According to Coaching-online.org, a goddess party is "a gathering that celebrates womanhood, sisterhood, empowers women, and uplifts the female mind and spirit." Add music, dancing, and colorful visuals to the convergence and that empowering, uplifting, feminine energy can hit infectious, higher levels—something that's been known to happen at the rare concerts by the Hudson Valley-based collective known as the Goddess Party. Featuring a choir of over 30 singers and a full rock band, the project performs songs by Kate Bush, the B-52s, PJ Harvey, and others. During the 2023 O+ Festival the collaboration wowed a full house at the Old Dutch Church, to where it will return this month. Ahead of the show, cofounder and director Shana Falana answered the questions below by email. The Goddess Party will perform at the Old Dutch Church in Kingston on May 4 at 7pm. Rager will open. There is a suggested donation of $20 at the door.
—Peter Aaron
click to enlarge
Photo by Rachel Brennecke
What's the concept behind the Goddess Party?How did it all start?
I had been studying the Goddess and have been working with two teachers in what they call "mystery school." I just had this vision come to me of exactly what we are now. I saw a group of 50 women that blends performers with those who have never performed before or that maybe haven't been as creative in their last years because they had a kid or got a job that took them away from their art, their dreams. I created it while I was in the depths of an awful perimenopause and a newly diagnosed autoimmune disease. I needed this group, and I assumed others did too. I needed to be around women of a certain age—primarily Gen X; between 30 and 60—and I knew they needed to sing, too, because when you all sing together magic happens that heals you. I alsoneeded to specifically teach them these Bulgarian songs I had learned in the '90s in my Bulgarian group in San Francisco. I just followed the voice in my head, the visions, and when I started reaching out to people it just came together almost effortlessly. The timing was right.
How many members does the group have at this point? Who's in it?
Currently we're at 35 in the choir and seven in the band, which has cofounder Sarah Power on keytar and accordion, Betsy Wright (Ex Hex) on guitar, Cristina Martinez (Boss Hog) and Sarah Carlson on drums, Lysa Withay (Overlake) on bass, Francesca Hoffman on vocals and wind instruments, and me on guitar and autoharp.
click to enlarge
Photo by Rachel Brennecke
Arranging and rehearsing—and just getting together—must be quite an effort and adventure for an ensemble that size. What goes into a Goddess Party show? How do you choose the material the group does?
I just create a lot of rehearsals so that everyone will eventually get to one. So far, we are only doing two shows a year, which is manageable and allows us to have enough time to create a whole new show each time. In between shows, I pick the songs. I have a team that I work with to create these beautiful shows: Fashion photographer Rachel Brennecke and costume designer Ramona Cat help create the look of the show and choreographer Laura V. Ward helps us sculpt our ideas into something cohesive. And the other goddesses also created some really fun "accessories"—I will leave it at that, not to spoil the surprises.
How do you see the group developing as thingsgo forward?
One of my dreams is to get it to a theater in New York. I really can see this project having a run in the city, I think it would do really well. As for touring, I know it seems like it would be difficult, but I have a vision for it. I see a core group of us (band and some of the chorus) flying to other cities, where I have friends and friends of friends. We could send the music ahead of time and show up a bunch of days before the show in that city and practice. I love that I get to help inspire people that have never sung in public or performed before to perform and sing. It suddenly becomes sort of easy when everything isn't so rigid or formulaic.
click to enlarge
Photo by Rachel Brennecke
What are some of the other Goddess Party members most excited about when it comes to this month's concert?
I just sent this out to our group email, and these are the answers that came back: "The way I see us (currently) is completely community oriented. And as we are creating this community within the group itself, we are also healing somuch of ourselves personally." "This performance is for us, to exude all the emotional weaving we've done, all the 'old stories' we're letting go of about ourselves." "We want the audience to experience all of this with us. We want them to tap into this bliss and joy and leave feeling a release themselves." "Hoping for a packed house so we can impactas many souls as possible with our contagiousenergy!"
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Tags
- Music,
- goddess party,
- o+ festival,
- Old Dutch Church
About The Author
Related Locations
Old Dutch Church
272 Wall Street, KingstonKingston
(845) 338-6759
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