Dia de los Muertos
The Inspiration:
"To be Afro-Mexican is to dance with ghosts—our ancestors’ drums in our feet, their freedom dreams in our songs."
—Eduardo Añorve, Afro-Mexican poet
Join us for our Season Closing Event!
We come together to create a pillar of light for our ancestors—both personal and global. We honor our bloodlines and all those who gave their lives to the sacred struggle for liberation across time and cultures. Día de los Muertos, celebrate the weaving together Indigenous Mexican roots and African resilience in a sacred gathering for all ancestors—especially the warriors lost to wars, oppression, and genocide. We honor traditions birthed in the fires of resistance: from the Danza de los Diablos dances of Afro-Mexican freed communities to the mountain palenques of Gaspar Yanga, who founded the Americas’ first free Black settlement in 1609.
🗓️ Saturday, November 1st from
🕦 11:30am - 4pm
You are welcome to bring:
📜 The names or letters to your ancestors
🎁 Offerings for our communal tree altar (flowers, notes, etc.)
🍪 Goodies to share in community
💀 Your face decorated as a sugar skull, or come early to decorate yourself!
The day includes:
🥁 Healing Drum Circle led by the incredible Ndigo & Deinya
🌳 Offerings to uplift our personal & global ancestors at our living tree altar
🎵 Sound Bath Integration by Ishkara
Your Facilitators:
Chicava is a Universal Healing Tao Instructor and Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi instructor. She received her MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College in sacred sexuality, spirituality performance art, and women of color in burlesque heritage. Her arts and spiritual studies converge through her school, Sacred Chrysalis, the space where the sacred sexuality of Taoist Womanly Arts, burlesque, and sistering community meet. She received my MFA in Interdisciplinary Art from Goddard College in sacred sexuality, spirituality performance art, and women of color in burlesque heritage.
Deinya Phenix, PhD, is a sociologist, mother, and a child of the African Diaspora. Having danced since age 5, she discovered Afro-Brazilian percussion under the guidance of musician Cafe da Silva in 2009. Joining Batala New York in 2012, she explored Afro-Diasporic music globally, teaching and learning across Europe, South America, and the Caribbean. Rising from conductor to Co-Musical Director to Artistic & Musical Director over 9 years, she led over 100 women, infusing performances with cultural relevance, high energy, and community spirit. Deinya's work embodies a commitment to service and partnership with percussion and dance masters worldwide.
Ishkara Heqwabti is a Vocal Sound Mystic, 4th generation musician, Certified Sound Healer, and Certified Kemetic Yoga Instructor. She earned her BM in Sound Synthesis and Vocal Performance from Berklee College of Music. Rooted in her own deep spiritual practice and reverence for the healing power of sound, she founded The Inner Ish to help you realign with your true Self and restore connection to Ancestral wisdom. Through immersive, multi-sensory sound journeys, Ishkara takes you through identifying and releasing stored trauma and limiting beliefs—guiding you back to balance and activating your inner light which opens the way for self-actualization. Her work is anchored in the reclamation of her Kemetic/Ancient Egyptian spiritual roots, which now serve as the foundation for her transformative offerings. “My path is to help others achieve happiness and elevation through sacred sound.” You can find Ishkara on IG and Youtube @ishkaraheqwabti or www.theinnerish.com
Ndigo, is a Certified Reiki/Holistic Practitioner and Founder of The Healing Drum Collective
She is a Spiritual Healer, Self-Published Author, Percussionist & Entrepreneur. She seeks to help people release negative thoughts and energy thru Reiki, positivity & grounding techniques. She promotes Ancient Egyptian/Kemetic principles, ie., MAAT and Sekhem. She helps people “Recharge and Reset!”