing, and Five Element Divination Deck and Charts, blend the Chinese and Japanese theories and practices. She teaches online and in person.   Nini has a Master’s Degree in Dance from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. She studied and taught shiatsu at the Ohashi Institute in NYC from 1981-1994. Since 1985, Nini has trained shiatsu and Qigong teachers and practitioners locally and internationally. Her studio, Meridians -Pathways to The Heart, is in Northampton, Massachusetts. Nini and Lorelei have been collaborating and co-creating for almost a decade! Photo by Jeff Holcombe