Decade of Darshan by Darshan Dance Company

DECADE OF DARSHAN- A kick off party to celebrate this 10 year anniversary of this very special community of Darshan Dance Company!!

As well as a Rise and Vibes Music Festival Pre-Party!

At Lumonics Light and Sound Gallery

Saturday, March 9th

Ticket price: $25 advance, $30 at door
Limited Capacity very special, intimate event.

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7:30-doors - *1st Official Art Gallery Showing of Katie Bhairavi’s and Darshan Dance Company’s legendary headdress designs. 6 Headdresses will be available for purchase throughout the evening.

7:45-9 - opening ceremony with Rachael’s sound healing Kotamo with Darshan Dance Company leading into Malahakam.

9:15-10:15 - Magnetic Moon and Gold Dust Tribe

10:15- Darshan Dance Company performance featuring senior members Dominique Dekkers, Vivian Emily Villagrana, and Katie Bhairavi

10:30-12 - Miraja DJ set

12-12:15 - Lumonics Immersed

Darshan Dance Company performances throughout the evening.

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Info about the performers and musicians: Darshan Dance Company

A message from Katie Bhairavi Marshall, Director of Darshan Dance Company:Origin Story…First of all, I just want to thank EVERY PERSON WHO HAS BEEN TOUCHED BY DARSHAN DANCE COMPANY. Your support, exalting influence, and love has been the main source of inspiration for us throughout the years. We are here to serve the community and incredibly thankful for the support we have received through the years. It is unbelievably heartwarming.Darshan Dance Company began as a project to explore the gift of inspiration. For 15 to 20 years I have been studying Vedic knowledge, meditation and spiritual practices from India, as well as sacred theater techniques from Natyasastra and Odissi Temple Dance. My spiritual guides and Guru’s sent me down quite the journey when the glimpses of Darshan Dance Company began to undulate in my consciousness. “Dance and make the world happy. Give them the gift of dance. When “you “ dance it makes people around you happy and that’s what the world needs. Happiness. So just dance and make everyone happy.” A Guru Sankalpam given to me by the great Odissi Guru Sujata Mohapatra.When beginning the journey of Darshan Dance Company, my dearest sister Saraphina Mesmer, the other founding member of Darshan Dance Company, and I had just completed meditation initiation and processes called Maheshwari Darshan. Maheshwari Darshan was a meditation technique taught to us by our Guru Sri Kaleshwar. We began Darshan Dance Company with the intention of giving Darshan to the community through sacred performance rituals inspired from our personal experiences of Darshan of the Goddess. The word Darshan is a Sanskrit word meaning Divine Vision. It means to see the Divine with your own eyes and to be changed from the experience. Maheshwari is the Goddess, Shakti, Parvati, Adi Shakti- the first or original source of creation in Feminine form. A mechanism of enlightenment and awakening consciousness.My meditation Guru Sri Sai Kaleshwar Swami used to joke before he left his body, and took Maha Samadhi, that one day he would retire from “Spirituality” and become a Bollywood Director! His students never quite understood what he was talking about, but now years later I believe Darshan Dance Company became some sort of tool for the performance of “Darshan” and thus became one of the mechanisms that Swami was “seeing” in his visions of the future of his Sai Family Community… His Guru Shirdi Sai Baba is the main source of spiritual guidance for Darshan Dance Company. It is through Baba’s blessing that I feel any success of Darshan Dance Company’s mission has been fulfilled. Baba drives my every move and Baba guides our successes and failures. It is through his blessing of intention of “Give the world Darshan!! Help them to see their highest Divine capabilities to inspire them to be healed, driven to continue on their soul’s journey, and make the world a better place through the offering of sacred performance.” So… That’s what we do. It is Baba’s blessing.
“Make it Modern, make it unique, tell the stories, show them beauty. Heal the planet.” Hearing Baba’s voice in my head, this becomes the guidance for DDC.So, dear divine souls… Thank you for seeing us. Thank you for being inspired. Thank you for healing. It is our mission. Here’s to another 10 years and more to come! Thank you to the Divine beings who inspired us.Happy DECADE!! Let’s DANCE!!Darshan Dance Company is a Fusion based dance company based out of Denver, which explores philosophy, techniques, and movement styles inspired from Indian traditions of sacred theatre and Fusion Belly Dance. Katie Bhairavi Marshall is blessed to have a background of 40+ years of professional dance and artistic experience, training, and education which include Ballet, Modern Dance, Jazz, Contemporary, choreography study, improvisation training in several disciplines, sacred theatre, Odissi, Natyasastra, Vedic meditation training, healing modalities, West African Dance, African American Modern Dance techniques, hip hop, pop and lock, performance art, music production, music projects, Raga music study, Odissi Music study, bhajans, drum circles, World Dance Historical Specialization, and musical improvisation exploration. In addition to these disciplines/activities Katie Bhairavi has also thought of herself as an artist and studied visual art… She is a painter, sculptor , and costume designer. Her costume design and creation really blossomed with Darshan Dance Companies need to create something unique to the vision of the choreography produced. Katie is self taught costume designer and teaches the community how to build their costumes. Each member helps brainstorm ideas and builds their own costumes. After years of building legendary costume designs together Darshan Dance Company has developed many incredible designs collectively throughout our tenure.Darshan Dance Company has performed with music industry events and music professionals, and Belly Dance Events. We have performed at places such as Red Rocks, The Fillmore Denver, The Ogden, Sonic Bloom Music Festival, Arise Music Festival, Unify Music Festival, Massive Spectacular Belly Dance Festival Las Vegas, Elevation Belly Dance Festival CO, Opulent Temple… To name a few. We have performed with music artists such as Shpongle, Desert Dwellers, Lunar Fire, David StarFire, Drum Spyder, HÄANA, Porengui, 5AM, Liquid Bloom, PheuZen, Bad Astronauts…It has been an incredible Journey!! Darshan Dance Company has had incredible opportunities! We have worked with so many talented musicians, dancers, producers, Event producers, festivals, designers, photographers, videographers, artists, Virtual Artists, sculptors, galleries… A rich mix of media!! As the old saying goes… “It takes a village!!” It certainly has taken a village to raise Darshan Dance Company. What a blessing and thrill. Thank you. Namaste!!

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1st EVER DARSHAN DANCE COMPANY HEADDRESS Art Showing - Featuring the beautifully hand crafted artwork of Katie Bhairavi Marshall’s legendary headdress designs and sentimental value of their performances.*1st official Art Gallery Showing and showcase of Darshan Dance Company headdresses by Director Katie Bhairavi Marshall…*Gemini Series - $300 a piece - there are 4 headdresses in this series… - Turquoise - Created as an exploration of female friendships, twinning, and twin flame connection.*First DMT CHEERLEADER HEADDRESS DESIGNS- 2 headdresses- $1000 for each… - Red - Worn by Katie Bhairavi Marshall and Ishani Ishaya during Shpongle set at Sonic Bloom 2018. The primer of DMT Cheerleaders Choreography.*Alfa and Omega Psychedelic Peacock- First Shpongle Headdress - $5000. This headdress was the first headdress I made for my first Shpongle performance on Simon Posford’s birthday at the Fillmore Auditorium in 2017. It holds the power of incredible intention. It has a very powerful story… It has been worn by Katie Bhairavi, Brianna Hennessey, Daize Elise, and most notably by Ishani Ishaya during Shpongle’s final full band appearance at Red Rocks in 2019. This headdress holds the magic of Shamanism and ritual performance. It features holy Maha Prasadam from Sri Krishna Temple in its crown as well. An extraordinary collection piece for the avid Shpongle/Darshan Dance Company patron. So it is my Alfa and Omega headdress

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Musical and performance features:

-MiRAJA-Weaving together psychedelic, dub-inspired, bass-heavy, tribal soundscapes, MIRAJA activates the portal that transcends the here and now. His electroshamanic fusion of ancient world rhythms are blended with glitchy downtempo, tribal house, dubstep, trap, and global bass.Whether he’s rocking an ecstatic dance, underground club or a festival stage, MIRAJA believes music and dance are the medicine humanity needs to honor and evolve to be better than those that came before us. The journey starts now…MIRAJA has been blessed to have opened for Tipper, Shpongle, Pretty Lights, Bassnectar, Beats Antique, Eskmo, Big Gigantic, Ott, Bonobo, Ooah, Random Rab, Marty Party and many more.

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-Magnetik Moon and Gold Dust Tribe
-Magnetik Moon is a dj/producer/choreographer/massage therapist. She is owner of Magnetik Moon Studios in Louisville CO. Embraced by the rave culture in 99’, she has continued to evolve with it from the dance floor to the stage. Magnetik’s music blends melodic chanty global bass with harmonizing synths and bouncy baselines. Her live shows deliver a full experience with special performances with Gold Dust Tribe. She cultivates a healing journey through sound, sacred movement and vision.

-Gold Dust Tribe is a fusion belly dance performance art troupe based out of Boulder Colorado, led by Magnetik Moon. Together they cultivate healing through sacred dance ritual. Invoking the elements and moving with intention, Gold Dust delivers a magickal journey full of enchantment and flair with choreography encompassing traditional belly dance, neo fusion, serpentine, american tribal style, hip hop, modern dance, fire and flow arts.

**Side note!! Darshan Dance Company and Gold Dust Tribe have long been sisterhood belly dance troupes lovin and supporting each other for years!! Huge thanks to Maggi, my dear friend in all things dance director and music industry related!! Your support and kindness has touched my heart throughout the years. Deep gratitude to you and your beautiful community!! I’m so thankful we are doing it together!!

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Malahakam--Rachael Fox Feather Dougherty- sound healer featuring the Kotamo.
Malahakam emerges as an influential DJ bringing deep and hypnotic psychedelic trance, psybass, and psychill to dance floors and gatherings across the world. She weaves a numinous sonic field of ethnic influences, deep tribal rhythms, ethereal melodies, mystical overtones and liberating frequencies - inviting us to heal and explore with curiosity the landscapes of our dreams through movement and dance. Her love for nature, ancient wisdom traditions, and feminine energy carries through into her curated sets to guide you through deep journeys of the archetypal stories we live as spiritual beings sharing a human experience. Known for her mastery of storytelling through music she cultivates sacred space with sonic vibrations and deep prayer, setting the stage for dancing our dreams into lucidity.Kotamo and Sound HealingRachael Fox Feather, CST-SBRachael Fox Feather is a Certified Sound Therapist with extensive training under the guidance of Rainer Michaelis, PhD of Heaven of Sound and other mentors in the healing arts across the world. In her clinical sound therapy practice, she harnesses the transformative power of healing frequencies through Himalayan singing bowls, kotamo, and various therapeutic instruments.With a diverse skill set, Rachael serves as a meditation facilitator, professional intuitive, musician, ceremonialist, and practitioner of Reiki and Resonant Energy Medicine. Drawing from over 14 years of intentional studies and over 1000 hours of education in alternative healing practices, she has undertaken apprenticeships in herbal medicine, astrology, shamanism, and the arts.

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Lumonics-Lumonics is among the first and longest-running light art projects in the US. Its award-winning immersive experience has been described as a "cross between a yoga retreat and an acid trip". This will conclude the event.

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Photography- Brandon Calhoun

Event Venue

Lumonics Light & Sound Gallery, 800 E. 73 Avenue, #11, Denver, United States