Setlist for Tending Your Fire, Tending Your Heart Retreat (Feb 23-25, 2024)

Dear Friends, 

If you're reading this, you might have attended the Tending Your Fire, Tending Your Heart retreat from Friday, February 23 through Sunday, February 25 at Episcopal House of Prayer near Collegeville.  

We invited folks who have been carrying a load for their community, in a season of deep service, organizing, and/or mutual aid work to lay it all down for a weekend and receive some spaciousness and care.  

Here is a list of the songs we sang over the weekend with links to online recordings.

• Armor (Ahlay Blakely)
• Breathe In, Breath Out Lullaby* (tune: Silent Night) - led by Katy
• Breath More Slowly* (Shireen Amini)
• Do You Feel? Do You Heal? (Lu Aya Nephew, The Peace Poets + Deirdre Shabaaz)
• Earth My Body (unknown) - Liz's adapted lyrics: Liberation / Solidarity / Justice coming / Ground in love!
• Endless Boundless Gratitude (Samara Jade)
• Gather / We Are Not Alone (Joanna Laws Landis)
• Healing is Possible (Orion Johnstone)
• I did not come here alone (The Peace Poets)
• If it’s not a F*#$ yeah (Lyndsey Scott)
• O Bless the Food* (Okie Dokie Brothers?)
• One by One (Michael Stillwater)
• Open Sentences (Ahlay Blakely)
• Park Bench (Knots on a String, Nat's band) - live version
• Risk More for Love (words: Casper ter Kuile; music: Liz Digitale Anderson)
• Thank you earth (Mark + Sheri? Anderson)
• Traveler's Lullaby (Knots on a String)
• Wind in My Bones* (Malia Burkhart) - led by Malia

* no known recording online. Please share in the comments if you find one!

** the composer/catcher of this song is not known to us.  If you do know, please pass it on in the comments.  :)

Here's a list of Resources:

Mar 16: Grow Your Voice: A Workshop to Explore, Experiment, & Strengthen Your Singing Voice

Grow Your Voice: A Workshop to Explore, Experiment, & Strengthen Your Singing Voice

When: Saturday, March 16, 2024, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Where:  New City Center for Healing Justice, 3104 16th Ave S, Minneapolis
fb event link for sharing: https://fb.me/e/58TzIdfWL

Want to be a stronger, more confident singer?

The voice in your body is a seed of who you are. Depending on how it’s been tended over your life, your voice might feel strong and healthy – or it may feel more like it has a shallow root system, a weak stem, or fewer leaves or blossoms than desired. In voice work, your breath, posture, body tension, and fear of how you’re “supposed” to sound are all aspects that need tending to.

Join Conie and Liz for two hours of vocal tending and singing from your full breath and heart: give yourself and your voice loving, caring attention to grow strong, healthy, and beautiful. We want your voice to sing out and clearly communicate your care, pride, passion, hurt, and dreams to ourselves, our beloveds, our community, and our world.

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• Masks up please as an act of community care while Covid is surging. Thank you.
• Sliding scale payment: $15-$40.
• Please fill out the registration form here https://forms.gle/HqqDZ6LDADnvcrBx8 and Venmo/Paypal @ConieB to reserve your spot (confirm digits: 7530)
• Two solidarity spots available for volunteers; inquire at goodtrouble@pointsoflightmusic.net.

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Workshop leaders Conie Borchardt and Liz Digitale Anderson are GOOD TROUBLE, a queer mixed Asian songleading duo. They bring a wide variety of vocal experience and technique to share, including certification in the playful Five Elements Full Voice Method of Barbara McAfee (did you know your voice has fire and water in it?!), classical and musical theatre voice training, jazz improv, and a cappella beatboxing.

Jun 7-9: Dances of Universal Peace in Northern MN

Eeeeeeeee!!!!!! It's happening!

Adam Wolter and I are caravaning to northern MN to share and amplify the Dances with the communities where fellow dancers live in Duluth, Ely, and Grand Rapids!  

More details to come, but feel free to jot down these dates and join us as you feel so moved!

• Friday, June 7:  Duluth
• Saturday, June 8:  Ely
• Sunday, June 9:  Grand Rapids

p.s. an event in Morris and in the southeastern corner of the state will be scheduled for May and June. Watch for that date to be determined soon!

Thank you voters of MN! “This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.”

Setlist from Feb 16 Songs in Your Body On This Land @ Studio 331, NKB

Here are the songs we sang at the BIPOC+Mixed Race sing Songs In Our Bodies On This Land at Studio 331 (Rosy Simas Danse) in the Northrup-King Building on Friday night, February 16, 2024 with links to online recordings for your at-home remembering pleasure.

1. Gather / We Are Not Alone (Joanna Laws Landis)
2. Do You Feel? Do You Heal? (Words: Spirit)
3. Smash/layer up: I did not come here alone (The Peace Poets) + We breath together / Stop the occupation (adrienne maree brown)
4. Loosen, Loosen (Aly Halpert)
5. Stay soft (Samantha Rise)
6. Armor (Ahlay Blakely)
7. Refrain from Life (unknown) - led by Rama
8. Stop outsourcing your self-worth (Liz Digitale Anderson, based on a quote by Logan Ury on the We Can Do Hard Things podcast)
9. I am free in my body (Shireen Amini)

Thank you to the crew who sang with us! The right people were there, tenderness, grit, and support were shared. Community was tended. This is part of the dream Liz and Conie are working towards!

Special thanks to Rosy Simas Danse for hosting us and offering Conie B a transdisciplinary artist space residency for the week.  Deep gratitude to Rebekah, the studio manager, and George for taking photos (coming soon)!

Mar 8: Songs in Your Body On This Land @ Northrup King Bldg

We'd like to welcome People of the Global Majority (Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color, and Mixed Race) to these song circles.

When: Friday, March 8, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Studio #240***, Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson St. NE, Minneapolis (map)

Facebook event link

Led by GOOD TROUBLE, Conie Borchardt and Liz Digitale Anderson. We teach songs for joy, courage, grief, hope, and justice in the oral tradition, call and echo. You don't need to "be a singer" or "know what you're doing", you just gotta be willing to breathe and open your mouth and echo back. Maybe even move your hips if you're feeling it

**We will be requesting that folx mask up for the sake of collective community health indoors. Thank you for understanding**

*** This is a shoe-free dance studio. There will be shoe coverings for those who need them.

** There will be chairs available but if you prefer sitting on the floor, you might want to bring a pillow or bolster or whatever makes you more comfortable!

***This is an accessible location.*** 

For those new to the Northrup King Building, it is a huge former seed warehouse, so you may want to take extra time to find us. Here's some navigational tips (and rest in the fact we'll have Good Trouble signs posted to help you find your way!): 

If you need to use the elevator,

1. Park at northern end
2. The ramp is between dock 8 and 9
3. Enter Door F (between dock 5 and 6)
4. Once inside, the elevator is around the corner to the left (an old industrial one is ahead of you; a modern one is behind you)
5. On the 2nd floor, turn left off the elevator and go straight a ways.
6. When you get to a corner, turn left (it's the only way).
7. Then follow the descending room numbers until you get to 240!

Wanna take the stairs? 

• There's a few entrances you can pick from. Floor maps are abundant inside. If you take the main entrance (with the awning), you can pickup the directions from step 5 above once you're on the second floor, i.e., turn left once you get to the main long hallway.

Can do some steps but not all the stairs?  Or want a more direct experience?

1. Enter Door D (just beyond PF Cafe, in the loading dock area)
2A. Climb stairs to 3rd floor OR
2B. Go through stairwell into hallway. Turn right at intersection. Freight elevator is there. **If you need someone to open and close the heavy freight gates, let us know ahead of time and we'll have someone available to help! When you get off the elevator, turn left.
3. On the 3rd floor, when you arrive at a intersecting hallway, turn left.
4. Studio 331 will be straight ahead.

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Photo by Mankwe Ndosi: Preparing the Unburdening Ground, Say Their Names Cemetery at George Floyd Square, Minneapolis

Feb 16 @Studio 331: Songs In Your Body On This Land @ Northrup King Bldg

We'd like to welcome People of the Global Majority (Black, Brown, Indigenous, People of Color, and Mixed Race) to these song circles.

When: Friday, January 12, and February 16, 6-8 p.m.
Where: Studio #331***, Northrup King Building, 1500 Jackson St. NE, Minneapolis (map)
Facebook event link

Led by GOOD TROUBLE, Conie Borchardt and Liz Digitale Anderson. We teach songs for joy, courage, grief, hope, and justice in the oral tradition, call and echo. You don't need to "be a singer" or "know what you're doing", you just gotta be willing to breathe and open your mouth and echo back. Maybe even move your hips if you're feeling it 

Conie is a recipient of a three thirty-one space artist residency (Rosy Simas Danse) and this gathering is part of their 2024 residency.

**We will be requesting that folx mask up for the sake of collective community health indoors. Thank you for understanding**

*** This is a shoe-free dance studio.  There will be shoe coverings for those who need them.

** There will be chairs available but if you prefer sitting on the floor, you might want to bring a pillow or bolster or whatever makes you more comfortable!  

**We will have a photographer present to document this event in February; if you don't want to be photographed please let us know and we will opt you out!**

***This is an accessible location.*** For those new to the Northrup King Building, it is a huge former seed warehouse, so you may want to take extra time to find us. The following are some navigational tips and rest in the fact that we'll have Good Trouble signs to help you find your way too!  

If you need to use the elevator,

1. Park at northern end
2. The ramp is between dock 8 and 9
3. Enter Door F (between dock 5 and 6)
4. Once inside, the elevator is around the corner to the left (an old industrial one is ahead of you; a modern one is behind you)
5. On the 3rd floor, turn left off the elevator and go straight a ways.
6. When you approach an intersection (where one choice does not include a stairwell), turn left.
7. Studio 331 will be straight ahead.

For non-elevator users (or those who want to use a freight elevator closer to the space: use steps 1-4 above and make the long journey of step 5 on the first floor instead of the 3rd, then jump to 2b below, except elevator will be on your left instead)

1. Enter Door D (just beyond PF Cafe, in the loading dock area)

2A. Climb stairs to 3rd floor OR

2B. Go through stairwell into hallway and turn left. Freight elevator is there. **If you need someone to open and close the heavy freight gates, let us know ahead of time and we'll have someone available to help! When you get off the elevator, turn left.

3. On the 3rd floor, when you arrive at a intersecting hallway, turn left.

4. Studio 331 will be straight ahead.

--
Photo by Mankwe Ndosi: Preparing the Unburdening Ground, Say Their Names Cemetery at George Floyd Square, Minneapolis