The Dragon Sanctuary

Kirtan Singing
2023-11-23 19:30 - 21:00 (Europe/London)
With Leo and Sundara.
Accompanied by harmonium and guitar, we will sing Indian devotional chants based on simple mantras. These “sung prayers” invoke the qualities of Indian deities like Shiva, Krishna, Durga, Saraswati and Ganesha, qualities such as love, creativity, courage and compassion that are all present within us and that can be brought more fully into our lives by singing together in this way. No prior experience is necessary. Arrive a little earlier if you like for a cup of tea and some time to connect before we begin. No need to book in advance, but please bring a cushion of a backjack if you can.
Sundara and Leo Sofer have been leading singing events together since 2003. In recent years they have fallen in love with bhajans, the devotional songs of India, which are sung mostly in Sanskrit at gatherings known as kirtans.
Sundara plays the harmonium and Leo plays the guitar to accompany these songs. Having two instruments present enables people to sing freely and to relax into the experience, supported by the music.

Listening to the Birds
2023-11-25 17:00 - 18:00
Leo and Sundara Sofer will be telling two stories for children, with musical accompaniment.
Listening to the Birds is a story all about following intuition, and it also has themes of nature awareness and the ecological challenges we face. By listening to the message a bird is trying to give her, a girl saves her tribe from an erupting volcano.
The Beauty Book is about treasuring our most beautiful memories and sharing them with those we most love. It tells the story of a girl’s relationship with her grandfather over many years.
Because there are some scary scenes in Listening to the Birds (the volcano destroys the girl’s evacuated village), and The Beauty Book includes the theme of death (the grandfather dies) we recommend this performance for ages 6+.
Leo Sofer has been telling stories since 1989. Sundara plays handpan, flute and harmonium to accompany the telling. They have been setting stories to music together for over 20 years. For more information about their work see here.
Performance time is 60 minutes
