The Dragon's Egg

Dragon's Egg 2009 at The Construction Company

Two evenings of dance, theater, and music created by nineteen artists and companies in residencies at the Egg. The 2009 event is produced by Marya Ursin, artistic director of The Mystic Paper Beasts, with thanks to Carolyn Lord of Construction Company for allowing and providing the space, the time, and the expertise to do so.

Saturday, September 12, 2009 at 8:00pm
Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 5:00pm
@ The Construction Company
10 East 18th Street
New York, NY
$15 General Admission

An art closing party will follow on 9/27 at 4 pm.

Program A: 9/12 at 8 pm Program B: 9/13 at 2 pm

Bald Soul Rae Shao-Lan Blum
Alexandra Bassett L'Ana Burton
Ellen Cornfield Chloe Carlson
Ara Fitzgerald Michelle Bach-Coulibaly
Nancy Havlik Ben Johnson
Amy Larimer Odyssey Productions
Mary Clare McKenna Shannon Sexton
Jason Rabin Elaine Shipman/SITU
Theatre LILA Superhero Clubhouse
Melody Ruffin Ward

Stage Manager: Stephanie Manning Lighting: Carolyn Lord (CC owner)

Paintings and Sculpture in the Gallery are by Dan Potter, co designer of the Dragon's Egg, and co director of the Mystic Paper Beasts, -curated by Marya.
Dragon's Egg at Construction Company, September 12-13, 2009

This event is organized and produced by Marya Ursin, Artistic Director, Mystic Paper Beasts/Dragon's Egg, with the help and support of the dancers and actors of the Dragon's Egg, the membership and Board of the Mystic Paper Beasts, the openness and welcome of Carolyn Lord and the Construction Company, the love and support of family and friends, the joy of her daughter Ana, the blessing of work she loves, and, of course, the presence and ingenuity and love of her Dan Potter.
The Egg is the unique rehearsal space for the Mystic Paper Beasts, a mask theatre troupe led by Marya Ursin and Dan Potter (www.mysticpaperbeasts.org).

The Egg is a freestanding hexagonal building at the end of a tree-encircled field in the countryside of Ledyard, CT. The studio space measures 2,200 square feet, with a heated floating (sprung) floor, a minimal kitchen and a loft for sleeping, and a hexagonal catwalk in its high, tent-roofed ceiling. It is home to regular classes and workshops in yoga, dance, creative and healing arts. In this vaulting, inspiring space, The Mystic Paper Beasts have supported the development of over forty artists' work from New York and New England, through workshops and rehearsal residencies.

To celebrate and showcase the artists and the Dragon's Egg, 19 of these artists have gathered here for your pleasure. Most work performed in these two concerts was created or rehearsed in part at the Dragon's Egg, and some pieces are drawn from a yearly summer solstice event at the Dragon's Egg honoring literary narrative.

The Mystic Paper Beasts are currently in20the midst of a fundraising program to have the Dragon's Egg become solar. We have commenced! The goal is another $15,000. Please consider contributing $5000, or a panel ($500), or forming a consortium to contribute a panel. We welcome your support in this.

To arrange a residency, and/or to offer support, service, or funding! please
contact Marya Ursin and the Beasts at mybeasts@aol.com.

The Board of the Mystic Paper Beasts/Dragon's Egg:

David Jaffe, President Dan Potter, Treasurer
Kato McNickle, Vice President
Marya Ursin, Secretary
David Dorfman Rick Larkin
Frank Eppinger
Donny Levit

Program: SATURDAY, September 12 at 8 pm

Alexandra Bassett
WOMANIZE (excerpt)

Ara Fitzgerald
First Recipe
Created and performed by Ara Fitzgerald
Garden of Eden as first recipe...

Nancy Havlik
MAGNETIC EAST
Choreography by Nancy Havlik in collaboration with the performers
Dancers: Ken Manheimer and Shoshanna Sumka
Music composed and performed live by Daniel Barbiero(bass) and Steve Hilmy (electronics)
Text: "The Ladder of Metals" by Daniel Barbiero

Amy Larimer
Swim
Created and performed by Amy Larimer

Melody Ruffin Ward
(Distilled Verse # 5)
Choreographer: Melody Ruffin Ward
Performer: Christina Robson
Sound: Vivaldi's Violin Concerto "In Due Cori" in B-flat Major

Pause

Bald Soul
Thirdness
Choreography by Olasebikan Freeman for Bald Soul
Music: Toshi=2
0Reagon-Building Blues; DJ Spooky - Vernon Reid Guitar DJ Tool Element
TV on the Radio Love Dog
Performed by Kathryn McNamara & Olase Freeman

Jason Rabin
Monologue

Ellen Cornfield
from "Dance of Thousand Titles" 2009
Choreographed and Performed by: Ellen Cornfield
Short Text: Gerard Manley Hopkins/Ellen Cornfield

Theatre LILA
INTELLIGIBLE LIES
Created by THEATRE LILA
Performed by Scott Giguere, Jessica Lanius, and Andy Arden Reese
Based on Milan Kundera's "The Unbearable Lightness of Being"
If you could live your whole life over again, but not change a thing, would you?

Mary Clare McKenna
Holy Bones
Choreographed & performed by Mary-Clare McKenna
Music: Tibetan Bells by Henry Wolf & Nancy Hennings
Program: SUNDAY, September 14 at 2 pm

Superhero Clubhouse
NEPTUNE (excerpt)
Sarah Hughes- director
Brielle Korn- performer/composer
Jeremy Pickard- performer/playwright
Ying Yu Tan- performer

Rae Shao-Lan Blum
title: untitled
choreographer: Rae Shao-Lan Blum
dancers: Erin Beneze, Rae Shao-Lan Blum, Amanda Furches

Odyssey Productions
Title: The Dirty Hippie Jam Band Project (excerpt): "It's All Good" and "My Van"
Credits: music by Dan Israel, lyrics by Phoebe Kreutz, produced by Odyssey Productions
Performed by: Brandon Ellis (Gator)
Amy Zelcer (Honeydew)
David Soson (Hippie 14)
Ben Fusco-Gessick (Huck)
Evan Siegel (Pops)

L'Ana Burton
When I Grow Up

performed & choreographed by L'Ana Burton
music by Allenko Brotherhood

Shannon Sexton
Title: Abelard and Heloise
Directed by: Shannon Sexton
Created by: Shannon Sexton, Erik White, Nadia Taalbi, Prentice Onamaya, Robin Kraft, and ?
Performed by: Robin Kraft and ?

Pause

Elaine Shipman/Situ
Sita in the Woods
dancers: Elaine Shipman, Marya Ursin
narrator: Warren Watson
Original music composed and played by Philip Pares

Ben Johnson
Musicians: Ben Johnson, Matthew Clark, Alex Waxman, Matt Allen and Matt Potter

Dance Connect
Title: "Some Blues" (excerpt)
Choreographer: Chloe Carlson
Performers: Chloe Carlson, Lindsay Castonguay, Jillian Ducharme, Paula Fagan, Sonia Plumb
Music: Otis Spann; Roomful of Blues

Michelle Bach-Coulibaly and Djembe dell'arte Dance Theatre.
"ROAD HOME: Riding on the Backs of Giants". (Premiere)
Choreographer: Michelle Bach-Coulibaly
Performers: Grisselle Escotto, Ida Mae Specker, Alexandra Chemla, Michael Dean, Remy Fernandez-O'Brien
Musicians: Bill Ferri, Grisselle Escotto, Ida Mae Specker and the Djembe Dell'Arte Band (TBA)

Come to Kirtan with Barbara McKenzie on Sunday, October 4th 5 PM at the Dragon's Egg!

Bring a cushion (we have some) and settle in for chanting and tales of wisdom.

Do come. By donation. At the Dragon's Egg.

************************
The soul is here for its own joy.... Rumi

Dr. Paul Dunion invites you to a one-day workshop for individuals:

A Call to Spiritual Maturity
Saturday November 14, 9 AM - 4 PM
at the Dragon's Egg, Mystic CT

When there is a cultural distortion of values,
it can be very difficult to know what to trust and believe.
Such trauma easily leaves us confused and/or indifferent
about a life characterized by authentic spiritual devotion.

This workshop clarifies some of the ancient meanings of the word 'spirit'
and bridges the gap between spirituality and psychology.
We will focus on three specific expressions of immature spirituality
and what it means to respond to a larger spiritual call. The workshop explores four spiritual crises,
and how we can allow these challenges to deepen and expand our spiritual vision.

Facilitator: Dr. Paul Dunion
Fee:$80 per person if you register by October 31; please send a $40 deposit to reserve your space.
After October 31, registration is $90 per person.
For complete information, directions, and registration form, please see
http://www.pauldunion.com/schedule.html
If you have further questions, please call (860) 822 - 8548.

EAGLE'S QUEST TAI CHI CENTER

Master Teacher David Chandler

PRESENTS

SACRED WARRIOR WEEKEND RETREAT

Come take a stand for your own liberation. Free yourself from the habits of mind and body that have kept you a slave to your inferior self. Release yourself from the bonds of setting too low a standard for your own wellbeing. Maximize your ability to let loose. Become the hero in your own life. Learn to be cool in the face of danger. Ride the tiger, embrace the tiger, step on the tiger's tail, but in doing so be sincere
and conduct yourself with dignity and good heartedness, and success will be yours. Remember, you are the source of your own freedom.

Find the new meaning of your life and allow your life force to grow outwards toward your greatest potential. Sit in peace, stand in power, and move with grace. The SACRED WARRIOR WEEKEND RETREAT is an opportunity to re-gain that, which was lost, and to discover that, which is your treasure.

The weekend will include Tai Chi, Qigong, Peruvian Whistling Vessel ceremony, I Ching, standing and sitting meditations, Native American Talking Stick ceremony, and a fun evening of drumming and dancing. We will also enjoy some nutritious and delicious meals.

WHO:
Anyone who wants to live free. No previous Tai Chi experience
necessary.

WHEN:
September 26-27, 2009. Arrival between 9 and 9:30 a.m. Saturday, to 4 p.m.
Sunday departure.

WHERE:
The Dragon's Egg, 401 Shewville Rd., Ledyard, CT Limited
indoor dormitory sleep space on first registered and request availability,
tenting, or sleep at home and commute

COST:
$250 for the whole weekend, including 4 meals; or $150 for one day only,
(Saturday OR Sunday) including 2 meals.

TO REGISTER: Send a $50 deposit with registration form to:

David Chandler
945 Vauxhall St. Ext.
Quaker Hill, CT 06375

Please register by September 18. After September 18, cost is additional
$25

A detailed letter will be mailed to all registered participants including directions and what to bring. Please email Debbie at deborahpiacenza@sbcglobal.net with questions or call 860-444-1119

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

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

Monday evenings at 5 pm (4:45 optional meditation)
single class: Aug 24 (@ $13)
session: Aug 31 - Dec 14 (no class Sept 14 nor Oct 12) =14 classes. Fee: $140. Single class: $13

Connecticut College
270 Mohegan Ave, New London, Ct.

Tuesday evenings at 5:30 pm (1941 Room in Crozier Williams); Sept 8 - Dec 8 (no class Nov 24) = 13 classes. Fee: $130. Single class: $12; students: $6 ($65 for session)

Student classes at CC on Tues-Thurs. 9 am, and at NTI T, Th, F

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
$25 = Gazelle
$35 - $50 = Lion
$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.