Well--hey--if anybody is still reading this, i am posting to give an update on what is going on here in philly with the opening and development of our training center/studio. i would love any feedback





The Name:
       We were taught in elementary school about the first English
settlement in the "new world"---what became  known as the "lost
colony." Many blamed this on attacks by the natives or a lack of
ability to survive in the new surroundings.  But the colonists had
supplies and provisions and had started to build a fort. A few years
later, Sir Walter Raleigh returns from England and finds it abandoned.
Not destroyed or everyone killed, just left behind.
       The first settlements in Roanoke failed; the colonists disappeared,
leaving behind them only the cryptic message "Gone To Croatan." Later
reports of "grey-eyed Indians" were dismissed as legend. What really
happened, the textbook implied, was that the Indians massacred the
defenseless settlers. However, "Croatan" was not some Eldorado; it was
the name of a neighboring tribe of friendly Indians. Apparently the
people simply moved back from the coast into the Great Dismal Swamp
and absorbed into the tribe.
       So--the very first colony in the New World chose to renounce its
contract with (Dee/Raleigh/Empire) and go over to the Wild Men with
Caliban. They dropped out. They became "Indians," "went native," opted
for chaos and the traditional lifeways of relationship and
sustainability over the appalling miseries of serfing for the
plutocrats and intellectuals of London.
As America came into being where once there had been "Turtle Island,"
Croatan remained embedded in its collective psyche. Out beyond the
frontier, the state of Nature (i.e. no State) still prevailed--and
within the consciousness of the settlers the option of wildness always
lurked, the temptation to give up on slave work for the rulers, fort
building, taxes-- all the burdens of civilization--and "go to Croatan"
in some way or another.
       So, we hope to call on this namesake--to develop a space in the midst
of the city that can retrain our thoughts and actions towards how we
create and how we listen and learn. To hear the wisdom of the
traditional ways, especially when they resonate with the same call
Christ gives us in the Gospel--to birth new artists skilled and
trained to prophetically lead us toward justice and peace.


What's the big idea?
       There are lots of ideas and ways we hope for this space to be
utilized. The following is a rough outline of what we hope to go on
through the use of the space. Being connected to Circle of Hope in a
real way through the realtionships of the people involved and in a
structural way--by having the space in the same building has so many
opportunities and benefits for many skilled, passionate people who
want to share what they know and for those wanting to learn both in
the church body and the neighborhoods.


1.Traditional music and dance Classes

These will be primarily group based learning times. We hope to have a
variety of teachers from different traditions and ethnicities
partnering with us eventually from the surrounding community, but we
already have many talented artists who can teach among us. I have been
in communication with some of my teachers and other local ethnic
drummers and most have shown high interest in being involved. On the
drawing board already is:

--West African drumming class---

--Kids drumming--

--Arabic drumming class--

--Brazilian samba drumming---

--Afro-Cuban drumming--

--Ghanaian drumming--

--Balafon/gyil/west african xylophone--

--Indian tabla--

--West African Dance--

--belly dance--

--urban dance--



2. Private Lessons

For one on one teacher student development.  Right now we have teachers for private instruction offered on a variety of
instruments including:

-djembe, doumbek, congas,-

--guitar/bass guitar--

--drum set--

hopefully others!!


3.Education

We desire for the studio space to be just that ---a studio--where we study.
There is going to be a library of resources available at the space
with a focus on theological issues of justice and reconciliation seen
through the primary role of the prophetic artist.

We are building a library of books with categories such as:
--psalm study
--the role of the artist/musician in society and in the life of the church
--biblical justice, resistance and peacemaking
--indigenous theology
--liberation theology
--refugee struggles
--indigenous struggles
--urban poor struggles
--cross-cultural music and art
--sociology
--folklore and mythology
--music theory from any tradition
--instructional and reference books on traditional skills and arts and crafts.
--critique of civilization and empire

Also a cd and dvd library for film showings and listening.

--(donations towards this library in any category are appreciated)

We are planning on doing different series of classes through this
library in conjunction with underground seminary and other topics that
have formed through the cells.  Some of these will be lecture series
taught by one teacher while others will be group discussions or group
book studies.

We also hope for the studio to sponsor classes and bring in teachers
from elsewhere for a weekend of learning.

4. Workshops

We hope to sponsor a series of workshops that may run from a day to a
full weekend or even on a weekly or monthly schedule in many different
arts and crafts.

On the drawing board are ideas such as:

Loom weaving
Song writing
Mask Making
Story telling
Poetry
Drum building and other instrument making concepts
i.e.--Urban Junk recycled to prophetic instruments


5. Kids Stuff

We all know how important it is to be training our children in the
right ways --so we are trying to come up with events and classes that
will get them thinking creatively as well as engaging them with
crosscultural concepts. Hopefully this will be a big meeting point for
families in the neighborhood.

Some ideas:

-kids drumming.

-parent/child drumming

-after school or Saturday kids arts collaborative--using
multi-media--drawing/painting/