Sarasota Earthdance 2007 – September 15th – 4pm – 2am

For immediate release: Fourth Annual Sarasota EarthDance
(Word Document attached below)

When: Saturday, September 15, 2007. Gates open at 4 p.m. Event ends at 2 a.m.
Where: 1611 Northgate Blvd, Sarasota, FL 34234
What: Sarasota Earthdance, a celebration promoting and organizing stewardship of the earth, and a benefit supporting arts and community radio in Sarasota.

Tickets: $20 General Admission, $10 Students until 9pm – under 13 free.
No Alcohol sold – BYOB with corkage – You get to contribute to the cause for every drink you bring. $1/bottle beer $5/bottle wine, $15/liquor.
Purpose: 1) Organize and promote stewardship of the earth, share our knowledge and resources to facilitate that, and demonstrate powerful popular support for environmental action and values.
Sponsors: Brought to you by a large and diverse group of talented and concerned citizens.

Speakers and Musicians (tentative):
Mary Anne Bowie FACIP– green economy, Jono Miller and Meg Loman – environmental awareness, Food not Bombs – New College music out of NYC, Jenna Norwood – Supercharge Me; raw foods, Tom Carabasi and his jazz ensemble, Erica Reynolds and her vocal Ensemble, Faerie Elaine Silver, Ed Freeman – environmentally sensitive lands update, Cherie DiNoia - socially responsible investing, Spontaneous Habit, Didgrevolution, Hip Expressions Belly Dancers, South Florida Belly Dancers, DJs Shambala, Andy Hughes, Rob Life, Kogi, SugarPill, Russ Deep, Rabbit, Dima, Laslo, Simplistic, Joe Bond, EOR, AND LOTS OF SPECIAL GUESTS TBA ;)
More Info: Local – www.srqearthdance.com ; Global – www.earthdance.org

Featuring: Live Video feeds, Sarasota’s finest lighting, great sound, a wonderful ambience… and great food will be available.
Proceeds Benefit: WSLR 96.5 FM, Sarasota’s community radio station: http://www.wslr.org
BackLot Arts, Sarasota’s community arts network:http://backlotarts.org
Event Contacts: info@srqearthdance.com - Matthew Reynolds 941.323.5122
Highlights: On the weekend of September 15, 2007, at 7pm Eastern time, nearly half a million world citizens in over 60 countries will join together for the world’s largest synchronized music and dance festival for peace and to support humanitarian causes through the global language of music and dance. Dubbed “The Dance Aid for the New Millennium” (The Evening Standard, London).

I received this yesterday, from a source at Booker - very nicely written, I'm sure you will enjoy it.  

By Andrew Glasgow, Booker Tornado Tribune - September 2006

Do you envision peace with others, peace with yourself, or even World peace?

According to Webster, peace is all about harmonious relations, security, serenity, and a state of tranquility. Today, that translates to the message of Earthdance.

This past September, the cry for peace, love, and harmony rang out across the Bay of Sarasota. Imagine yourself back in the 1960s on a pseudo hippie commune, but with access to money and business vendors set up around the camp. Picture massage stations, organic vegetarian food vendors, exotic musical instrument dealers, and clothing tents set up with all of the gauzy and flowy outfits your heart desires. Lastly, what would hippies be without music? Now, listen for the sounds of digeridoos (a native Australian instrument), drums, and guitars. There is constant music and laughter from all around the camp. Blend all of this and stick it on the beautiful property of The Crosley Mansion, we would get a little something called…. Earthdance.

Earthdance is an event held at an international level and was celebrated throughout 50 countries and held in 222 cities. It is a peace demonstration highlighting a peace circle. Participants gather around and assemble in a large circle to pray for global peace.

On September 16, the peace loving people of Sarasota gathered together to celebrate the daylong event. Booker High School was the center of attention for Sarasota’s Earthdance. It was a beneficiary of the profits made at Earthdance, along with Sarasota’s community radio, WSLR. Volunteers from the VPA theater department were on staff to help out by setting up and running booths. Additionally, the VPA dance troop danced for hundreds of the Earthdance spectators.

This is the third year for Sarasota to host Earthdance. It returned to the site of the Crosley Mansion, where it originally was preformed prior to its move for one only one year to City Island. Each year has seen a steady climb in attendance, now reaching almost 2,000 attendees. The Crosley Mansion seems to be the perfect place for this type of event. It sits right on Sarasota Bay; there is beautiful scenery, including years old Banyan trees; and a gorgeous, roomy house, welcoming its guests. The Crosley estate has enough grounds for numerous vendors to pitch their tents and lure their potential customers with interesting displays.

All vendors supported the theme of Earthdance with their “all natural” way of living. Carnivores beware; the food is all vegetarian. Earthdance does not support or condone any animal cruelty. There were natural medicine vendors, and massage tables for those who wanted to loosen up. Clothing tents were set up along with a couple of music stations to explore the “inner musician”.

Earthdance’s quest is to gather communities for a better cause and with a focus on the creative arts. Some local performers who supported and entertained at Earthdance included: The Alex Skolnik Trio, Amy Steinberg, Drum Studio All Stars, Voces Libres, and Booker High’s own, The Cherryhill Project. Other eclectic entertainers who pleased the crowds were Hip Expressions (a local belly-dancing group with a fiery gypsy flair), and Didgrevolution, which consisted of digerdoo players.

Later, as dusk settled over the Crosley Mansion, DJ’s spun the night into a dance party. All ages and peoples danced together through the night until it ended early the next morning at 2:00 A.M.

Earthdance is a perfect example of how cultures can come together and are accepted through open mindedness, education, and celebration. It demonstrates how groups of people, no matter where they are from, what they do, or what language they speak, have the same goals for peace and unity among all.

Joining over 340 locations in 57 countries - Earthdance Sarasota once again excelled in all areas of the occasion from pre-planning, an amazing event to great follow-through. Way to go guys!! In Peace, Abigail Lewis Earthdance International Coordinator

No, this has nothing to do with jonathan swift...Over the last couple of days, i've been formulating a little vision for next years earthdance, so before it gets stale, here it is:

• No vendor fees - vendors/artists/performers, no charge. we will choose the best vendors etc, to come. 
• everything is free on the grounds - earthdance sponsors will subsidize food, art materials, performers expenses. all vendors will donate their time. 
• there will be water art by creative aquascapes, portrait photography, food, beverages, circus performers, dancers, education, kids stuff, musical instrument making, etc etc etc.
• there will be a small "for sale" section with a handful of vendors selling things like didges, etc. (large ticket)
• circus at the door.
• magic show 
• art installations
• set up day before and hire someone to do takedown. (that's going to go over really well with everyone who set up in the hot hot sun and was still there 18 hours later packing up) you know who you are ;) - and i love you... 
• *everybody* (even staff) buys a $20 ticket  + 20k sponsors + 3000 attendance
• turn the whole event inside out - we are going to PAY vendors and artists and sculptors expenses.
• give me some more ideas... 

 

Earthdance is now a few days behind us, and I think we have all caught up on our rest. Nothing like a couple of 20 hour days to keep you in shape. An incredible crew turned out to do the job. My best guess on attendance (from the number of wristbands consumed) is 1900 people onsite throughout the day. That's a wonderful turnout! Our first srq earthdance was attended by 650, the second by 1250. I heard many heartfelt thanks from people on the way out; it's heartwarming to hear people say "I haven't been to an event like this since I was in europe/san francisco/goa", or alternatively "I never knew things like this existed!" We put on a truly world class show. You should all be proud. It was a beautiful day of peace, love, compassion, and wonder.

This year our expenses were approximately $16,500. Fortunately, we brought in $20,000. That means we will be distributing approximately $3,500 (we still have a couple of bills to pay) to our beneficiaries: WSLR, the Booker High School VPA program, Earthdance International, and Sarasota Earthdance 2007. We will post a more detailed account as soon as we have an accountant check our figures.

We can distribute an additional $900 if two missing items get returned: one, a brand new Beyer cordless microphone worth $800, which disappeared from the main stage area, and a set of bongos which went missing from the banyan stage. There is a $100 reward for the return of the microphone.

We beg all of you talented photographers and videographers to send in your pix and video. you can mail disks to 4201 Bay Shore Road, SRQ, FL 34234, or send via email to media@srqearthdance.com. The entire main stage line up was recorded, and we will be compiling edits from that online, as well as putting them onto cd.

Again, thank you to all the amazing performers, volunteers, sponsors, vendors, dancers, drummers, and attendees who made it all happen.

Check out this venue ;)