The Durga Tour

Want to help bring the Durga Tour to your town? If a location is already being sponsored, contact that sponsor and ask what you can do. If a stop is marked *TBA or "host needed" contact us on how you can help there! Every stop MUST have a sponsor/host in order to happen - we need your help to be a connection to the local community. Because of the structure of the Durga Tour, it is rather easy and very affordable to be a sponsor, especially in comparison to other events.

The following is a quick rundown of details regarding sponsoring the Durga Tour:

What should you expect from The Durga Tour?
There are a variety of workshops and performances available to allow variation from state to state. The main instructor will be Tempest, and she will be joined at different legs of the tour by additional guest
instructors/performers. Because we’ll be in constant travel-mode as we go, some locations will be better suited for a weeknight workshop, or a show, while others can be a weekend workshop and show combination. A weeknight event can take place on a regular class night with a shorter-length workshop, or be a mini-hafla at a studio, café, club, or restaurant---while a weekend event could feature several longer workshops, gala show with local dancers, etc.

What you can can count on:
-informative, unique, and fun workshops led by in-demand expert instructors
-top-notch, mesmerizing performances
-beautiful and artful merchandise & shiny goodness

What’s different this time?

Music & Motif - We’re very excited to announce that Tim Rayborn – an amazing musician, performer, and instructor will be on tour with us –which adds to the diversity we can offer your community. With the help of Tim, Tempest created “Motif”, which was a special event first held at
Tribal Fest 8, which focused on building community - an experimental gathering, merging music, dance, and ritual. The resulting event was a huge success, and it is our intent to help bring this experience to more of you. Plus, nothing beats live music!

More Offerings - we're offering a grander scope of workshops for both dancers and musicians, appealing to a variety of styles and levels.

Merging Communities – In addition to bringing guest instructors TO you, we would also like to bring some of the limelight to dancers and instructors in your local/nearby communities. Depending on the schedule, we would like to recommend bringing in your local talent to also teach/perform where possible.

What does it take to bring the Durga Tour to my town?
As previously mentioned, because of the nature of the Durga Tour, it allows all of us to keep costs down – less money out of pocket for sponsors, as the overall travel expense is shared, and generally there’s hassle involved for putting together smaller events. If you’ve ever hosted a local workshop or helped organized a hafla, it’s not that much more difficult.

Our key contract needs:
1. A gas stipend of $100, paid via PayPal, that acts as a confirmation deposit for your location.

2. Accommodations: non-smoking “motel-hotel” room for 2-4 people, plus one cat for the duration of the event at the scheduled stop. We regret that on this tour, we must insist on staying at a hotel/motel near the event, rather than out of homes – there’s just too many concerns about pets/allergies/etc. We’re not looking for a 4 star ritzy place, just a safe, clean place that you yourself would feel comfortable staying at.

3. For workshops (if applicable): flat hourly rate or 70/30 percentage of tuition minus expenses (whichever is greater).

4. For shows (if applicable): performance stipend/show

5. At all events: table/space for vending wares

So your main expenses in regards to us would be the travel stipend and hotel, and a negotiated wage for workshops and/or show. Additional costs to consider would be facility rentals and advertising.

How does it benefit the community?
By sponsoring a Durga Tour event, you're creating a wonderful opportunity to bring the community together and experience workshops and performances in an intimate setting, on the highest level, without the expense of a big festival.

How does it benefit the sponsor?
The majority of 2006 sponsors not only covered their expenses, but also made a decent profit for all of their efforts. For several, it was their first time putting together an event, and many of them have gone on to create more successful events for their community.