Ritual, magic and alchemy
Ceremony music and ecstatic dance
Sound bowls and gongs to open the space, an ecstatic dance set that carries a room from stillness to release and back, and a full ritual night when the gathering wants one.
Opening the space
Many of our nights begin with sound bowls and gongs, played live while the room settles, before a single beat drops. It gives people a moment to arrive and tells the room this is not an ordinary party. From there the music can stay gentle, or build all the way to a full bass and fire show.
Ecstatic dance sets
Ecstatic dance asks something different of a DJ. Most dances ask for no talking on the floor, and the music has to carry people through one long wave: a slow start, a long climb, a peak, and a landing into stillness. The Great Medicine Show plays sets made for exactly that. When we apply to a dance, we send a set that was really recorded at an ecstatic dance, not a festival mix, so you hear what your floor would get.
Our ecstatic dance history includes the 11:11 Ceremony and Ecstatic Dance at Indra's Awarehouse in Austin in 2021, co-billed with Equanimous and Claraty.
Ceremony nights
For gatherings that want more, the full Great Medicine Show weaves ceremony into a performance, with dancers, aerial and fire around the music. Medicine for the People at Texas Music River Ranch in 2022, co-billed with Drumspyder, brought ceremony, sound healing and flow arts together. The Alchemical Bass Symphony at Indra's Awarehouse in 2024 added circus arts and fire. New Year's Eve: Ascent in 2022 closed the year with aerial, acrobatics, cirque and ceremony.
A night can also follow a deliberate arc, the four movements of a magical working or the seven stages of alchemy, so the ceremony and the dance floor tell one story.
A word on the word medicine
"Medicine" is in our name because it is the feeling we aim for in a room. It is artistic intent. We are musicians and performers, and nothing we offer is a treatment for anything.
Good fits
Retreats and retreat centres, ecstatic dance communities, solstice and equinox gatherings, conscious festivals, weddings and private ceremonies, and yoga and wellness events. Jordan Larsen has also taught at retreats, such as the High Vibe Music Retreat, so a stay can pair an evening ceremony with a daytime workshop. We are based in Austin and travel across the US. See every way to book the show or the festival stage show.
At a glance
| Based in | Austin, Texas. Touring the US, with shows in Mexico and Canada |
|---|---|
| Cast | From 1 (a DJ set) to 12 performers (the full production) |
| Disciplines | DJ and producer, fire performers, belly dancers, sword and veil work, LED and winged dancers, aerial, roaming costumed performers, sound bowls and storytelling |
| Set lengths | A DJ set of 2 to 4 hours across the evening, with three 15 minute fire sets outdoors (shorter indoors) |
| Sound | We plug into the venue's or AV company's sound system |
| Indoors | The same show with LED poi, staffs and fans in place of live flame |
| Notice | Four weeks preferred. At least two weeks for any show with fire |
| Travel | The quote is the creative fee. Flights, lodging and ground transport are billed separately at cost |
Questions planners ask
Do you DJ ecstatic dance?
Yes. We play ecstatic dance sets built as one wave from stillness to peak and back, including the 11:11 Ceremony and Ecstatic Dance at Indra's Awarehouse in Austin.
Can you open our event with sound bowls?
Yes. Many of our shows open with sound bowls and gongs played live before the music begins.
Do you perform at retreats?
Yes. Ceremony openings, ecstatic dance sets and evening performances all fit a retreat schedule, and Jordan Larsen has taught at retreats such as the High Vibe Music Retreat.
Is it sound healing?
We play sound bowls and gongs as part of the performance, and some nights we have played were billed with sound healing. We are performers, and we make no health claims for the music.
How far ahead should we book?
Four weeks is ideal. Anything with fire needs at least two weeks, because the fire permit is filed 14 days ahead in Austin.