"Drum sound rises on the air, its throb, my heart. A voice inside the beat says: I know you're tired, but come. This is the way." Rumi
I am Auntie Matter - Keeper of The PULSE. Trance Drumming produces transformational and life changing results. States of rapture and elation, connection with the Divine, healing and stress relief, disconnection from Time and expanded Unified Field Awareness are regularly experienced. Based on my practice of the Tantric Yoga of ANAHATA-NAD "Spontaneously Arising Sound", I focus energy on transmitting and manifesting "Trance Rhythm" in a way that is accessible & joyous for everyone involved, whether they be listeners or trance dancers or dance performers. Enticing Middle Eastern and World Beat rhythm patterns interweave in a seamless flow that will transport you to other realms.
AUNTIE MATTER (aka Sondra Slade) Percussionist: has studied & performed music her whole life, including studying new music with John Cage and performing with Bill Russo and his Rock Opera company in Chicago. It was at the Ali Akbar Khan School of Music & the Center for World Music, where she studied percussion, that she first became involved in Indian and Middle Eastern music and Sacred Sound as a Spiritual Path. She Founded AXIS MUNDI World Groove Trance Chant and is the band's Producer, Artistic Director & Lead Percussionist. She has produced numerous World Music events and performs with many varied ensembles from World Beat to Spoken Word to Nu Jazz to World Fusion, and over 10 years ago she began journeying the Mystical Shamanic Path of TRANCE DRUMMING as an integral part of her tantric practice of Kundalini 'Spontaneous Sound' Yoga. Sondra has served as Adjunct Instructor of Spirituality at Holy Names College and the University of Creation Spirituality, and served on the faculty at GaiaAlliance teaching Sacred Sound for Transformation. For the past 3 years she has been teaching World Beat Trance Drumming workshops at Belladonna, Spiral Muse, Change Makers, the SF Spiritual Enrichment Center, the Institute of Conscious Body Work and the Humanist Fellowship, along with private classes and lessons throughout the Bay Area.
I also TEACH World Beat Trance Drumming Classes -
LEARN TO PLAY & IMPROVISE IN ANY SITUATION and
Jouney the Ecstatic Shamanic realm of Trance Drumming!
Learn to get the best sounds from your drum, mesmerizing
World Beat rhythm patterns from India, the Middle East and
Africa, and the basic skills for journeying the shamanic realm
of World Beat Trance Drumming. Based on my long practice
of Kundalini Sound Yoga and Trance Drumming, you will learn
several rhythm patterns and their variations that can all be
combined into a seamless cycle of nested polyrhythms. You
will also learn how to easily transition from one to another of
these patterns, play them simultaneously on top of each other
canon style with other drummers, be confident in a drum circle,
improvise & invent your own rhythms, and seamlessly return to
the Mother Beat, all without getting lost or dropping the beat!
OPENINGS for New Beginning Students or Returning Beginners/Intermediate
on ALTERNATING TUESDAYS or THURSDAYS at 7pm.
These are SMALL GROUP CLASSES: (maximum 7 seats)
This is a great opportunity to get started or return to
drumming! These private group classes are a lot of fun
and a great way to make progress very quickly. They
are truly quality drum circles.
All classes convene every other week at 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Alternating TUESDAYS Or Alternating THURSDAYS
Classes meet on Potrero Hill, in San Francisco
easily reached by car - PLENTY OF EASY STREET PARKING!!
or Public Transportation - the Muni lines 48 & 53 run right to it.
TUITION: $35 per each Class.
You don't have to pre-pay, you pay as you go at each class, but
you do have to Register with me. These are NOT drop-in classes.
For more info... contact: axismundi@jps.net
BYO drum if you have one.
Limited Drum Rental available:
Doumbeks & D'jembes - $10 per drum, per class.
"Last night, I spent two hours with Axis Mundi founder
Sondra Slade, being tutored by her in "trance drumming."
Sondra is a marvelous teacher, extraordinary drummer,
and utterly delicious human being. A joyous elation
flooded my body, mind, and heart as I entered a sensual
world beyond thoughts and concepts - a world of feeling,
rhythm, vibration, pulse, and primal conscious energy."
Robert Rabbin, Founder, Radical Sages