The Esalen International Arts Festival is a five-day celebration of the infinite creative spirit within us. The Esalen grounds will be pulsating with irresistible rhythms and sounds, acts of truth and imagination, invocations of joy and beauty, woven into a vibrant tapestry of art, culture, and spirit.

The aim of the festival is to ignite the imagination and awaken us to new possibilities within ourselves and the world. Gathering an extraordinary group of artists, musicians, performers, teachers, and people from all cultures, ages, and walks of life, we will celebrate our creativity as an essential and vital force to lift our spirits and facilitate personal and global transformation.

This year’s theme is The Arrow of Intention. The theme explores how we gather and focus our intentions to manifest our soul’s highest vision and dreams. The arrow represents the central point of the festival itself, which is to passionately celebrate, honor and affirm the magic, beauty and mystery of life.

At the peak of the festival we will gather as a community in a moment of sacred intention, to give thanks and to bless the arrow. We will draw the bow and release the arrow as a symbolic offering to the Ocean, a link to all people, places and emerging possibilities.

We are the bow from which our dreams are the living arrow sent forward.

During the day, participants will be in one of six designated workshops below. In the evening, attendees will come together for special events and presentations featuring a brilliant array of guest artists and performers. Afternoon classes and group art projects will be open to everyone as well.

Related Event: Song Circus: Arts & Gazebo Benefit Event, July 7th, 7:30pm

Afro-Cuban Drum and Dance
John Santos & José Francisco Barroso

This workshop will be a week of high-energy unification with the traditions and ancient concepts of Afro-Cuban percussion and choreography taught by two outstanding educators/performers from the San Francisco Bay Area. It will focus on two major rhythmic traditions and their respective historical context: the ceremonial, ancestor-invoking Bembé rhythm, and the infectious, Carnavalesque Conga de Comparsa. Tumbadoras (conga drums), bombos (bass drums), campanas (cowbells), chékeres, and redoblantes (snare drums) will be used. Through singing, movement, and relentless rhythm, the group will re-create an air of respect and joy in the timeless styles of these powerful forms of cultural expression.

Please bring any of the musical instruments listed above. If you do not have any, extra instruments will be provided.

Soul Voice Song
David Worm & Sunshine Becker

SoVoSo is a highly imaginative a cappella ensemble that sings a unique, rhythmic mix of jazz, gospel, world, and R&B music, all rendered in their trademark improvisational style. This interactive workshop explores the exciting world of a cappella singing, including improvisational singing, instrument simulation, and vocal percussion. The workshop will go from learning the basic elements of vocal improvisatory sound to singing in front of a full a cappella rhythm section; from creating the beginning sounds of a complete drum kit vocally to being part of a rhythm section as a competent vocal percussionist. The group will also create its own arrangement of an a cappella song. Experience the voice and all its possibilities. This class is fun.

African Canvas: The Enchanted Soul of African Art
Babatunde Olujimi Gureje & Abbey Onikoyi

Africa, as impression, as idea, lies deep in the labyrinth of human imagination. Often its shape is beyond the will of words and its silhouette below the strata of conscious recovery. —Maya Angelou

Join master artists Babatunde Olujimi Gureje and Abbey Onikoyi on a magical journey into the arts and culture of Africa. Abbey and Gureje will present a dynamic, hands-on cultural immersion that interweaves painting, textile arts, storytelling, and music to uplift your spirit.

In the mornings participants will be painting and in the afternoons learning the step-by-step process of African textile arts. Using a variety of methods each student will create unique and beautiful paintings, tapestries, and cloths. In addition, there will be the opportunity to create and design a group piece. Gureje and Abbey will share their lifelong knowledge of African art and its cultural significance as it pertains to symbols, motifs, and color, and its relationship to the spiritual beliefs and ritual celebrations of the Yoruba culture.

At the end of the week Gureje will present a fashion show featuring his contemporary fashion designs with live music and models, and Abbey will be exhibiting his Spirits of Africa, paintings of African music and dance celebrations.

From the Lips of Truth: Performing from Your Heart and Soul
Bob Wisdom

A truthful performance. We know it when we witness it and we are moved. But how is it done? In this workshop with critically acclaimed, multifaceted performer Bob Wisdom, participants will explore the journey between impulse and action—how everything a performer does is a response to a real or imaginary experience.

“There are no tricks or systems, no methods or techniques to performing truthfully,” Bob Wisdom writes, “but through observation of what we know, and then binding mind and body, we can remove the personal blocks we each have in expressing creative acts. Utilizing physical and mental exercises—movement, sound, theater, and inquiry—we will explore the search for the truth in ourselves, and distill the complexities of our individual stories into a collective, an ensemble. To reveal something significant, personal, and profound, we must find the willingness to reach through whatever impedes true expression. In this way, the artist makes a total gift of himself.”

Participants are asked to bring ten personal objects and a mask. Please dress in loose-fitting clothes and dance shoes if needed.

Jump for Joy! A Circus Workshop
Tandy Beal

Who hasn't dreamed of running away to join the circus? This is an experience for people of any age at all, parents and children (age 5 and up) alike, adults on their own—heck, bring the whole family. Participants will create their own circus troupe and perform for others at the festival: circus, imagination, and movement—as well as joy, fun, and discovery!

Each day participants will learn skills from the circus (juggling, stilt-walking, basic acrobatics, balancing, and more) as well as creativity, rhythm, and movement exercises. Whether you came in with no skills or some skills, you will definitely leave with new tricks up your sleeve.

Veteran director Tandy Beal (Pickle Family Circus, Moscow Circus) will bring together an array of talented artists from her many circus escapades to assist the teaching, all of whom are equally skilled in teaching children and adults.

Please note: Children under 13 must be accompanied by an adult.

A Filmmaking Journey into Nature
Andy Abrahams Wilson

What is nature's story? What are the emotions and narratives the natural world inspires in you? This workshop is an opportunity to use the camera's eye to express both nature's voice and your own vision—a visual and sensorial adventure to discover the sights, sounds, and secrets of the abundant natural world around Esalen.

The moving-image camera enables us to view the world differently—to focus intently, find detail, alter perspective, notice tension between parts, move with the dynamic energy between things. It is a way to encourage being present and in relationship with our environment—sparking connections and insights, and creating unique art.

This inward and outward journey will explore basics of camera and sound, esthetics and storytelling, and concepts of editing. It will offer insights into the value of shifting perspective, the balance between light and shadow, and the tension between observation and immersion. The workshop will explore how the camera can deepen or heighten your experience as well as communicate it. By the end of this workshop, you will have had the opportunity to put music, natural sounds, poetry, or narration to your favorite footage and take home a keepsake DVD.

The workshop is open to people with all levels of video experience. Bring your own mini-DV camcorder if you have one. Otherwise, cameras are provided. Enrollment is limited.

Sunday evening, July 2

Kicking off our week are special performances and presentations with workshop leaders and guest artists.

Monday evening, July 3

Rha Goddess will perform her one-woman, multimedia theater piece, Low’s Journey: Diary of a Psychotic Rapper—Meditations with the Goddess, Part I. Combining vibrant images, linguistic brilliance, hip hop rhythms, and unflappable honesty, the work of artist and social activist Rha Goddess is legendary. This piece explores the mythology, stigma, fear, and confusion surrounding mental illness. Meditations is a personal revolution, a journey to be well, exploring issues of identity, power, and class. The performance will be followed by a community dialogue.

Tuesday evening, July 4

Divination Tree: a magical evening performance under the stars, interweaving storytelling, community singing, dance, poetry, and drumming, with Jayson Fann, Chief Sonne Reyna, Bob Wisdom, David Worm, Abbey Onikoyi, Shalama Yachove, and Persay Bryant.

Wednesday evening, July 5

The Eyes of Babylon, written and performed by Jeff Key. On March 31, 2004, Lance Corporal Jeff Key, a United States Marine, went on CNN’s Paula Zahn Now to say to five million people what he at one time would not have said to another living soul. The Eyes of Babylon is the story of Key’s personal struggle to reconcile being part of a war he knows to be illegal and immoral and a profound commitment to the reasons he became a Marine. We follow Jeff from the morning of September 11th, 2001, through his time in Iraq, and on to his return to America to begin the life of political activism and philanthropy. This performance is a personal look inside the conscience of a man faced with near-impossible decisions.

Moments In Time: An Exhibition in Tribute to the Life and Love that is New Orleans

An exhibit of New Orleans art, music, and spoken word, featuring limited-edition original photographs from New Orleans’ La Belle Gallerie. “We need powerful and affirming visual art at this time,” says gallery curator Bernadette Gildspinel, “because whatever we do, we want to remind people to do it with heart and soul. That's the New Orleans way. Most of this art will relate to the music and architecture—and in many cases the people—of New Orleans. It is now time to export the beauty which is New Orleans.”

The Sand Mandala of Universal Compassion

A Tibetan sand mandala presented by the Himalayan Cultural Tour. Through this exquisite art form of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism, the monks of Ganden Monastery will create a blueprint for the abode of Awakening. Made in conjunction with ancient ritual and meditation, the mandala finally becomes a basis for the invocation and presence of Awakened Compassion. In the concluding ceremony, to illustrate impermanence, the mandala is swept up and the grains of sand bearing the imprint of the mandala are taken to the ocean and distributed to participants to spread the energy of compassion throughout the world.