Earthdance has grown to become the largest global synchronised music and peace event in the world. Since the first multi-location event in 1997, the festival has grown and has been held in over 500 locations in 80 countries, with each official Earthdance event committing to the donation of 50% of its profits to a local charity that addresses peace, sustainability, or social justice.
This year's festival will have a variety of entertainment from live bands, DJs such as Killer B, DJ Invizable, Disco Whisky, DJ Lee, Psybaba, Emn8, Kallisto, and live acts, musicians, poets, fire sculptures and shows, stilt walkers and dancers, art exhibitions, an organic food and craft market, a holistic and conscious cinema zone, to permaculture demonstrations.
Some of the live acts to look forward to are: popular guitarist Steve Fataar, The Meditators, Dan Patlansky, Habit To, and many more.
Steve Fataar is a member of the band "Avatar", which comprises his son Dain and his daughters Camilla, Lyla, and Tara. He is known by many as being a member of the band called The Flames, which he started in 1963, with their hit rendition of For Your Precious Love having topped the charts for 13 weeks straight. However, after much success and just as they were offered an international record deal, the band went their separate ways, after which Fataar started Avatar.
Reggae band The Meditators formed in the early 1990s and released their first reggae album in 1993, followed with a second in 2000. In 2002 and 2003, they played at the Awesome Africa Festival and in 2004, they were part of Vodacom Beach Africa. They also performed with Rita Marley and the I-threes from Jamaica at the Bat Centre as part of Women's Day Celebrations in Durban and they are also a regular performer at uShaka Marine World.
Dan Patlansky, in only a little over a decade on the music scene, has become one of the busiest and most respected blues artists to ever come out of South Africa. His music can be best described as ranging from slick, soulful blues and the renegade psychedelic angst and raw emotion of Hendrix or Zeppelin. He is known for his albums such as "Standing At The Station", "True Blues" and for songs such as 20 Stones, Only An Ocean and more. Patlansky is also one of the only South Africans ever to achieve Blue Note status, which he received in 2004 for "True Blues".
Formed in 2003, Habit To have built up a strong following not only in Durban, but around the country. The band has also performed at most major festivals and shared stages with the likes of Prime Circle, The Parlotones, Goldfish, Fokofpolisiekar, Springbok Nude Girls and many more.
In 2006 they won the Durban Burn the Bands competition, which awarded them the studio time and funding they needed to produce their debut album, "Secrets To A Triangle". This achievement also gained them huge popularity and opened up many opportunities. The single Cast In Stone received extensive radio airplay, while the music video for Gratitude was put into rotation on Go TV, MK and MTV Base.
Camp in the heart of Mother Nature at her best at Hidden Valley, near Mooi River, KZN. Get there early and choose the perfect spot. Hot showers and toilets are available.
Tickets cost R330pp for the full festival and R150pp for a day pass and can be purchased from Quicket.
For more information about Earthdance, go to the Facebook page
For a more detailed line-up, go to www.facebook.com/events/475796412506270.
