Arts and Culture
Featured Events
HeARTbeat Collective Mission
We are united by the common cause of creating and supporting diverse and inclusive gatherings, workshops, and events that inspire and educate people through the healing and expressive arts, with a focus on healthy and sustainable relations to the earth and one another.
The HBC has a 4 year lease with the MRC and runs art and cultural events. The HeARTbeat Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) Arts & Cultural organization.
SEMA: A Devotional Gathering
“I once had a thousand desires, but in my one desire to know you, all else melted away.” – Rumi
Sema is a gathering rooted in the Sufi tradition that combines devotional chanting, live music and whirling dance meditation.
This whirling dervish tradition was founded by the 13th century mystic poet Rumi, whose poems of love and union with the divine spirit are still widely popular today.
Through the spinning movement and focus on the music, you allow the ego to subside. This tangible world starts to melt away and a greater sense of peace develops within.
You remember that the divine life force is an inherent part of you. The experience can only be described as blissful.
Participants leave feeling lighter, more at ease and peaceful.
The evening starts with a short explanation and demonstration of how to whirl and what the chants mean.
Then we open the circle with some invocations, the musicians begin playing and the whirling begins.
Many first time participants like to take it slow and do a walking meditation around the circle.
Skilled musicians are also welcome to take part in the improvisational playing.
If you’re a fan of Rumi poetry you are welcome to come read aloud.
Everyone is welcome in peace with an open heart and mind, even if you’ve never whirled before.
The event is being hosted by Omar Aena & Amira from the Lila Series
Doors open at 7PM. Address is: 177 Ripley Rd, Montague, MA 01351
Sliding Scale Fee: $22-44. Nobody will be turned away for lack of funds.
We will share a potluck meal downstairs after the dance.
MELT at the MRC w/ Boubacar Diabate & TreeJ
MELT at the MRC Returns for our 3rd year, 4th Saturdays of the Month
Heart centered inclusive community exploration and celebration,
in a barefoot sacred setting.
Feb. 22nd we are thrilled to welcome Boubacar Diabate from Mali, Africa.
Doors: 6:15pm
Yoga or Dance Class: 6:30pm
Opening Circle & Cacao Blessing: 8pm
Boubacar Diabate & SambaLolo 8:30
DJ TBA 10:15pm Closing Circle 11:45pm
Boubacar Diabate: Griot singer, guitarist and storyteller Boubacar Diabate from Bamako in Mali, West Africa comes from the Mandinka lineage and has combined traditional rhythms with modern influences to create his own style of
contemporary Malian Griot music.
"Bouba" comes with a huge ensemble and lifts the roof.
Boubacar Live
TreeJ is a rising star in the Valley on the ecstatic dance scene Blends Electronica, organic soundscapes, and live instrumentation. Rooted in deep rhythms and natural textures.
Earthen Elixirs by Casey Rose Morgan
MELT: Live Music, Yoga, Cacao Ceremonies, Workshops, Ecstatic Dance, Sound Healing, Live Painting, & Elixirs,
The HeARTbeat Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) arts and cultural organization based in Montague, MA
The HeARTbeat Collective is a group of people united by the common cause of creating and supporting gatherings, workshops, and events that inspire and educate people through the healing and expressive arts, with a focus on healthy and sustainable relations to the earth and one another.
River Valley Drum & Dance
Saturday March 8th
7:30pm - 10:30pm | Class 5:45-7pm
Welcome to a new ecstatic dance in the River Valley - bring the joy of a summer fire circle inside as we sink into deep Winter.
Join us as we gather our energy and spirit to dance, drum, and hold space to create a container
of warmth and light.
A Collaboration with the HeARTbeat Collective & Liminal Roots Productions
Location: Montague Retreat Center
177 Ripley Rd.
Montague, MA 01351
Cost: Sliding scale with suggested donations starting at $10, cash is encouraged, Venmo/Paypal QR code available
Please bring your own water bottles, drums, shakers and noise makers - all percussive instruments are welcome!
We strive to create space for movement from rhythm.
If there are questions about how you can best help to facilitate this environment
please seek the hosts of this event - Deb Chesser & Jason Cohen
Be consensual, respect the space and all in it.
This event is open to all ages and families.
Carpooling is encouraged!
MELT at the MRC w/ Morgan Sorne, DJ Luminus, Martin Bridge & Kaitlyn Cronin, & a Sunday vocal workshop with Sorne
Step into a world of otherworldly soundscapes and transcendent storytelling as we welcome the visionary artist Morgan Sorne
for a captivating live performance. Known for his hauntingly beautiful voice, eclectic instrumentation, and profound ability to weave mythic
narratives, Sorne creates an experience that lingers in the soul.
MELT at the MRC Returns for our 3rd year, 4th Saturdays of the Month
Heart centered inclusive community exploration and celebration,
in a barefoot sacred setting.
Mar. 22nd we are thrilled to welcome Morgan Sorne from Los Angeles, CA w/ DJ Luminus
w/ live painting by Martin Bridge & Kaitlyn Cronin
Doors: 6:15pm
Yoga: 6:30pm
Opening Circle & Cacao Blessing: 8pm
Morgan Sorne 8:30
DJ Luminus: 10:15pm Closing Circle 11:45pm
(Scroll to the bottom for “Finding Our Voice” Vocal Workshop w/ Morgan Sorne, Sunday, March 23rd, 2-4pm)
Morgan Sorne is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist, composer, and musician with a 5-octave voice as his primary instrument. Beyond his stunning vocal range, Sorne is known for his hypnotic creations, deeply textured vocal collages punctuated with primitive urgency, and an emotional wisdom that seems otherworldly. “Sorne sounds of the future gawking at you with a gaping mouth, fearlessly, and enveloped in mysticism.” (Red River Noise)
Hailed by Rolling Stone and NPR as one to watch, Sorne has performed his original work at some of the most prestigious venues and galleries in North America and Europe, including Art Basel, Miami The Walker Center for Performing Arts, the Sundance Film Festival, Irving Plaza in New York, and the legendary Fillmore Theatre in San Francisco.
Fellow artists from across the creative spectrum have also recognized Sorne’s unique talents and collaborated with him including Robin Finck of Nine Inch Nails (Eyes Out), TV on the Radio, CocoRosie, Gary Numan, The String Theory, Beats Antique, and composer Bear McCreary. His original music can be heard in film, TV, games and trailers including The Witcher: Blood Origin (Netflix), American Horror Story (FX), Life After Gravity (3DR), Infinitely Yours (Miwa Matreyek), and more.
Sorne recently completed illustrating a 340-page graphic novel with musician, poet, and actor, Saul Williams (Slam, Holler if Ya Hear Me) entitled “Martyr Loser King” to be released internationally through 23rd Street Books (Macmillan) Winter, 2026.
DJ Luminus
Luminus plays a colorful mix of world fusion, balancing electronic & organic flavors for ecstatic dances, CI jams & festivals.
Marek (Luminus) has a variety of backgrounds. He grew up in communist Czechoslovakia (later Czech Republic) where he studied puppetry, improvisation and drama education. It was then when he started to be interested in somatic healing, body and mind connection and finding freedom through embodied expression. Later after moving into the US in 2001 , he got a counseling degree and began working as a somatic psychotherapist. He became fascinated with the practice of Focusing and completed his Focusing Teacher Certification. Focusing became a framework for his psychotherapy practice, currently in Greenfield MA ( Solis Healing Arts ).
Later on he encountered the dancing community and discovered contact improvisation form of dance. This opened new ways for him to work with bodily energy and to explore how dancing improvisation can contribute to healing stuck emotional energy.
From there it was only a step away to become a dance facilitator and DJ in 2012 and to start working with energy of music and its impact on the body, connection to one self and to others.
Since then his journey as a DJ and workshop facilitator led him to creating healing workshops and dance events across the US as well as internationally. Some of his beloved places that he likes to visit and create events is Vancouver BC, island Ometepe Nicaragua, Portland OR, and of course his homeland - Prague.
Currently he co-creates regular ecstatic dance events with his teams in various locations.
Live Painting with Martin Bridge and Kaitlyn Cronin
Martin Bridge: Many of my works strive to honor small but critical elements of our ecosystem that are often overlooked. The creation of these works for me become a meditation on complex dynamics and how I both affect and am affected by them. One of my greatest hopes as an artist is to inspire others to help mend the sacred covenant between mankind and the web of life on earth, which gives and sustains our lives.
It is that desire that drives me to try and create palpable connections between my artworkand the environment around me as I try to achieve a better balance in
how I live.
Kaitlyn Cronin: Kaitlyn’s work lives in the intersection of spirituality, mycology, creativity, and the integration of Death in the sacred cycle of Life. The more she dives into each of these avenues the more she recognizes they are all languages describing the same phenomenon.
With the mycelial web as her greatest teacher and creation as her devotional practice, you can find Kaitlyn dancing in between realms as an apprentice to Mystery.
Through visual art, ritual, conversation and workshops, Kaitlyn weaves stories and passionate inquiries that imbed us into our ecosystems and spark a deep remembrance of our interstitial and unique place in the expansive web of life.
Earthen Elixirs by Casey Rose Morgan
MELT: Live Music, Yoga, Cacao Ceremonies, Workshops, Ecstatic Dance, Sound Healing, Live Painting, & Elixirs,
The HeARTbeat Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) arts and cultural organization based in Montague, MA
The HeARTbeat Collective is a group of people united by the common cause of creating and supporting gatherings, workshops, and events that inspire and educate people through the healing and expressive arts, with a focus on healthy and sustainable relations to the earth and one another.
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“Finding Our Voice” Vocal Workshop: Saturday February 1st, 2-4pm
Pre-sales: $35/$40-60 at the door
Morgan Sorne guides fellow singers through a series of basic vocal exercises with the intention of opening the heart and mind, breaking through inhibitions and mental barriers, allowing for the exploration of the voice. SORNE uses harmonies from his music so that attendees can sing along during his performances if they so choose. Bring water bottle, personal journal and pen or pencil.
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Live Performance + Vocal Workshop Pre-sales - $50
MELT at the MRC w/ Samir Langus & Friends, DJ Luminus & Erin Schifferli
MELT at the MRC Returns for our 3rd year, 4th Saturdays of the Month
“Heart centered inclusive community exploration and celebration, in a barefoot sacred setting.”
Jan. 25th we are thrilled to welcome Samir Langus & Friends from Morocco, w/ DJ Luminus
Opening Yoga with Erin Schifferli of Resonance Yoga Amherst
Doors 6pm
Yoga: 6:30pm
Opening Circle & Cacao Offering: 8pm
Samir Langus & Friends: 8:30pm
DJ Luminus: 10:15pm
Closing Circle: 11:45pm
Earthen Elixirs will be available throughout the event
Samir Langus & Friends
January 25th we are thrilled to welcome back Grammy nominated Gnawa musician from Morocco, Samir Langus and his extraordinary band.
Born and raised in the city of Ait Melloule, in Agadir, Morocco, his passion for music stems from the variety of street sounds of his city.
Gnawa is the southern Moroccan trance music with roots in pre-islamic animist traditions. It is an hypnotic, take on this ecstatic, trance-inducing tradition which has enthralled and inspired generations of musicians from around the world.
Music has always been a part of the constant variety of street sounds of his city, from merchants to entertainers and calls to prayer. LanGus began learning Gnawa, a traditional, spiritual trance music, at an early age from the Gnawa masters of Morocco especially Maalem Hamid El Kasri.
For the uninitiated, Gnawa music is the ritual trance music of Morocco’s black communities, originally descended from the enslaved people and soldiers once brought to Morocco from Northern Mali and Mauritania. Often called “The Moroccan Blues”, Gnawa music has a raw, hypnotic power that fascinated outsiders as diverse as writer/composer Paul Bowles, jazz giant Randy Weston and rock god Jimi Hendrix. The music is utterly singular, played on an array of unique instruments — from the lute-like sintir that the band leader uses to call the tune, to the metal karqaba, castanets with which the kouyos (chorus) keep time and pound out clattering, hypnotic rhythms. The music believed to heal people possessed by jinn, or spirits in all night ceremonies called lila.
But “Gnawa is not just the music,” says Samir. “It’s the culture. You can’t play just the sintir, you also need the karqaba (karakeb is the plural of karkaba) to have the Gnawa spirit.” He describes the sintir, a stringed percussion instrument made of wood and camel skin with goat gut strings, as a “powerful instrument” with an amazing sound. “You feel it in your heart,” he says.
LanGus makes great use of this traditional repertoire, and adds his own, contemporary spin with additional jazz instrumentation. Taken as a whole, this exciting new artist fuses a centuries old North African tradition with the pulse and attitude of New York City now. He would like to collaborate with diverse musicians improvising new sound that respects the Gnawa tradition.welcoming back Earthen Elixirs
DJ Luminus
Luminus plays a colorful mix of world fusion, balancing electronic & organic flavors for ecstatic dances, CI jams & festivals.
Marek (Luminus) has a variety of backgrounds. He grew up in communist Czechoslovakia (later Czech Republic) where he studied puppetry, improvisation and drama education. It was then when he started to be interested in somatic healing, body and mind connection and finding freedom through embodied expression. Later after moving into the US in 2001 , he got a counseling degree and began working as a somatic psychotherapist. He became fascinated with the practice of Focusing and completed his Focusing Teacher Certification. Focusing became a framework for his psychotherapy practice, currently in Greenfield MA ( Solis Healing Arts ).
Later on he encountered the dancing community and discovered contact improvisation form of dance. This opened new ways for him to work with bodily energy and to explore how dancing improvisation can contribute to healing stuck emotional energy.
From there it was only a step away to become a dance facilitator and DJ in 2012 and to start working with energy of music and its impact on the body, connection to one self and to others.
Since then his journey as a DJ and workshop facilitator led him to creating healing workshops and dance events across the US as well as internationally. Some of his beloved places that he likes to visit and create events is Vancouver BC, island Ometepe Nicaragua, Portland OR, and of course his homeland - Prague.
Currently he co-creates regular ecstatic dance events with his teams in various locations.
Yoga with Erin Schifferli
Erin began practicing yoga in 2000. With immense enthusiasm for learning
about and sharing these nourishing practices, she pursued 200 hour, 300
hour, prenatal / postnatal yoga certification, Yoga as Medicine Yoga
Therapy, vipassana meditation, mindfulness meditation, and Birth Doula
trainings and programs. She is grateful for these experiences and enjoys
sharing the benefits of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness with anyone
interested. With a focus on unveiling our already established wholeness,
Erin’s classes offer ways to re-connect deeply. As a registered
dietitian nutritionist, she invites the stress management aspects of
yoga into nutrition education workshops and counseling sessions. Her
group classes, private sessions, and courses often include playful
nature references and an encouragement to attune and listen.
Erin currently teaches at Resonance Yoga Amherst
MELT: Live Music, Yoga, Cacao Ceremonies, Workshops, Ecstatic Dance, Sound Healing, Live Painting, & Elixirs,
The HeARTbeat Collective, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) arts and cultural organization based in Montague, MA
The HeARTbeat Collective is a group of people united by the common cause of creating and supporting gatherings, workshops, and events that inspire and educate people through the healing and expressive arts, with a focus on healthy and sustainable relations to the earth and one another.
River Valley Drum & Dance w/ Tara Murphy
Saturday January 11th
7:30pm - 10:30pm | Class 5:45-7pm
Welcome to a new ecstatic dance in the River Valley - bring the joy of a summer fire circle inside as we sink into deep Winter.
Join us as we gather our energy and spirit to dance, drum, and hold space to create a container
of warmth and light.
This is an intentional drum and dance experience with a focus on deep listening and not overplaying.
A Collaboration with the HeARTbeat Collective & Liminal Roots Productions
Cost: Sliding scale with suggested donations starting at $10, cash is encouraged, Venmo/Paypal QR code available
Please bring your own water bottles, drums, shakers and noise makers - all percussive instruments are welcome!
We strive to create space for movement from rhythm.
If there are questions about how you can best help to facilitate this environment
please seek the hosts of this event - Deb Chesser & Jason Cohen
Be consensual, respect the space and all in it.
This event is open to all ages and families.
Carpooling is encouraged!
Additionally, we are grateful to be presenting a West African Dance Class by Tara Murphy of Ammaya Dance & Drum. Please offer additional reciprocity for Tara if you plan on attending the class and are able to.
Originally from Washington, D.C., Tara grew up studying ballet and theater. She earned her B.A. in theater and religious studies at Yale University, where she also began studying African dance. At this time Tara began exploring her heritage through African studies at Yale, and was awarded a fellowship to study traditional dance and drumming at the University of Legon in Ghana, West Africa. For the past 25 years, she has studied with many African and Afro-Caribbean artists in Washington, D.C., New York City and Boston. Her primary mentors have been Issa Coulibaly and Joh Camara of Mali; Mohamed Kalifa Kamara of Guinea; Fatou N’Diaye and Astou Sagna of Senegal; and Jean Appolon of Haiti. In addition to African dance, Tara has also practiced yoga and meditation since she was a child. Tara recognizes the practice of African dance and drumming as a tremendous force for healing, meditation, empowerment and community. It is her greatest honor to share the inspiration of these ancient traditions. Tara is a dancer and the managing director of Ammaya Dance. ammaya.org
Winter Solstice Collaboration
Winter Solstice Collaboration Saturday, Dec. 21st
at the Montague Retreat Center
177 Ripley Rd., Montague
Noon to Midnight
Classes, dances, live music, yoga, vending fire circle ceremony at dusk, drumming, ecstatic dance, live painting
Solstice Collaborators to include:
HeARTbeat Collective-core organizers and host organization
Western Mass Herbal Symposium: workshop by Laura Torraco
Wolftree Programs-Fire Lighting, Fire by Friction
Resonance Yoga- Afternoon Vinyasa
Earthen Elixirs: throughout the day into the night
Fire Walk by Glow Firewalking
Rose Khalsa: Ojibwe Pipe Prayer Offering
Marie Echo: Fire lighting, Orphic Hymn to Nyx
Father Otter, Jason Cohen, Nico D’amico & Glenn Smith: Opening live ecstatic dance
DJ Passionflower-Ecstatic Dance-Late night
Martin Bridge-Live Painting
Kaitlyn Cronin - Live Painting
River Valley Drum & Dance
Thursday October 17
7:00 - 10:00pm | Doors 6:30pm
Welcome to a new ecstatic dance in the River Valley - bring the joy of a summer fire circle inside as we sink into deep Autumn.
Join us as we gather our energy and spirit to dance, drum, and hold space to create a container
of warmth and light.
This is an intentional drum and dance experience with a focus on deep listening and not overplaying.
A Collaboration with the HeARTbeat Collective & Liminal Roots Productions
Cost: Sliding scale with suggested donations starting at $10, cash is encouraged, Venmo/Paypal QR code available
Please bring your own water bottles, drums, shakers and noise makers - all percussive instruments are welcome!
We strive to create space for movement from rhythm.
If there are questions about how you can best help to facilitate this environment
please seek the hosts of this event - Deb Chesser & Jason Cohen
Be consensual, respect the space and all in it.
This event is open to all ages and families.
Carpooling is encouraged!
Yaima w/ James Bird
Thursday October 17
7:00 - 10:00pm | Doors 6:30pm
Immerse yourself in a special performance by YAIMA at the stunning Montague Retreat Center in Montague, MA.
Join us for a journey of empowerment and connection on October 17th as we embark on an experience that will awaken your senses and uplift your spirit.
with the magical James Bird opening.
Presented by Heartbeat Collective, Montague Retreat Center & Sacred Breath Alchemy.
SWID: Sacred World Interdependence Day Gathering
SWID is back. July 5th-7th, 2024
We were all born to live creatively.
Ceremony, Live Music, Ecstatic Dance, Song Circles, Herbalism, Flow Arts, Belly Dancing, Yoga, Story Telling, Fire Circle, Live Painting, Vendors, Cacao Ceremony in the Hemlock Grove, West African Dance Class, Permaculture Action & a screening of Lovejoy's Nuclear War. Classes all weekend.
Check out https://events.humanitix.com/sacred-world for details and to register
MRC Summer Yoga Residency - with Maddie Fega
Maddie grew up in Amherst and has been living in Brooklyn since 2015. Immediately upon stepping foot onto the property of the Montague Retreat Center she felt a deep desire to connect with it. The result was a collaboration with Jason to establish a summer yoga teaching residency that would bring community members to the property to practice yoga. She is delighted to have the opportunity to guide valley folks through yoga classes all summer and contribute to the establishment of a kula (yoga community) amid the trees!
Maddie has been drawn to teaching her whole life. As a high school history teacher in the New York City public schools, teaching is an integral part of how she interacts with the world. Maddie’s yoga journey began while living in France and studying with Pascale Petit. Upon returning to New York she met Julie Dohrman, and after five years of practicing with her, completed her ShaktiYoga 200-hour teacher training. Physical movement, from her lifelong love of long-distance running to push-up contests with her partner and dancing with friends, is central to Maddie’s sense of balance and connectedness. To Maddie, yoga is the most profound way to align and unite mind and body, self and others. Through her teaching practice, she invites all to deepen their curiosity of the human body, open themselves to subtle and invigorating forms of strength, and ground their lives on and off the mat in the wisdom of breath. She brings authenticity of spirit and intelligent sequencing to her classes, and always leaves space for humor.
Daily classes are $20 and can be booked online through humanitix or paid in cash or venmo upon arrival.
Western Mass Herbal Symposium
Join us at first-ever Western Massachusetts Herbal Symposium and celebrate the healing and connection that is offered to us when we are in reciprocity with the land, plants, fungi, and community that sustains us.
MELT at the MRC w/ MaMuse
MELT at the MRC Returns for our 2nd year, 4th Saturdays of the Month
Heart centered inclusive community exploration and celebration, in a barefoot sacred setting. April 27th we are thrilled to welcome MaMuse from the west coast.
w/ DJ Journey Weaver
Opening Yoga with Chandra Cantor w/ live musical accompaniment by Jason Cohen
live painting by Kaitlyn Cronin, welcoming back Earthen Elixirs
Doors: 6pm
Yoga: 6:30pm
Opening Circle: 8pm
MaMuse: 8:30
Journey Weaver: 10pm
For Tickets Visit: https://events.humanitix.com/melt-at-the-mrc-w-mamuse
MaMuse:(“Ma” as in Mamma; “Muse” as in the one who inspires)Harmonic, Uplifting, Folk-Soul-Revival; A Musical Tune-Up for the Heart Wholeheartedly fed by the folk and gospel traditions, MaMuse (Sarah Nutting and Karisha Longaker) create uplifting music to inspire the world into thriving. Interweaving brilliant and haunting harmony with lyrics born of honed emotional intelligence, MaMuse invokes a musical presence that inspires the opening of the heart. Playing a family of varied acoustic instruments including upright bass, guitar, mandolins, ukulele, and flutes, these two powerful women embody a love for all life. The synergy that is created through this musical connection is palpable and truly moving to witness.With 13 delicious years of co-creation and 7 albums under their belts, MaMuse keep their hearts tuned to the creation of music for the health of ALL BEINGS. DJ Journey Weaver (aka. Sarah Monette) takes dancers on a journey of self discovery through creative expression and connection. She mixes a variety of musical genres for ecstatic dance, world bass festivals, guided movement gatherings, and late night EDM. Through training in conscious movement and authentic relating, Journey brings her love of interpersonal connection and self discovery into the musical alchemy that invites dropping into presence and seeing where the rhythms take you. Founder of Ecstatic Dance Boston, Sweat Beats Northampton, and co-founder of I-Opener Dance and Flow ED... she continues to DJ and facilitate locally and internationally, thoroughly enjoying the ride.Chandra Cantor brings an ease and grace to the practice of Vinyasa Yoga, encouraging students of all levels to feel comfortable in their personal practice while gently playing with the edge of possibility and growth. www.steppingintobalance.comMELT: Live Music, Yoga, Cacao Ceremonies, Workshops, Ecstatic Dance, Sound Healing, Live Painting, & Elixirs,