Ta Ke Ti Na

Well! Last night I met a true Xango daughter, a rhythm keeper of great power. Not that she has necessarily ever *heard* of Xango but that was my impression of her. I went with my friend Rebecca to a Ta Ke Ti Na practice group lead by Zorina Wolf. Rebecca had described it to me thus, "...a newfangled sort of rhythm teaching method that works by putting an entire group of people into a light trance state, during which time they build up and then maintain some very complex interconnecting rhythm patterns while also doing call-and-response singing AND maintaining eye contact in a circle, AND sometimes listening to verbal instructions as well. I think the intention is to get the participants to work in coordination as a group on as many levels as possible: rhythm, melody, verbal, analytical, group awareness, kinesthetic awareness, and who knows what else." This is a more concise description than either web site provides. I was able to do about 1-1/2 hours of the 2 hour practice session before my hips rebelled at being asked to step sideways. We were doing a very complicated pattern last night that probably wasn't a really great introduction but it was an interesting practice and I plan to go back again sometime. Tuesdays being my busiest day it will be at least a month before I can though. Zorina is doing a workshop in Santa Cruz on September 20th, but that Desert Dance Days weekend so I'll probably be doing that instead. I'm not sure I could take a 10-6 workshop! She says you dance for 3 hours, take two off and then dance for three more. Eep! Then in October there are 9 days of Ta Ka Ti Na with 9 teachers from around the world each doing a day workshop as part of their sixth year advanced examinations. That sounds incredibly intense! This is a very cool practice. I'm just not sure I have the body or the time for it. That sure has been a theme in my life. *sigh