Watch
the video "What is TaKeTiNa?".
Listen
to the Hawai`i Public Radio interview.
Read
the New Dimensions article.
What to expect
Each TaKeTiNa circle lasts around three hours. Holding the center of a TaKeTiNa circle are the leader and the surdo (large bass "heartbeat" drum) player. The surdo player plays an unvarying pulse to stabilize the basic rhythm of your stepping while the leader slowly and gently introduces claps following a completely different rhythm. As this polyrhythmic relation stabilizes, the leader introduces the element of improvisation through ever-changing call-and-response singing which alternately acts as a stabilizing and then destabilizing factor. While the synergy of stabilization and destabilization causes individuals to lose the rhythm, or "fall out," the group sustains the rhythm and continually brings everyone gently back to the basic pulse. In this moment, self-organization occurs and you experience "falling back in." You are carried by the rhythm of the collective and naturally find your way back, a process that nourishes a profound sense of musical self-esteem and group membership.
The perception of different rhythms on several levels at the same time naturally expands into an awareness of not only music but also of daily life from a different perspective. You may simultaneously experience the active and passive, the rational and emotional, and the melodic and rhythmic layers. This awareness of simultaneity first creates independence in left-right/hand-foot movements, then opens gradually onto an entirely new kind of musical perception. Learning rhythm and music with the TaKeTiNa process always means learning about life, too. The process reflects back to us everything that hinders our life as the rhythmic evolution that unfolds in TaKeTiNa transforms us.
No prior instruction or musical training is necessary. No musical instrument is needed. Just wear comfortable clothes and bring your curiosity. You may also want to bring water and a blanket or yoga mat for lying on the floor.
© 2008 Village Heartbeat | villageheartbeat.com