Jiling Lin, L.Ac.

Acupuncture . Herbs . Art

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DJ

Ideas for potential DJs, based on my non-professional DJing experience for yoga classes, retreats, personal practice, and more. Written for my Ventura Ecstatic Dance Community DJ team, in dedication to our C-street surf break, Ventura Land Trust, and other communities.

We pattern our lives in circles, from the microscopic life cycle of a cell, to the macroscopic turning of our lives from birth to death, to the Great Turning of our planet Earth herself. We arc from a gentle introduction, to speeding up as we enter the storyline currents, to the fanfare of our peak/ climax, to slowing and gentling into integration, then finding a graceful conclusion— before transitioning into the next cycle.

The Five Elements of East Asian Medicine describe these natural cycles via the archetypal Elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal. They mirror the seasons and complexities of our bodies, lives, and worlds through symbol and metaphor. They mirror all the rhythms of life— and are the perfect partner in curating intentional playlists for transformative and enjoyable dance, or other musically guided journeys.

A dance-worthy playlist invites listeners on a journey. Set your intentions with care, select music with corresponding energetics, then build your epic storyline.

  • Clarify intentions: How do you want people to feel during and after your dance? Write that down. Let your intention guide all of the following steps.
  • Collect music: Create folders for the different parts of your dance-journey. (I organize my music according to the Elements, described in the next section.) Listen to lots of music. When you hear a song that you love, makes you dance, or elicits the vibe of a part of the dance, then add it to your folders.
  • Craft the journey: Write out the different parts of your journey. If you have five sections (Five Elements), then each section gets roughly 12 minutes for an hour-long set, with usually a bit more time in the middle to soak up the climax. I like to write down the song name and length, which helps me track timing, and organize flow. Let your intention guide you in lumping your music into the sections that they belong in. Music might travel from their respective folders directly into their corresponding sections, or their end location may change, depending on your intention, and how your flow naturally arises. Follow the rhythm.
  • Cut the dross: Mix and match until you create a flow that you adore, and aligns with your original intention! I like to make larger music piles in the crafting section, and then just cut away, like making a sculpture, for this editing and refining part.
  • Celebrate: Listen to your whole set, and see if it makes you dance. Better yet, send it to a friend, and ask for feedback. Edit until it feels complete— then share and celebrate with your community!

The Five Elements guide my musical arc:

  • Water: An inviting warmup that meets listeners where they are at, and draws them into adventure
  • Wood: Livelier music with a stronger rhythmic beat that builds heat, excitement, and momentum
  • Fire: Music with a driving beat that climaxes into chaos, where dancers have no choice but to let go and surrender to the beat!
  • Earth: Feel-good music that integrates the journey with sweetness
  • Metal: Soften into stillness. Make space for the Sacred— a sense of connection with all things— to emerge. An invitation to reembody the gifts of the Journey, and pause

My favorite sets feel like I’m met right where I’m at, guided into comfortable waters on a subterranean journey, invited to surrender and merge into the music,  then am gently guided back to everyday reality, landing with a smile, Mind clear, Body sweaty, and Spirit restored. These musical sets feel like transportive shamanic journeys, where I release my tight grip on everyday reality, travel through the underworld, discover something new about myself or the world, experience transformation, then come back bearing gifts. 

DJing for Ecstatic Dance follows the natural arc of life— like a story— beginning with an introduction, ramping up, climaxing, winding down, then concluding in beauty. It follows the cycles of the seasons, from the flowing mysteries of winter, to the exciting growth of spring, to the explosive heat of summer, to the cooling leaves-dropping of autumn. It follows the cycles of plants, rooting in winter, spouting into spring, blossoming into summer, fruiting into late summer, and releasing the seeds in autumn. In matching the rhythms of life through DJing with the Five Elements of Water, Wood, Fire, Earth, and Metal— we invite all of life to guide our journey, and dance with us.

May your DJing process be delightful, filled with surprises, and great music. May your dances be transformational, and utterly magical. May this work serve the healing and wholing of our bodies, Spirits, and planet. Dance on!

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