Seeking Ensemble Members
Ever wanted to join a
community body-mind-spirit-health story-dance-band?
Description
Waking the Oracle is a community-healing project that weaves music, storytelling, and dance to foster mental health awareness, community wellbeing, and social justice. Through immersive and participatory art experiences, we create spaces that nurture connection and vulnerability while cultivating planetary health and collective healing. We are currently building our creative team and ensemble.
We Are Looking For…
Ensemble Members - all abilities and ages encouraged to apply
General Qualifications
good communication and collaboration skills
instrumentalists & multi-instrumentalists are encouraged to apply
able to rehearse consistently (2-3x a month)and do public performances
able to do public presentations
comfortable storytelling/singing & drumming /moving with others (all abilities encouraged)
able and like to work with pluralistic groups of all kinds
has collaboration and facilitation capacities ( extensive experience is not necessary)
comfortable leaning into challenging topics
interested in learning and growth
are self-aware and highly reliable
Schedule
Tuesday evenings + some weekend times (day-evening) as needed/are available.
Compensation
$200 a month, 2-3 rehearsals per month, prep work
How To Audition
To audition to be a Waking The Oracle Ensemble Member, please email the following to arrio008@umn.edu:
Two paragraphs about you, why you are interested in this project. This is a rolling audition starting February 10th and we will contact you as we go
a photo of yourself
a description about relevant experiences
two recordings:
a short recording (no more than 2 min) of you telling a short story about something that matters to you
a short recording (no more than 2 min) of you singing or playing something
Questions? Feel free to email:
Maria Arriola, Waking the Oracle Coordinator
About Waking The Oracle: https://csh.umn.edu/for-
Waking The Oracle is a project of The Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing at The University of Minnesota
MORE NOTES
ABOUT WAKING THE ORACLE
What is Waking the Oracle?
Creative immersive experiences that activate intergenerational community wisdom
sharing, healing & wellbeing through music and dance, storytelling participatory arts
and community dialogue. Waking The Oracle events foster meaningful connection to
self, community and the planet as we build our capacities to learn and heal together in
these challenging times and create our positive futures together.
Who are The Oracles?
Oracles guide us and help us find visions and inner truths. Oracles might include trees,
magical beings, ancestors, even those who challenge us. They are all around us and within us. When we gather together and listen with our hearts we can hear them showing us the way. In challenging times Oracles help us grow and ultimately teach us how to move from despair and disconnection to wise action, repair, restoration, and communities of care.
History of Waking The Oracle
Based upon 30 years experience working at the crossroads of music, community healing, health, community organizing, science, and spirituality, Waking the Oracle was first raised in 8 weeks while director/founder Molly Sturges was a visiting professor at GWU in arts and community engagement. A few years later WTO found a home with the amazing team at The University of Minnesota with The Center for Spirituality and Healing. The core WTO ensemble started to build in January 2024. Upcoming 2024 public events include WTO pop-up events (also happened in 2023) and public activations with community partners in April 2024.
WAKING THE ORACLE ACTIVITIES
Waking The Oracle Creative Activations
Through music, story, dance, community dialogue and surprise, Waking The Oracle creative activations are created in partnership with organizations, groups and communities to open up spaces for reflection, dialogue, and creative expression. Adapting uniquely to each setting and environment, the creative activations open up spaces that cultivate our capacities to lean into challenging topics and experiences while cultivating warmth of heart, deep listening and lifting of our spirits.
Community Listening, Dialogue and Wisdom Circles
Led by Waking The Oracle facilitators, circles can be done in partnership with any group and focus on any topic. Designed to create spaces of meaningful exchange, WTO circles foster compassion, dialogue, empathetic listening, as we develop our capacities to connect across divisions and lean into our innate wisdom and healing capacities.
Waking The Oracle Creative Care Immersive Pop-Up Events
Immersive experiences blending music, poetry, storytelling with science informed mindfulness practices for restoration and wellbeing. The pop-up events offer spaces to restore, reflect and connect with others as desired through community circles and sharing of food. WTO Pop-Up events are light on their feet and able to be realized in many settings.
Community Healing & Wellbeing Guide Training
This Community Well-Being Guide training supports participants with foundational and adaptable practices for facilitating group spaces that foster compassion-centered whole person health, community connection and planetary health. Integrating contemplative and participatory creative practices, social justice and ways of nature practices, this accessible training is relevant both for people already working with groups and communities and those who wish to in the future. Developed over years collaborating with people in trauma infused settings practitioners will come away with potent tools and guide maps that serve as templates made to be customized to each person and community. The training was created to be adapted to a variety of
timescales and settings.
A project of The Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality and Healing