Teamwork Arts, leading Indian performing arts and entertainment company, in collaboration with EliteCare Health Centers, has announced the program for the 2nd edition of Awaken Florida, scheduled to take place on December 2nd and 3rd, 2023, at the WellCome OM Integral Healing and Education Center in Spring Hill, Florida.
Awaken Florida’s second edition will feature key elements of music, dance, and literature, all centered around spirituality and the pursuit of inner serenity. The festival will showcase magnificent performances by renowned artists and engaging panels focusing on a range of insightful themes, from Gandhian philosophy and Vedanta to new forms of yoga and mindful eating practices. Organic and health-conscious food stalls, merchandise, and consultations on mindful eating are on the horizon, offering attendees the opportunity to examine their day-to-day habits and introspect.
The festival will showcase Morning Music and Evening Music sessions. The Morning Music will showcase performances by Hidayat Khan (Sitar), Jay Gandhi (Flute), and Shankh Lehri (Tabla). Awaken Florida will also make the audience experience the magic of theatre group Arts in Motion with captivating holiday classics and musical performances by talented young artists. A.I.M. fosters creativity, confidence, and teamwork in students, making a positive impact on their lives.
The Evening Music line-up will feature a Latin Jazz and Soul Concert by The Congatone Band in an unforgettable evening of live Jazz and Soul entertainment, with Grammy winner, Millie Puente; recording artist, NY Joe Salsero. There will be another musical performance by the Bearded Brothers Band based in New Port Richey Florida, the Bearded Brothers Band have Southern Rock roots and a style of their own.
Additionally, Violinist Andrew Polo will present a breath-taking performance. Polo has been performing in the Tampa Bay Area for over a decade with a repertoire of nearly a thousand songs spanning several decades and genres.
At a fascinating dance workshop, conducted by DanceCraft, the participants will experience captivating folkloric belly dancing, weaving influences from the Middle East, Mediterranean, India, North Africa, and the Americas. They are a professional dance troupe with over 20 years of experience on the global stage.
The festival will also present a Drum Circle by The Giving Tree Music. Giving Tree Music uses the drums as a vehicle to transport people to a place of stronger community and deeper connections with a mission to facilitate teamwork, respect, and the understanding that together, we can create more!
At the festival, Jaye Martin, an E-RYT 500 and ECAT (Experienced Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher), will be leading a yoga workshop. With his deep spirituality and exceptional expertise, Martin will guide participants through heart-opening backbending postures, strengthening our connection and enhancing the efficacy of the practice.
A session called ‘The Soil Cycle’ will feature Dr. Maria Scunziano-Singh (Dr. M). With over 25 years of experience in the medical and healthcare field, she is a board-certified internist and naturopath. Dr. M is a certified lifestyle medicine physician from the American Board of Lifestyle Medicine and serves as the co-founder of Access Health Care Physicians, a prominent multispecialty practice. Currently, she leads the WellCome OM Integral Healing and Education Center in Spring Hill, FL, dedicated to promoting healthy and conscious living.
In a session exploring the timelessness of the 15th century mystic-poet Kabir’s philosophy, celebrated academic and writer Linda Hess will be in conversation with Managing Director of Teamwork Arts, Sanjoy K. Roy. A retired professor of Religious Studies at Stanford University, Hess has worked extensively on Kabir’s oral and written traditions. She is the author or Bodies of Song: Kabir Oral Traditions and Performative Worlds in North India.
Journalist and bestselling author Perry Garfinkel’s newest book, Becoming Gandhi: My Experiment Living the Mahatma’s 6 Moral Truths in Immoral Times, takes a deep dive personally following Mahatma Gandhi’s six main principles: truth, nonviolence, vegetarianism, simplicity, faith, and celibacy. At Awaken Florida, Garfinkel will speak about Gandhi’s footsteps to India, England and South Africa, presenting a provocative and reflective account of Gandhi’s timeless impact. Perry will be in conversation with Ramu Damodaran, a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress in New Delhi, India, and Honorary Adviser to the Permanent Observer Mission of the University for Peace at the UN.
The festival will also feature a session titled ‘Embracing the Past and Weaving the Future: A Journey through the Vedas and Sanātana Dharma’. Celebrated writer, poet and teacher of Vedanta, Partho, has authored the book, This Is Sanatan Dharma, which is an attempt to explain some of the fundamental principles and practices of Sanātana Dharma. He takes Sri Aurobindo as his source of inspiration and guidance. Medical practitioner and writer Pariksith Singh’s latest work, Veda Made Simple, is an attempt to approach the vast complexity and scale of the Rig Veda and explain its deeper mysteries through the perspective of Sri Aurobindo. At the session, the panel will embark on a quest to explore these sacred traditions and texts and their continuing impact on our past, present and future.
In all Alma Expression projects, there is an emphasis on the significance of connecting with one’s authentic truth and highest self to achieve the fulfilling life everyone deserves. At Awaken Florida, a workshop will be led by Alma Expression’s Ashley Rodriguez and Arelis. Ashley is the Founder of Vibes Del Alma, a multidimensional healing business, and Arelis is an artist and musician who draws from seven years of counseling experience to infuse her conscious and spiritual music with the power to unlock individuals’ true essence.
Diane Friedberg’s 30-year career has spanned from both the holistic healing arts to the corporate business arena. Her background includes life, wellness, oncology, HeartMath coaching, program development, energy work, seminars, management, marketing, and public relations. She will engage the audience in a workshop titled ‘Heart Math Meditation’. This workshop will make us learn techniques on meditation, balancing the chakras, and developing positive intentions toward self, loved ones, humanity and beyond.
Awaken Florida believes in the power of wellness that empowers and creates deep spiritual bonds within communities. It is anchored in five key components that invite you to Listen, Move, Connect, Discover, and Taste. The festival aims to help people seek holistic healing and inner peace, focusing on spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
For more information, log on to (www.awakenflorida.org)
~ENDS~
About Teamwork Arts:
Teamwork Arts is a highly versatile production company with roots in the performing arts, social action and the corporate world. For over 30 years, Teamwork Arts has taken India to the world and brought the world to India, presenting the finest of Indian performers, writers, change makers and visual artistes in the knowledge and arts space in India and abroad. Every year, we produce over 33 festivals in 72 cities and 26 countries in the fields of performing & visual arts and literature. We produce the world’s largest literary gathering: the annual Jaipur Literature Festival; JLF international now travels to the US, UK, Canada, Australia, the Maldives, and Europe.
Even amidst the upheaval and unsettling times of 2020 and through 2021, Teamwork Arts successfully launched the digital series, JLF Brave New World and Words Are Bridges, which were viewed by over 4.8 million people in their first season. Through its digital avatar, the Jaipur Literature Festival reached over 27 million viewers in January 2021. Art Matters empowers artistes across India to collaborate by commissioning them to create new works. The digital series Be Inspired was launched in 2021 – a series that crystal gazes into the future with conversations on science, technology, innovation, environment and more. The first on-ground edition of ‘Be Inspired – Festival of Ideas’ was held in April 2023.
Website: www.teamworkarts.com
About the WellCome OM Integral Healing and Education Center:
The center is a unique entity that blends the skills of several beautiful individuals from varied training and expertise on a quest to simultaneously practice their treasured life skills and celebrate – in collaboration – a journey to ultimate wellness in all its facets.
Whether you seek the help of a medical doctor with a naturopathic background, a yoga instructor, life coach, nutritional counselor, or massage therapist, the WellCome OM Integral Healing & Education Center will be the source to receive authentic healing. Our goal is to educate clients on how to evaluate their lifestyle choices and empower them to achieve and sustain improved health.
Visit us online at WellComeOmCenter.com or call 352-600-4242.
About EliteCare Health Centers:
EliteCare Health Centers is providing comprehensive health services for the family’s everyday well-being. The centers offer a “one stop shop” where patients receive exams, wellness checks, prescriptions, and wellness services.
The goal of EliteCare is to provide wait times less than an average doctor’s office because they are so exclusive to Freedom, Optimum, and Simply Health plans. Patients will be able to schedule appointments and get into the office faster and perhaps even on the same day.
Future plans include providing wellness services which include professional manicure services such as polish, painting, nail trimming, cuticle care, and more and dental services. With high quality dental care with stringent safety protocols for safe and effective treatment. Services will include cleanings, fillings, crowns, and much more.
The eventual goal is that except for specialist appointments the EliteCare offices will provide all healthcare at one location.