Tag: <span>Shambhala</span>

Canada

Shambhala Travel Guide

Shambhala is tucked away in a picturesque valley on a farm surrounded by the Selkirk Mountain Range, about thirty minutes South from the small town of Nelson, BC. Stages can be discovered walking through the woods or floating down the river with the groovy sounds of the DJs or flashes of laser beams guiding you in the right direction.

Getting There

Shambhala by Air
If you are flying, the closest airport to fly into is the Castlegar Regional Airport (YCG), about half an hour northwest of the festival. Alternatively, the festival is about a four hour drive northwest of Kelowna International Airport (YLW), or a six hour drive southeast from Calgary International Airport (YYC).

 
Shambhala by Road
If you are driving, you will be entering Shambhala by a dirt road off Highway 3. There are a lot of winding, one lane mountain roads along the way so be alert for wild animals and fill up for gas before going into the festival. Salmo is the last town you will come across with gas stations, 6 kms away.

Rideshare is also an option for getting to the festival by road. Check out the Kootenay Rideshare board and the Facebook Shambhala rideshare group for possible lifts.

The Greyhound goes as far as Salmo, BC, which is still 6 kms outside of the festival.

Where to Stay

Shambhala is a camping music festival. There are very few restrictions as to where you are allowed to set up camp for the weekend and the Sunshine, Starlight and Meta Camp are all free areas. I recommend arriving early though as the areas closest to the festival grounds fill up fast.

If you do not need to camp with your car, you will be pointed to a parking spot from where you will haul your camping gear and festival glitter into your desired camp area for the weekend. Otherwise a car-camping decal must be bought. A decal can only be bought on-site and is sold on a first come first serve basis. Sunshine decals for a regular sized vehicle are $40, and $80 for an oversized vehicle. Starlight decals are $80 for a regular sized vehicle and $160 for an oversized vehicle.

Shambhalodging: Shambhalodging is the festival’s premium camping option, offering campsites for two in a wooded shaded area, with a reserved spot at the Shambhalodging parking.

Camp Clean Beats: Camp Clean Beats is the festival’s camping option for those who wish to have a clean and sober festival experience. Anyone entering this area must be sober. Spots go on a first come first serve basis, but the festival asks that you fill out the registration form in advance and email it to campcleanbeats@gmail.com.

Safe Spaces

Shambhala has become known as a festival with an incredibly progressive (and effective) harm reduction program. Different areas provide festival attendees with different services depending on what they need at that time.

The Sanctuary: Located by the medical tent, this is a calm area for attendees who are feeling overwhelmed at any point, for any reason. There are cushions to lie on, little tents to crawl into, tea and cookies available, colouring books and markers, and volunteers to speak with – if that’s what you want.

Photo by Ricardo Hubbs

Women’s Safe Space: This is an area in the festival similar to The Sanctuary, but it is accessible for women only. The volunteers there are all women and it aims to provide a spot for women to go if they are feeling vulnerable or uncomfortable at any point during the festival.

Outreach: Outreach are the volunteers that walk around the grounds, simply keeping an eye out for attendees. They make sure people are okay physically and, also educate attendees they come across for warning signs of a possible bad situation.

Consent is Sexy: While there aren’t really any written rules for Shambhala, there is a general understanding of respect for one another. You will see signs everywhere stating “consent is sexy” and this rule is absolutely followed, even down to asking permission to hug a stranger.

Education: Education seems to be a big part of the key to safety at Shambhala. ANKORS has a booth set up where attendees can go to test their drugs for the weekend. There is absolutely no judgment here and no requirement to hand in whatever it is you are testing. There is only encouragement to know what might be in the drugs, as well as to learn more about the different drugs circulating around and what harms they may have. There is also information about safe sex along with the necessary tools for safe sex (i.e. condoms).

Photo by Charlotte Dobre

NOTE: There has been plenty of debate surrounding a festival’s decision to provide attendees with professional drug testing. Providing attendees with the opportunity to test their drugs over the weekend is not the festival condoning the use of drugs. It is simply encouraging people to be safe and smart about what they decide to do during their time at a music festival.

For more information on ANKORS and safety at Shambhala see my chat with “Shambha-Mom” Britz Robins.

Food

Shambhala has a huge variety of delicious food options, although it can get quite expensive (as it is with most music festivals). From tacos to pad thai, to nachos to donuts, there is a good selection to satisfy your cravings. It is a little challenging finding vegetarian and vegan options, however there is one vendor that has a great non-meat soup and salad combo.

And don’t skip out on the donuts. Fried dough covered in sugar? You can’t go wrong with that for your late-night snack.

Beverages

Shambhala is a dry festival. There is no alcohol for sale at the festival and cars are searched upon entry for alcohol. This does not mean it’s lacking in refreshments. Virgin caesars and virgin margaritas can be purchased (the margaritas are quite tasty) and, Night Owl Coffee has some delicious options available from a local coffee shop in Nelson, BC, along with hot tea available to warm your bellies late at night.

My Advice

Arrive early! Even though there are no stages set up on the Wednesday night of the festival, consider buying the early arrival pass. With less people there, it gives you the opportunity to choose a better location for your camp site which can make the difference between a 10 minute walk and a 30 minute walk for an outfit change.

If this is your first Shambhala, make sure to hop on the Virgin Shambhala Train. A Shambassador wearing a conductors outfit will introduce you to the Shambhala rules, teach you firsthand about the number one family rule of “consent is sexy,” and take you on a fun dance tour through the festival, helping you to orient yourself with the different stages.

But hop off the train before it passes through the Fractal Forest. That is definitely a first-time experience you should save for night.

Be prepared for insane fluctuations in temperature. I cannot stress this enough. There is a reason you will see so many people in onesies, roaming around the grounds at night. Onesies are warm and you can layer them. While it can be hot enough to run around naked during the day, it can also get cold enough to see you’re breath at night.

That being said… Don’t be afraid to cool off in the river during the day! Not only is it a great spot to goof around and listen to music, but it is very refreshing in that hot summer sun.

Take advantage of the ANKORS booth. It’s a unique educational experience that is not readily available at most festivals.

Embrace the weird. You will see a lot of things that you are not used to seeing.

But don’t stare. That’s rude.

Don’t be afraid to dress up! People will spend months preparing their costumes for Shambhala so if you want to dress up you are in good company. But if that’s not your thing and you would rather run around in some very practical fleece, then that is okay too. Acceptance is a big theme at Shambhala.

Speaking of acceptance… Shambhafamily are a very big accepting group. Grant them the same courtesy and accept everyone for the side of themselves they are choosing to show at Shambhala that they cannot necessarily show in their daily lives.

Appreciate this acceptance. Appreciate where you are and who you are with. And learn to love yourself – there is an open-mindedness in this community that will help you with this.

Of course, leaving the beauty of Shambhala and returning back to reality will leave you in shambles. Bring some of your lessons and positive experiences from Shambhala back to the real world and maybe, we can make reality a better place.

Photo by Lindsay Donovan
Canada

Favourite Artists Heard At Shambhala

Shambhala Music Festival returned to Samlo Valley for its 19th year, bringing with it a lineup stacked with heavy bass, mad beats and hella funky sounds. Here are some of my favourite acts that I heard at this year’s Shambhala.

Beats Antique

Beats Antique was everything I hoped for and more. David Satori and Tommy Sidecar exhibited their talents on their instruments, playing drums and violin live for the crowd at Pagoda while their tracks spun on in the background. The pair played some of their older stuff, including “Egyptic” off their 2010 album “Blind Threshold,” and performed songs off their new album for the first time ever. Sidecar threw down an insane drum solo that left the whole crowd smiling before the duo showcased their new track with Russian singer Tatiana, whose ethereal voice was complemented perfectly by Satori’s violin. With incense floating in the air, the experience of listening to Beats Antique’s unique tribal fusion sound was enhanced. The highlight of the set though came when Satori let a unicorn jump on stage to perform some oh so magical dancing while the duo continued to play out their set. Dance moves fitting perfectly with the music, the unicorn made his way across the stage before collapsing into a fit of frenzy for his finale with Beats Antique.

 

Hermitude

It’s been a while since I’ve seen two artists so in sync with one another. Hermitude threw down a gnarly set Friday night at The Grove, somehow mixing “In The Jungle” from Disney’s “The Lion King” into Flume’s remix of their track “HyperParadise,” before Luke Dubs took to his keyboard to perform an insane solo cover of the track. Showcasing their unity, the boys unplugged their instruments, coming around to the front of the stage to perform live for the audience, truly demonstrating their skills as DJs and producers. Luke Dubs and Elgusto worked magic together up on The Grove stage, keeping the crowd dancing and grooving throughout the entirety of their set.

 

Opiuo

Maybe it’s because this was my introduction to the epicness that is the Fractal Forest but Opiuo played one of my favourite sets of the weekend. Throwing down a funky set that incorporated swing with bass, Opiuo took the crowd on a groovy journey throughout his entire 90-minute set. Jet lagged and coming straight from New Zealand, the Kiwi producer didn’t hold anything back, kicking it on the drums live for the crowd and bringing out a trumpet player to accentuate the funky tunes he was playing before mixing into jungle. I didn’t think it was possible to mix funk with drum & bass but Opiuo managed to do it beautifully.

 

CloZee

There’s only one word I can use to describe CloZee: badass. The French producer threw down a dope set that saw heavy bass mixed in with glitch-hop. CloZee truly showed that she is a force to be reckoned with, putting on one of the heaviest sets of the weekend. The female producer kept the bass pulsating across The Grove before mixing into “Wildcats” by Ratatat. A surprise guest appearance by EVeryman saw the pair paying tribute to the late Pumpkin before CloZee continued with her set, mixing in some new world sounds with her bass heavy performance.

 

The Gaff

The Gaff is one of the most talented DJs I have had the pleasure of seeing perform in a very long time. The British-Columbia native played his entire set using only vinyl, switching out LPs expertly to weave a groovy set for the crowd at Fractal Forest. It feels like such a treat nowadays to see someone spinning vinyl and it’s even more special when it is taking place in the magical atmosphere that is the Fractal Forest. While The Gaff was playing an incredible dance worthy set, it wasn’t uncommon to see many people standing still, absolutely mesmerized by what they were seeing The Gaff doing on his decks… Especially once he started scratching. The Gaff demonstrated his insane skills as a musician in the art of spinning a vinyl only set. Simply listening to his tracks does not do the artist justice, as a huge part of the musical experience with The Gaff is the show he puts on scratching and spinning.

 

Nora En Pure

Nora En Pure’s set at Pagoda was such a fantastic way to start the weekend off. Playing Friday evening, the Swiss DJ threw down a fun, dance-worthy deep house set. The female producer expertly took the crowd on a journey from deep house to tech house, channeling some DirtyBird vibes, prepping the crowd for Justin Martin’s set later that evening. Nora En Pure exhibited her ability to spin a set with a variety of genres before mixing into her well-known (and often played by other DJs) single “Come With Me.”

Canada

Five Favourite Moments From Shambhala

I’m still trying to process all the beautiful energy I felt at Shambhala Music Festival, so to help me cope with those post-Shambhala blues, I have put together a list of my five favourite moments from this year’s adventures.

1. Discovering the Fractal Forest

Discovering the Fractal Forest is like discovering a mythical creature. You have no idea what you are getting involved with until you are inside the forest, feeling the music and witnessing the madness firsthand. One of the most important things I was told by Shambhala Veterans was to avoid the Fractal Forest until I could experience it at night. And I am so glad I listened to them as my first time in the forest was mind-blowing. The stage was set up in a way that allowed festival-goers to completely lose themselves in the sights and sounds, while the primarily ghetto-funk sounds being spun there by the likes of A.Skillz, The Funk Hunters, The Gaff and DeFunk encouraged a fun vibe and an energetic atmosphere.

Not only did Fractal Forest have one of the best vibes of the weekend, with one of the most incredible set ups possible, but it was something for festival-goers to discover on their own. Stumbling upon the hidden stage with all its Star Wars beauty and funky sounds on the way to some of the other stages made for some of the best dance parties of the weekend.

2. Swimming in the river


Shambhala has a river that flows through the festival allowing attendees a slight reprieve from the heat of the day. It is a small river that flows straight from one of the glaciers, keeping it cool despite the intense heat in the valley during the August days. It’s common to see people sitting along the banks in the shade of the trees, soaking their feet in the cool river water throughout the day.

The Living Room Stage also happens to be set up on the beach right along the river. Many people bring floaties with them to the Living Room, setting up camp on top of their inflatable toys, floating nonchalantly down the river as the mellow beats of the Living Room DJs serenade them down the river. The BC mountains stand majestically in the background, overlooking the entire scene as people swim across the perfect bed of pebblestones. With the sun beating down on Shambhafam, many people swim across the river, making friends along the way before reaching the opposite bank where more friends are made.

And, while it seems to be more of a well-kept Vet secret, there is another river, beyond the banks, that is more secluded and requires a little bit of Veteran knowledge to get to. Although I did not find this little piece of paradise, I was told it holds a jumping log and is a small oasis within the Shambhala festival grounds.

3. Free Hugs

Shambhala is known for embracing the free-spirit of its festival attendees. Upon arriving into the festival, the first thing I was warned about were the free hugs.

“It’s kind of weird… Are you okay with weird?” the man checking my car said. “Are you okay with hugs? I don’t know what it is about this place but people seem to like to give each other hugs for no reason.”

I thought he was joking.

I can’t tell you how many times I was at shows or walking around the grounds and someone dressed up as a tiger or a panda would come over to give me a hug… Simply because they felt the need to share their love for the world. Dancing solo at Fractal Forest, I received one of the best hugs of my entire life by an individual whom I will never know. He was dressed head to toe in woolies, with a scarf covering his entire face. Mid dancing he turns to me and opens his arms. Upon seeing me nod in consent, he then pulls me in for a hug. We danced together in a beautiful embrace for a solid minute before he continued on his merry way.

Free hugs was such a huge part of the festival. People connecting with one another in a way that does not happen anywhere else, and in the most respectful way possible. It was absolutely beautiful.

4. Beautiful people

The people at Shambhala are fucking weird. And kind. And respectful. And caring. It truly is the people who attend this festival that make it so wonderful. The energy at Shambhala is unlike any other.

People at Shambhala do what they want, when they want, with zero fucks given for what others are thinking about them. There seems to be an unspoken understanding between Shambhafamily that this is a safe place where you can be the most true to yourself. And this is possibly the most beautiful thing about the festival. People are the truest that they could possibly be to themselves. No one cares and no one judges one another for doing what they are comfortable doing.

5. Late night tea

Shambhala is a dry festival meaning there is no alcohol that can be purchased on the grounds. This was the first festival I have ever attended where this was a rule, and, full disclosure, I like to drink so I was very interested to see how this would affect my experience at Shambhala.

I was pleasantly surprised with it though. The festival seemed to be a lot more in control. There were less rowdy people that were being offensive and aggressive. Removing alcohol from the equation made the whole festival experience much more chilled out.

This also meant that, at the end of the night, instead of having a boozy night cap, I wound up at Night Owl coffee in downtown Shambhala for tea. Every night, on my way back to my tent, I would stop in for a peppermint tea. With the temperature fluctuating from sweat in every crevasse of your body during the day to seeing your breath at night, the tea worked wonders to warm the body up and soothe the belly, helping prepare the body for the next day of the festival.

I never thought I would insist on having tea at a festival or after a night of dancing, but after stopping for peppermint tea at the Night Owl every night, I think I am going to make peppermint tea a must-have after a night of dancing.

Bonus

The theme camps: with their insane set ups including a bouncy castle for Shambhafam to play in, and hosting their own parties every single night; the sunrises: they came in hot and early but announced a new adventure for the day

Canada

Shambhala

Founded in 1998 as a way to celebrate local art and music, Shambhala has since become known as a home for festival-goers to embrace the Shambhalove with fellow family members. Tucked away in a picturesque valley on a farm surrounded by the Selkirk Mountain Range, Shambhala boasts some of the world’s best underground electronic music talent. Welcoming new family members to its yearly mystical gathering, Shambhala creates a uniquely memorable energy under the big starry sky, celebrating music, art and life.

the basics

Location: Salmo River Ranch – Salmo River Valley, Canada
Dates: August 11-14 2017
19+ event

pricing

Extra Early Bird festival pass: $315
Early Bird festival pass: $365
GA festival pass: $395
All passes include tent camping

Shambhalodging campsite only package: $525
Shambhalodging BASSics package: $600
Shambhalodging fancy pants package
Shambhalodging Central Park RV camping packages: $2350

more info

www.shambhalamusicfestival.com

Canada

Sitting Down with Britz Robins, Shambhala 2015

For Britz Robins, being Shambha-Mom is just one of the many joys that comes with being part of Canada’s longest running electronic music festival. First attending Shambhala in 2003 as an enthusiastic fan, Robins has been working with Shambhala going on nine years, becoming the first full-time employee hired outside of the family back in 2008. Her role has changed over the years, from admin help to vendor coordinator, to hosting the press during the festival but her holistic, grassroots approach means she is someone you can always talk to at the festival.

Nomadic Groove (NG): Let’s talk about the festival’s growth in popularity in the past few years.

Britz Robins: The first year I went in 2003, Shambhala was 3,000 people. So to watch it blossom and grow into this beautiful festival that is a world-wide name now… We’re still a small festival in the scheme of things, but we’re a small festival with a big name. I think that’s really cool. It’s been really amazing to watch the growth. And then just watching the level of production that Shambhala has come to has been really amazing for me.

NG: What are some of the challenges that Shambhala is facing this year?

BR: Entry is always a challenge. Getting every one in, in a timely manner, is always a challenge because you have so many people showing up. Our gates don’t open until 8:00 am on Wednesday [August 5], and people choose to show up nearly 24 hours before the gates open. So there’s the challenge of making sure every one is practicing good self care when they’re in the heat of the day like that. We used to have people line up along the side of the highway and then people were being very unsafe. So we just decided that it would be much safer just to hold people on the property which is what we do now.

NG: Speaking of safety, what are some of the precautions that Shambhala puts in place to ensure that festival goers can have the most fun possible while also staying safe?

BR: We actually have the most harm reduction plan of any festival in North America. We have a fully staffed medical team that includes doctors, nurses and paramedics. The minimum is level three for your first aid. So it’s a high level of care on that end. And then also with our harm reduction, we have an education pill testing tent that’s run by an organization called ANKORS out of Nelson [BC]. That’s a very, very big part of keeping people safe. Giving them the education and the tools they need to make better decisions about how they’re partying.

NG: Tell me more about the harm reduction strategy used by Shambhala.

BR: Our harm reduction team is really forward thinking. Harm reduction’s goal is to meet people where they’re at. So whatever you’re at in life, whatever that means to you, they’re going to meet you where you’re at and give you the support and education you need to do what you need to do, or support you in staying clean and sober. They’re such a beautiful, caring group of people.

NG: What are some of the safety services that Shambhala provides for people that are different from other festivals?

BR: We have The Sanctuary. It started out as a psychedelic crisis comedown area, but it’s actually evolved to be much more than that. Basically, people who are high on psychedelics, they don’t need to be in first aid. At the same time, you can’t really send them back out to the party. They need somewhere to chill out and calm down and so that’s kind of how that space was created. But it’s evolved into this space that’s more of a mental health care unit. It ends up being kind of like a counselling space. Anyone who needs emotional support in any way would go to that area. It’s a pretty interesting offering as far as festivals go I think.

We have a thing called Outreach and they’re our mobile harm reduction unit. They basically go around and talk to people about safe partying. They tell them where they can access harm reduction services.

We also have a women’s safe space. So that’s kind of like The Sanctuary but it’s a much smaller, quieter space. Women only. If someone is feeling unsafe in their camp, or whatever, we can have them there. It does offer a lot of the same kind of counselling and support that The Sanctuary does.

Finally we have camp Clean Beats which is a clean and sober campsite. That’s for people who are in recovery and for people who choose to party without the use of substances. There’s people outside that camp that choose to party that way but this is more for people that want that kind of guaranteed environment. So they do three AA style meetings per day for the folks who are recovery. It’s a pretty cool offering and it’s rather new. We’ve been doing it for three years. We have people who have been in recovery and thought they could never go to festivals again. They come out to Shambhala and there’s just this really beautiful support system for them and it blows them away that it’s even something that’s available to them.

NG: What are some of the issues Shambhala has faced when trying to implement harm reduction programs on the grounds?

BR: We’ve really been thought leaders in this particular area and it’s a little bit different culture out here in BC. BC in general has been very forward thinking in terms of harm reduction [the needle exchange in Vancouver]. Our main goal is to keep people safe and we have a track record of doing that. Even when we’ve come up against potential issues, people have been able to see the value and the additional safety it provides. It’s definitely something that we think about and that we know is a huge challenge. We would love to see other festivals be able to move forward with programs like this. At the end of the day, it’s really about keeping people safe.

We’ve had a very safe festival. We’ve been running for 18 years now and we’ve had two fatalities. One was drug related and the other was a pre-existing health condition. If you look at other events, what we’re seeing at Shambhala is nowhere near that [numbers of deaths and hospitalizations] and I think it has a lot to do with our high level of care and the fact that we’re educating people on how to make safer party decisions. Part of that is that it’s not just this is what this does, this is what that does. It’s make sure you’re sleeping enough. Maybe people call me Rave Mom because this is kind of the culture I come from. Shambhala has a very maternal, motherly thing going on where we’re like okay you’ve had such a good party tonight, maybe you should go sleep a little bit, drink lots of water… We do put out that kind of messaging, and it’s really important to us. Self-care is as big a part of partying safe, as everything else is.

NG: What’s it like being Shambha-Mom?

BR: Most of the time it’s really good. Sometimes people can let their emotions run a little high and Mom has to step in and tell them to take a time-out. They’re such a great group of people and I really enjoy the fact that part of my job is having an online relationship with some of these people. I think it’s really cool. And then the best part of that is meeting people in person on the grounds and actually being able to give them a hug.

NG: Any advice for noobs from Shambha-Mom?

BR: Don’t get too caught up in your own schedule. Take some time to just let go of where you need to be and what you need to do and just go where the music or adventure takes you because that is one of the funnest parts of Shambhala. Just kind of, letting go of your own agenda and seeing where you end up.

Shambhala takes place August 7 – August 10 in Salmo Valley, BC. The festival first took place in 1998, celebrating local music and art with 500 people gathering on the ranch of the Bundschuh family. Now, the grounds are transformed into the biggest city in the West Kootenays for the weekend of music, dance, art and lots of Shambhalove.

Check out my five favourite moments from last year’s event.

Interviews

Speaking with Lucent Dossier Experience

With festival season upon us, Lucent Dossier Experience is making their rounds from festival to festival. For those who haven’t had the chance to experience this unique circus style performance, Lucent Dossier uses original music in conjunction with acrobatics, fire performance, aerials and circus arts to create a fully immersive, mind-blowing performance. The troupe maintains a strong presence on the Do Lab Stage every year at Coachella and has also been found in the past performing at Lightning in a Bottle, Symbiosis Gathering, BOOM Festival, Electric Picnic, Sonic Bloom, Shambhala and Burning Man.

In anticipation of their upcoming performance at Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo Valley, BC, The Nomadic Groove (NG) spoke with Dream Rockwell, the artistic director and a member of Lucent Dossier.

The Nomadic Groove (NG): For people who haven’t had the opportunity to experience Lucent Dossier, how would you describe the performances?

Dream Rockwell: We’re a permission slip to get wild, to free yourself. To create and live in beauty. We are acrobats, aerialists, dancers, singers, musicians and lovers of life. We are cracked wide open and proud of it. So you can crack yourself open and be proud open.

NG: What do you hope the audience feels and/ or takes away from the performances?

DR: That there is beauty in the cracks. That they are free to create and be who they want to be. Thank goodness for the cracked, for they let in the light.

NG: What is the troupe’s favourite festival to perform at and why?

DR: Wow. That’s a hard question. We love festival life. Big and small. Burning Man is our mother, Lightning in a Bottle our child, we love Electric Picnic in Ireland, BOOM in Portugal and our favourite Canadian festival is Shambhala.

NG: Does the troupe tailor performances based on where you are performing and who you are performing to?

DR: Yes we do. We really talk a lot about where we’re going and who will be attending. What type of stage we’re on. The environment. We love to reinvent ourselves and make new stuff.

NG: Where does the troupe get show ideas from and what does the creative process for creating a new routine entail?

DR: Everywhere, all of life. What we’re good at, what we’re inspired by, what we’re learning and what we want to share. Sometimes we’re just joking around with each other and something magical happens and we’re like… Oh we have to keep that. Sometimes someone makes a mistake and it’s so good we keep it.

NG: What is the dynamic between members?

DR: We’re a family. So it’s family style but with a twist of course. We know and have seen the very worst in each other but we hold in our hearts the very best of each other. We are all flawed and we are all perfect. We take care of each other. And we’re growing together. It’s not always easy but it’s a love affair for sure.

NG: What does the name Lucent Dossier mean and why did the troupe choose that?

DR: Lucent means ‘glowing light’ and dossier means ‘to collect or to keep a file of information.’ In this case, for us, it means we are collecting the most luminescent people in the world and keeping track of them, keeping them close. If you are with us, if you recognize us as your chosen family, then you are the light, you are lucent and we’re keeping you close.

Don’t forget to catch Lucent Dossier at Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo Valley, BC and again later this month at Burning Man for an awe-inspiring performance.