The Dragon's Egg

Sunday, April 22, 2012 at 1 - 5 PM

Earth Day, Earth Day!!
- and what more organic location than the Dragon's Egg?
Plus - it is the year of the Dragon!

Come to this day celebrating solar, organic farming, worms, massage, organic foods, poetry, dance, story telling, hooping, drumming, and more!
The Dragon's Egg, 401 Shewville Road, Ledyard, Connecticut

Check the website for the latest details:
http://www.dragonseggstudio.org/2012/04/earth-day-2/

Here is a line-up of the activities:

1:45 pm Music and Dance and Poetry at the Dragon's Egg

Raging Grannies (music)
Jane Johnson (poem)
Angie Conte (dance)
Lana Orphanides (poem)
Christine (dance)
Renya and friends (body prayer improv)
Elif Ahmad (poem)
Sahari (belly dance)
Dan Potter (poem/dance) followed by Solar Egg Ceremony out of doors!

3:30 pm Story and group movement

Carl Peruzzotti (story)
Ian Hamilton (story)
Sue ann Wayne (story)
Beth Mitchell (story)
Sharon Walker (poem/meditation)
Stephanie (mohawk story)

Offerings: Throughout the rest of the afternoon, as the spirit moves us!

Hooping with Melissa Cokas
Drum Circle with various artists and enthusiasts - you?
Circle Dance with Marya
Celebration of Solar Egg
Lorain Simister's musical trio
Painting/caricatures/portraits with Elaine Mills
Tai Chi, possibly with David Chandler, perhaps also with friend of Janine's

Massage/reflexology
Jana Flaherty
Erin Tudisco

Tables/vending/information

Soaps and more with Bonnie Yackovetsky
Green Investment with Carl Peruzzi
Jade Plants from Voluntouwn Peace Farm
Worms! with Theresa Bassette http://www.dtwormfarm.com/
Mystic Solar
Realgoods Solar (formely altersinc)
Green Jobs with Bud McAllister
Restyling garments with Lorain Ohio
New to you, plus Dan's art, with Marya
Sprouts and wheat grass juice wiht Bruce Burns and Aiki Farms
Crocheted plastic bags with Sue Ann Wayne
War Resister League table with Joanne Sheehan
Fiddleheads - samples
Goddess things with Sharon Walker
Goddess packets with Renya
Belly dancing jewelry with Joanne Kelly
Art from other things by Laurie-Annya
More, other vendors yet confirming!

contact Marya for more information: mybeasts@aol.com

We shall be mounting the ninth (!) annual midsummer Narrative Artistic Assemblage Event, to be performed on June 23, at 4 pm, at the Dragon's Egg. There will be gathering of participants on that day at 10 am. We shall have a run through, a walk through, and then the open showing at 4 pm.

Aside from this meeting, you basically create your piece on your own (with or without others), and on the Day itself, we see what we see!! In past summers, our text theme has been Dante's Inferno, Faust, Orpheus/Eurydice, Alice/Looking Glass, Arthurian Cycle, the Ramayana, Life is a Dream, Lysistrata. There have been sculpture, theatre, dance, monologue, puppetry, belly dancing, dramatic reading, a labyrinth, a walk through a dark woods, amazing work.

This summer the theme will be The Canterbury Tales, by Chaucer.

As you may recall, you use the text as your source of inspiration in the creation of a piece, be it dance, music, theatre, puppetry, sculpture, poetry, other.

Be in touch with me about your ideas, and I shall try to link you to others who might like to collaborate in some way, if that works, or you can find your own linkages, where you are (geography is always an issue!), or perform solo. Some years there were a number of sections that involved artists who did not know each other beforehand, and the resulting work was wonderful, rich, delightful, challenging. Often I include Mystic Paper Beasts sections to provide a kind of segue way for the story being told, and use many performers, informally. And I usually create a sort of allee entry through the woods, with characters and suggestions of events to come, or simply a setting of ambiance and tone. The audience passes through this allee from the far field, where they park.

Once I have an idea of what kinds of things people are doing, I shall create an order, loosely based on the order in the text, so be specific in identifying what part of the text you will be illustrating, or taking off from.

You can come and stay at the Egg several days beforehand - I have reserved the Egg for the week (there will be a few classes, but mostly the Egg will be available for overnight and rehearsal, as you like.) Our house is also a place for overnights and community.
We usually have a cast dinner on Saturday night at our home.

And sometimes we do a mini version of bits from the Narrative Project on Sunday, at the Hygienic Galleries in New London. If you are interested in this, you can let me know closer to the time, so that I can see if this is a possibility for the Hygienic. We usually aim that showing for a bit after midday, so that people can travel home that afternoon, if they need. Or stay over - that is fine, too.

Performers, please know that you will need to adhere to the 5 minute limit. This time should include any prop moving et al. I am aiming for the event to be at most 90 minutes long. Any props or chairs or music, please be sure you have someone to run these for you (I am happy to play cd's and such), to move things for you (you must manage this yourself!), and if you have costumes et al, know where you have them, as there will be no official stage manager. I can fill this role to some extent, but mostly take the responsibility your self. thank you!!

Thank you! I look forward to our project! and i wish you well.
Contact me at mybeasts@aol.com.
namaste, marya, for the dragon's egg

The Dragon's Egg and The Mystic Paper Beasts have fan pages on Facebook.

Click "Like" and stay in touch with updates and events.

The Dragon's Egg is also available for short term workshops for which the presenter charges a fee. In this case the Beasts collect $10 per hour or 15% of the collected fee, whichever is higher, or per negotiation. The subject of such workshops must be in the field of the performing arts, or of practices that might support the health and well being of the performing artist.

Potential presenters must submit a proposal, as above, describing the nature and intent of the activity, the qualifications of the presenter, the desired time slot, the fee to be charged, the minimum/maximum number of participants, and proof of liability insurance. The proposal is submitted to the Board, who retain the right to accept or reject any proposal without identifying a reason for their decision. Please see the guidelines for use of the Egg.

contact Marya at mybeasts@aol.com Marya's Yoga

Dragon's Egg
401 Shewville Rd., Ledyard, Ct. (exit 89, or 90 from I 95)

Marya's Yoga

You can become a member of The Mystic Paper Beasts and The Dragon's Egg by sending a donation to:

Mystic Paper Beasts Theatre Company
8 Hancox Street
Stonington, CT 06378

Sign on for one of these levels:
$20 = Mouse <b@>
$35 - $50 = Lion {-u-}
$51+ = Dragon!!!!!>>:>

The Year I Didn't Go to School
by Gisselle Potter

An awesome gift idea for that young person in your life that wants to read a fantastic story about a magic tour of the Mystic Paper Beasts --

The Year I Didn't Go to School
can be your for a gift of $20 (+ a few extra to cover S&H)

Contact Marya at MyBeasts@aol.com to find out more...

From Publishers Weekly
In her first venture as both writer and illustrator, Potter (Gabriella's Song) proves as adept with words as she is with images, spinning a lyrical account of the year she toured Italy with her family's theater troupe. After packing their steamer trunks with "puppets, masks, and musical instruments," their grandparents see them off at the airport. Then seven-year-old Giselle, her little sister, Chloe, and their parents are off in an old wooden carnival truck across "the country that's shaped like a boot."

The Mystic Paper Beasts are the in-house performing arts troupe at The Dragon's Egg.

The tales told by the Mystic Paper Beasts Theatre Company are original and re-told dreams and myths of transformation expressed through humor and dance while wearing witty and whimsical masks. These performances have delighted audiences of all ages and many nationalities.
Their repertoire explores the mysterious realm of transformation. The beasts invite viewers to join them on their magical journeys.

Since 1976, The Beasts have performed variously as a family circus, a duet, a solo with audience participation, a quartet, a quintet, a large group of roving friends.

To learn more about The Beasts including performance information visit the Mystic Paper Beats website.

Labyrinth Walk With Bernadette Golden

The Labyrinth walk is held four times a year at the Solstices and Equinoxes. It is accompanied by quiet, soul-inspiring live music. It is an inner and outer journey through a Labyrinth floorcloth that is patterned after the one in Chartres Cathedral in France.

These walks are held at the beautiful Dragon's Egg Studio in Ledyard, CT. Walks with this labyrinth are also held at other times and locations. Check the calendar for information.

A labyrinth is a sacred circular design found in various forms throughout human history. Circular patterns have been used as an aid to prayer and meditation in many cultures. The labyrinth combines this with the tradition of meditative walking. It is a tool for introspection and spiritual transformation.

As a ritual of spiritual pilgrimage, during the 12-14th centuries, visitors to the great cathedrals of Europe would walk the labyrinth designs built into their floors. Unlike a maze, which has dead ends and false turns, a labyrinth is one continuous path that will eventually lead you to the center of the circle. This profound archetype is a powerful symbol of the life journey we all make, full of unexpected twists and sudden changes in direction.

The metaphors are rich and each person's experience in walking the labyrinth will be unique.

The labyrinth we will walk is a 30x30 foot reproduction of one built into the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France in 1194 A.D. Its builders were the Benedictine monks, adherents of St. Augustine's Threefold Path to Enlightenment.

There is no need to run outside
For better seeing,
Nor to peer from a window. Rather abide
At the center of your being...
Search your heart and see...
The way to do is to be.
Lao Tze

For more information e-mail LabyrinthJourney@yahoo.com

401 Shewville Rd
Ledyard, Connecticut, USA

From the South
I-95 North to exit 89, Allyn Street.
Left at the end of the ramp onto Allyn St, (becomes Cow Hill Road).
At the third light, turn right onto Gold Star Highway, aka Route 184.
Go about a mile to a light at Shewville Road.
Turn left onto Shewville Road. (there is a small shopping area off to the right with a karate studio,and a restaurant called "Somewhere in time").

**continued @ bottom

From The North
I95, take exit 90 (Mystic Seaport exit)
at the bottom of the exit, turn right and go North on Rt. 27
(If you get to Mystic Seaport, or Mystic Proper, you went the wrong direction! turn around and go back)
Proceed about 1.5 miles to Old Mystic on Rt 27 until you reach a stop sign. Bear left in front of Old Mystic General Store, and cross a small bridge.
Immediately take the first Right on Shewville Rd. and go straight through small intersection and one light, continue on Shewville accross RT 184 (Goldstar Highway)

**Go 1.4 miles on Shewville Road. Gallup Hill Road enters from the left, Dragon's Egg is the second driveway after Gallup hill on the Left, and is at the back of a field.

Park in the field.