The Last Dance

THE LAST DANCE

DJ
manarva

a dance ritual

come as you are, move as you feel

the music will move us through landscapes of darkness and light, intensity and release  (hear previous mixes)

cacao available pre-dance

SCHEDULE

18:45: doors open:  cacao, warmup on the dance floor

19:00: dance journey begins

20:40: closing circle

CONTRIBUTIONS

please choose the amount that feels good to you

paying on the door is welcome

if the lowest contribution is beyond your capacity please get in touch, if you want to come we will make it work!

we very much appreciate your support in making these events happen

ECSTATIC DANCE

you are welcome to explore movement in whatever way feels good to you

the dance journey follows a wave-like flow 
starting soft and slow
peaking with dynamic intensity 
and calming back down for the end

ecstasy (from Ancient Greek ἔκστασις ékstasis) is a subjective experience of total involvement of the subject, with an object of his or her awareness

in classical Greek literature it meant the removal of the mind or body "from its normal place of function"

PREVIOUS MIXES - 

these dance journeys can be a different flavour to typical ecstatic dance

please listen before booking!

Manarva
mixcloud 3 (journeys 21+)
mixcloud 2 (journeys 11-20)
mixcloud 1 (journeys 1-10)
 

VENUE

AVANTI PARK SCHOOL HALL

Frome, BA11 1EU

we will burn some frankincense in the space

some photos/videos may be taken of the DJ during the dance

refunds: refunds can be made up until the event sells out, in which case tickets can be directly sold to other people if you can't make it

Please note that due to Avanti School regulations, food items containing meat, fish, egg, onion, garlic, mushroom, or nuts are strictly prohibited on school premises.

STAY IN TOUCH
 
The Last Dance Events WhatsApp: https://chat.whatsapp.com/BymOyPojY3kGiVSvD94Z0G

frome dance WhatsApp (various frome dances in one place): https://chat.whatsapp.com/Jzpd9FWUwMhCTmb4yhXfxF

email list (occasional announcements): https://mailchi.mp/7f84e185aa97/manarva

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manarvamusic/

DJ: Manarva

I have been a musician my whole life and see the infusing of sound into a space as an alchemical practice.

Since I was a child I have spent an inordinary amount of time making mixtapes and sound journeys.

Most of my life has been dedicated to music, whether producing as a singer-songwriter, playing live music for Contact Improv and Ecstatic Dance, or travelling and busking around the UK with a guitar on my back.

That latter journey eventually landed me in Brighton in the late 00's where I discovered dance while living in a building with an empty swimming pool as my own personal dancehall. This new practice unlocked a whole path of liberation in and through my body. I then discovered 5 Rhythms Dance which I became dedicated to as a  practice around Sussex, London and the South-West.

Through hundreds of hours dancing at weekly events and weekend workshops I developed more and more of an intuitive connection to the nature of the 5 rhythms and refined my sense of what creates a sound journey in flow. 

While living in Bristol  years later I became  immersed in the practice of Contact Improvisation and began  playing improvised music for jams. This further informed my attunement to how music creates and affects atmosphere in a roomful of dancers. Whereas live music is improvised note by note, in DJing each song is like a note itself, and I continue to be fascinated by the process of honing a live set toward the sequence of songs and silence that will be the perfect recipe to what a space and its dancers need to be held by at any given time. 

The seasonal time of year  influences what I am drawn to play. Whatever tones or themes are in the air, the events that are impacting our culture also influence the music I choose. I am drawn often to music that is deep and meticulous in its nature. I advocate for having a wild bop and letting it all hang loose, and also encourage the possibility of immersing yourself deeply in the sonic landscape being offered through deep listening to both the body and the music itself. I see music as an alchemical spell, and deep things can happen when we bring our full awareness and attention to the nuance and detail in the music being played.

I am drawn to a wide variety of music. I tend toward deep bass and grit more than your average Ecstatic Dance. I love the idea of transferring the wild abandon of dance into a space that is infused with a deep conscious intention and cup of hot cocoa in place of the alcohol. I see every aspect of an event as something that can tune us into deeper aspects of ourselves that are ready to come out and play. Sometimes this is a deep prayerful meditation, sometimes a strange and unkempt being that rises up from the swamp. All are welcome. Together we create a space to welcome and explore whatever parts of us are ready to come out and play, and be held by the music that is called in through the curator in service to the dancers in the space.

​

ψυχή + δῆλος

psukhḗ + dêlos

“mind, soul” + “manifest, visible”