My friend listened to DJ De Lady for many hours while she worked on her paintings for the UCF masters program. DJ DeLady is a South American musician whose music is mesmerizing, and ecstatic. People were encouraged to dance barefoot.
I arrived at the Longwood Yoga Shala (1455 North Ronald Regan Boulevard Longwood Florida) rather early so I could sketch the scene and add people as they arrived to my sketch. Conscious Dance Orlando presented the event. I started by sketching the fire pit being set up.
My hope was to sketch the Cacao Ceremony. The Cacao ceremony dates back to the Mayan civilization. Cacao drinks have been used for emotional and spiritual healing for thousands of years. Camilla Condour hand mixed the drink herself. It was warm, rich and thick. Everyone sat in a large circle by a gorgeous lake and the cups were passed around until everyone had one. We raised the cups to the heavens and then to our hearts so heartbeats mixed with the drink, then we lowered out cups to the earth to honor its powerful life force. The ceremony encouraged gratitude, intention, and reciprocity. The drink helps people reach a receptive meditative state, and it can support creative output for hours.
When the ceremony was over, I threw paint at the page in an ecstatic rush. I felt liberated, no longer concerned about how pristine things might appear as I sketched. Dancing had already started on a large wooden stage and in the grass. My friend with her eyes closed was smiling broadly as she spun and danced in the grass. I looked up at the huge bamboo and trees that reached for the sky as the sun set, and then closed my eyes and let the beat drive my every movement. On the wooden dance floor I could feel the beat of all the stomping feet. I was surrounded by pure joy. I lost myself for several hours in glorious dance.
As I danced I watched DJ DeLady as she mixed her beats. She had a turntable which she used to set the beat and then she might play wooden flute of drums on top of the driving and mystical sounds she was generating. It is hard to describe her music, you have to feel it vibrating in your bones and soul as you move to fully understand it.
At the end of the evening everyone stood in a large circle on the stage and held hands. All thumbs were supposed to face in a clockwise direction so the energy could flow in a linear direction through us all. After a ceremonial invocation we all pressed towards the center of the circle for a huge group hug. Everyone let out a guttural humm and then shouted wild turkey calls. The warmth and vibration was overwhelming. I got choked up feeling so much communal love. We were all encouraged to look at our neighbors and smile to recognize the life force we all shared. I glanced over at and my friend who wiping away a few tears of joy. For her, this was a celebration of her completing her masters program. I can’t imagine a more perfect way to celebrate.