BRATTLEBORO — On the weekend of May 20 and 21, the musician Laraaji will present an immersive sonic experience in the sanctuary of Epsilon Spires. The following day, a workshop exploring the power of laughter to encourage relaxation, playfulness, and the strength of the body's immune system will take place on the grounds of the picturesque Green River Bridge Inn in nearby Guilford.
Laraaji's workshop is the first event in an exciting new partnership between Epsilon Spires and The Green River Bridge Inn, which will soon host ongoing artist residency programs featuring local and international artists.
The Green River Bridge Inn will also be the site of a Multidisciplinary Salon Series this summer, which will build off the success of Epsilon Spires's three-day Celebration of Black Girlhood and Womanhood in July 2021. The Salon features music, poetry, and artist talks co-curated by the director of Epsilon Spires, Jamie Mohr, and the artist, author, and public intellectual Shanta Lee Gander.
Laraaji has released dozens of albums since 1980, when the experimental musician Brian Eno heard him improvising on the electric zither in a New York City park. Eno invited Laraaji to record in his studio, and the resulting album became Ambient 3: Day of Radiance, “one of the first and most influential records ever released in the genre of ambient music,” according to a news release.
In the subsequent forty years, Laraaji has toured the world with a mix of electric and acoustic instruments, ranging from effect pedals to micro-tuned mounted gongs. Laraaji also incorporates elements of guided meditation into his performances, resulting in “a trance-like sonic journey” that he describes as “free-associating with time, space, and energy.”
The Saturday, May 21, laughter yoga workshop co-led with the sound healer, reiki master, and dreamwork teacher Arji OceAnanda will allow participants to collectively let down their guard and focus on the healing power of laughter.
Laraaji describes the workshop as a process that will “leave the person in a place that's equal to the final posture in yoga classes: shavasana, or deep meditative relaxation.”