Community

​Revels urges understanding and celebration of diversity in an inclusive spirit, expressed through participation. We acknowledge those things that make each of us personally and culturally unique. We form a long line of dancers spiraling through the performance space – disparate souls linked for one brief, but glorious moment in an endless chain of connection, fellowship and joy. Many individuals, all different, all connected. Our message is about openness to the bounty that surrounds us, not about constant wanting. We wish you “More and more” in a spirit of recognizing blessings, both material and spiritual, by expressing gratitude and a willingness to share. We share agrarian customs and cultures through performance, reminding us of how human society is ultimately formed by natural forces, and how weighty is our mandate to shepherd resources carefully. We portray people in community with – not dominance over – the natural realm.

​​Generations (Family)

​We recognize the bonds that extend through time – backwards through generations long gone, forwards to future generations, and sideways as we embrace those dear ones living and sharing the moment with us. Our performances validate the experience of childhood and empower the young, while at the same time honoring the wisdom, gravity – and levity of age. We celebrate the wonder of growing up and growing wiser together.

​​Human Experience (Larger Metaphors)

​Revels calls into awareness the greater patterns of human existence by expressing them through music, poetry and ritual. We recognize the turning wheel of the year; the succession of the seasons; sowing, growth, and harvest; the experience of light in times of darkness, and darkness glimpsed in times of light; the finitude of death and the eternal hope of birth.

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​Continuity (Old Wisdom)

​To revel is to interact and share in the celebration of occasion; the delight of comradeship; and the awe of mystery. There is much of value in things known intuitively and passed along through many hearts and hands. These traditions are distilled into ritual and reenacted with reverence to form a powerful part of Revels celebrations and performances. Our performance is most satisfying when it is most inclusive.