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July/August 2003 Featured Stories
The Living Dream Experience

by MarthaLee Bohn

 

	Photo by Pamela Seidenman ©2001

As long as campfires, drums and songs have existed, humans have gathered to celebrate, dance, commune with others, give thanks and gain inspiration. This tradition continues today, although concerts at smoky nightclubs and coliseums named after corporate sponsors usually fall far short of providing the sort of quality Experience humans instinctually yearn for-and deserve.

An Oregon-based group is taking radical steps towards the transformation of music festivals into a true source of inspiration for music lovers young and old. "These deeply troubling times call for us to do whatever we can to make the world a more sane, joyous, and peaceful place," says Johnny Dwork, Creative Director of Peak Experience Productions. "The question arises; how can we synergize our efforts and energies to co-create a counterbalance to the pain and suffering that surrounds us? To us, the answer is to dance into existence a festival that is an intentional model for the type of peaceful, healing, mutually supportive world we want to live in. We’re not trying to create an idealistic utopia. We’re just trying to do our part in making the world a better place through intentional celebration and joy, rather than using anger, fear and protest to motivate change."

"We present large-scale music and performance arts festivals based on mythic themes and perennial philosophy. Our events are designed to provide attendees with a comfortably immersive community Experience that elicits creativity, new ways of seeing and being and, in turn, deep inspiration. Rather than perpetuating the old myths with their antiquated social models and morals, we present contemporary mythic allegories in the form of audience-participatory adventures that replace the outdated superstitions and "isms" of the old stories. The result is an Experience that people of this culture can deeply relate to."

Audiences are invited to co-create many of the artistic/creative elements of these productions, as much as eight weeks before each event, through moderated web-board discussion groups. In doing so, Peak Experience helps them to cultivate substantive interpersonal connections and community before they get to the event site. Once at the festival, attendees can engage in playshops, ceremonies, and huge ritual theatre.

Angie Layton, of Beaver Creek, Oregon, who brings her two boys, ages 5 and 10 to all of Peaks’ festivals, says, "These events truly changed my life and the lives of many of my friends. We are participants rather than simply spectators. What we create together is clearly larger, more magical than anything we could do on our own. Every time I’ve attended these events I’ve come away with a renewed sense of wonder and optimism about life."

Peak’s next mythic theme-based event, The Living Dream Experience, is happening just outside Portland on July 31 through August 3, 2003 at Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, OR. The host band, the String Cheese Incident, plays adventurous dance music covering music of the Americas, including rock, jazz, Afro-Cuban, reggae, bluegrass and funk. Other musical acts include Toots and the Maytals (reggae), New Monsoon (jam band), Justin King (folk), Hamsa Lila (Moroccan Trance) and many more.

There is plenty of room for tent camping and RV’s on the 100 acre venue site, Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, OR. Horning’s features a 5-acre lake with swimming, fishing and paddle boating, gently rolling fields, as well as more than 50 peacocks that roam freely. The event will have arts and crafts workshops with activities for young and old, plenty of food options (including beer and wine with proper ID), boutique vending, and a Persian Casbah club serving food and drink around the clock.

The Five Worlds

The festival grounds will host four Elemental theme camps and a community center - each representing a distinct yet synergistic set of core worldviews and values essential to creating The Living Dream Experience. Each camp will have its own temple, workshops, ceremonies and rituals. Through the Peak Experience website all attendees are invited to help co-create these environments and activities.

1. Shangri-Ha! -- This camp represents the light-hearted perspective of Crazy Wisdom, Laughter and the power of Living Myth. A family camping area is situated nearby with plenty of integrated activities for children.
2. The Inferno Of Love -- This camp represents the energies of Love, Fire, Passion and Heroic Arts. This theme camp will offer playshops such as juggling and firedancing, and is home to firedancers from across the country who will present an enormous fire dance ritual theatre performance at midnight Friday of the event.
3. Rainbow Bridge -- This camp represents the energies of Water and the Flowing Arts of music, dance and poetry.
4. The Garden Of Earthly Delights -- This camp represents the energies of Earth, Grounding, the Building of Art and the "waging" of peace. This camp is home to those who are building the interactive sculptures, props and decorations that will adorn the festival grounds and be featured in the large-scale theatrical performances.
5. The Telestrion Amphitheatre -- This cauldron of creativity represents the synergy of the community spirit. This tree-lined, 5000 capacity amphitheatre is home to the event’s large-scale musical and theatrical performances.

Playshops

Topics of the 60+ playshops include:

• Morning Yoga and Peace Meditation
• The Happy Heart - Manifesting More Love In Our Daily Lives
• Passion, Mythic Play and the Hero’s Path
• The Information Challenge - How to Find Out What’s Really Going On
• Living in Balance with Technology
• One With The Phun -- Laughter as Healing Medicine
• The Magic of Words - Poetry and Journaling for Everyone
• Harnessing Universal Geometry in Our Daily Lives
• Being Healthy - A Basic Intro to Alternative Health Practices
• Introduction to Deep Ecology, Permaculture, and Bioregionalism
• Compassion in Action - Transcending Hatred and Suffering
• Creating Social and Environmental Change In Our Daily Lives
• Creating Sacred Space - The Graceful Art of Alter Making and Creative Visualization
• Art and Revolution - Creativity as a Tool for World Transformation

Michael Grabscheid, a Vice President of Marketing for a software firm who lives in Amherst, MA, flies west for these events without hesitation. "Peak’s events are more than just great music festivals. They’re a modern day hero’s journey, of sorts. Through Peak’s online discussion forums you meet others who are building props, making costumes, and planning to teach workshops, and you begin to realize that this entire community of adventurous, like-minded people are thinking about and playing together everyday to birth this exciting odyssey. We come away from these events realizing that we really can create the world of our dreams. When we return to our daily lives, we bring back inspiration from that metaphorical mountaintop. I think Joseph Campbell would’ve been very much at home at these events."

Websites: Peak Experience www.peakexperience.cc; Moderated web-board discussion groups at www.peakexperience.cc/latest; Horning’s Hideout in North Plains, OR www.horningshideout.com; the host band, the String Cheese Incident www.stringcheeseincident.com.