Long Dance DJs 2025

How great you are offering music medicine at the Long Dance this year. Delighted you will be part of the team of Music Medicine carriers through the medicine pouch of our wavs, aaa’s and mp3’s

As it is with everything….its all about the heart. So to support you to be present in your DJ offerings and to facilitate transitions and help you with the tech stuff we have a mighty DJ Co-ordination team to support you as a DJ as you support the dancers to dive into the dance in the ceremony.

DJ TEAM MEETING

JUNE 30, 2025

6 - 7.30 PM EUROPE CET

5 - 6.30 PM UK TIME

Kaya T. Sertic is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Long Dance DJ Team Meeting

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83558640746?pwd=qZFB2T9Mxl58a9boEXoUuKYpbWh43J.1

Meeting ID: 835 5864 0746

Passcode: 654404

One of our main roles at the Long Dance is to support you as DJ to offer your music and medicine for the dancers, ceremony leaders and our beloved Long Dance. There will be usually two of our team on duty when you DJ. We are here to support you with:

Tech set up support

(we will set you up to be able to play)

DJ Slot Timings

(the co-ordination team will let you know if there are any time changes and will look after the round timings for you. You will see the round timer in front of you during your DJing)

communications to and from Ya’Acov and Susannah

We will liaise with Ya’Acov and Susannah and anyone else who comes to the Dj desk so you can concentrate on DJing. If someone comes to the Dj desk and asks you a question, you can send them to us, you don’t need to deal with it while you are DJing.

AN ALLY / SOUNDING BOARD / CHEER LEADER / SAFE HARBOUR

As Dj co-ordinators, probably our most important job is to support you as DJ. So you can ask for a hug, someone at your back, alongside you. Or you may need more space when you are djing, that’s cool too. Just let us know. We’re here to support in whatever way we can.

Please note that at times it can get busy behind the DJ desk….tech stuff / announcements / time changes etc… we’ll do what we can to make it Zen….and its not always possible for it to be Zen all of the time so, do use your practices as you would if it gets a little busy in and around the Dj desk. (as you would when there is a little turbulence when you are normally teaching or holding space)

WHEN TO ARRIVE FOR YOUR DJ SLOT

The optimal time to come set up is about 40 mins before you are due to start. In this way we can set your computer up and do a sound check. Also this allows us to do the set up when the current DJ before you has settled and enough time before you are due to play. This is your responsibility to make sure you know when you are on and you can check in with the DJ coordinator on duty to have a time schedule up date before this as the timings can change.

WHAT DJ GEAR TO BRING TO THE DJ DESK

To keep the transition as smooth as possible we will already have the following ready for you to plug into:

2 x Traktor Z1 with usb leads
2 x Traktor Audio 2 MK2 Portable Sound card (the small black simple one) with usb leads
Leads for those using iTunes to go straight into your computer

HEART OF THE MATTER

Music, ceremony and things to be aware of

There is a request from Susannah and Ya’Acov to be mindful of lyrics in your music. Some lyrics are ok if they are in alignment with the ceremony eg Danit. The basic request is not to use music with lyrical narrative. This means lyrics that may take the dancers attention away from the particular round or thread of the Long Dance. Best to only use lyrics where the voice is more of an instrument rather than lots of words. Some lyrics and words is ok but not too much, especially in English. If you have a song with lyrics not in English do know what the singer is singing about so you know what you are putting into the space and there may well be someone who speaks that language in the dance.
Don’t use songs that explicitly use the word ‘Ayahuasca’ If there are songs that you love that use the word Ayahuasca then use filters or skip over it. This is simply to not give the wrong impression that ayahuasca is used in these ceremonies. There are people coming from all walks of life to the LD, not just AP’s.
Use a variety of music in your DJ set and in each round you play.
Be aware of ‘Activation and Relaxation’ ‘Yin and Yang’ which is central to our work of MM and is important that it is present in your set whichever round you are holding. This will best serve the dancers and ceremony, be aware that we are in ceremony is 72 hours long. So your job is to serve the whole ceremony, so Activation and Relaxation..‘Yin and Yang’ is great. Be mindful of too much of the same beat / tempo.

Your medicine self is very welcome. Your music is medicine, your presence is medicine, your intention is medicine. Remember to love who is in front of you :)
A new development this year is that all DJ’s know which round you will be Djing at the Long Dance a weeks before you arrive so feel free to dream into it, dance with it and explore your relationship with it. Also as always you can prepare the round and feel free to adapt as you need to meet and match as well as listen to the emergent qualities during the ceremony
There may be times where we need to shorten or even extend a round or rounds to be in service of the whole ceremony. This will be decided by Ya’Acov and Susannah and the coordinators will communicate with Ya’Acov and Susannah and let you know if this needs to happen. So good to have segue tracks ready and also some flexibility in your set for it to be a little shorter or longer. Also in very rare occasions we may need to change the schedule. In this scenario we’ll do our best to create another DJ slot.
The volume of the music is an important tool in DJing so listen and be mindful of meeting and matching what supports the energetics is more/ less volume and listening for the emergent qualities. Watch the temptation to increase the volume from a place of push. We may ask you to increase / decrease the volume of music, this may be a request from Y+S.
Have a look at the individual email I send you about the time of ceremony, where it is in the overall ceremony, time of day, what is before you and after you and the theme of the overall journey. All this info will be in your individual email. You can take this as part of your dreaming into the music. Also there is something valuable in trusting the medicine of the music you know, love and have used before.
The DJ coordinators will do the announcements on the microphone so you don’t have to worry about that, just be mindful that we may ask to turn down the music a little to make announcements. Also Ya’Acov, Susannah or the DJ coordinators will do the announcements of the changeovers (A,B,C...) and introduce the rounds so good to have music ready at the beginning and end of your rounds to support this. It can simply be to lower the volume or have segue tracks you can bring in and out. If using iTunes this can be with volume or a simple segue track.
Each round is a mini journey so good to have this in mind, also its a relationship between this and also the overall arc of your set and the wider arc of the journey. Lovely to play with this in your preparations :)

These are the ways we, AS DJ CO-ORDINATOR TEAM can offer support:

Making sure the DJ area is as peaceful and spacious as we can. In this way we ask you to be mindful about this when coming to set up your equipment. So simple awareness of the DJ who is currently playing and also to ask any questions of the coordinator rather than the DJ playing. Also not to engage in too much ‘chat’ at the DJ desk before you play. Good to prepare yourself, call in the Mesa and tune into your dedication.
We are there to support you too so you can ask for whatever kind of support you need. It could be alongsideness, someone at your back or you may need space...all good, do feel free to ask for what you need from us. That said, be aware that it can be busy at the DJ desk sometimes with technical stuff, announcements, communications we have with Ya’Acov and Susannah and other teams. This is where it is different from normal DJing when you are teaching. So the medicine of flexibility is a good practice :)
While you are DJing, if anyone comes to you with a question you can refer them to the DJ coordinators so you can concentrate on DJing
While you are DJing feel free to ask the coordinators for any energetic or technical support you would like or need.
If you are unsure about the music or how it is landing in the space, firstly trust yourself and your medicine. Also you can ask the coordinators for support and suggestions if you like.
When you have completed your DJing take a moment to land and do your own completions, no need to rush off, just be mindful that the less people there are behind the DJ Desk the better.
We are on hand for any technical issues. Don’t worry if the music gets interrupted for any technical issues as we will have back up music ready in place while we resolve any possible issue. If there is no music for a moment that’s totally fine.
You can bring your own mini mesa objects with you to have on the DJ desk with you, just know there isn’t a lot of space available :)
Make sure that your Long Dance role is covered for enough time before and after your DJ set to give you time to prepare, take it in and self regulate. This is a relationship between the importance of your LD role and having enough time. Djing is not more important than you LD role so be in good communication with your LD role team.
Bring your computer charger with you. We will have some ready, but bring yours just in case, especially if you are using a PC.