Entrance • About Us • Schedule • Ideas • NWR • Contact

Joshua Levin and Deborah Nervig

"While walking on an errand eight years ago, I stumbled upon a man and a woman having an intimate conversation.

At first, etiquette demanded that I press on, granting them the privacy they deserved. But then some radiance paralyzed my legs. I could do nothing but stare. Their world of inexplicable synchrony drew me in - with no hope, and no thought, of escape. Then etiquette rescinded and went silent, leaving only a chant in my mind: Holy, Holy, Holy…

After a time, either minutes or days, a sudden applause jolted me back to my own world. I was shocked to find the couple adorned in full performance attire. I couldn’t believe that such intimacy had been achieved at a distance of five feet. On a stage. In front of an audience. None of them had left, either – though I am sure we shared that same initial conflict.

At some point the sun had set, and I realized I was freezing. My feet were numb. My back was sore. My errand was forgotten. My values were transformed.

In the span of one performance, I had become less satisfied with this place I had lived all my life. I had finally visited home, and I needed to go back.

I pointed at the stage and solemnly swore, “I am going to do… THAT.”

Thank you, Josh and Deb. " - Dale Langdon

Over the last decade, Joshua and Deborah have been carefully fashioning bridges between the ethnic roots of their arts, in Middle-Eastern and South Asian styles, and the diverse multicultural world of the contemporary Western drum and dance scene. They have studied and taught in various locals around the world, and regularly travel in the U.S. sharing the healing ecstasy of these arts.

Joshua Levin, Ph.D. Joshua has served as resident artist with Firedance during its founding four years, as musical director for Fires Rising, and as a faculty member at the McBride School of Magic. He has performed in a range of contexts and configurations from the traditional Middle-Eastern music ensemble Sherefe, to the eclectic Seeds of Time. Along the way, he has traveled the world following the mysteries of drum, dance, and chant. He is regularly invited to share the rhythmic arts at community events around the country, and has had the opportuntity to learn, work, and play with many bright lights in this growing fellowship. Together with Deborah Nervig, he is the co-founder of Sacred Arts Circles and New World Rhythmatism, which are ongoing collaborative community based art forms. Joshua plays doumbek/darbouka and he is an endorsee for Cooperman Framedrums. He is also student of the S. Asian tabla and its associated rhythmic sensibilities. Joshua is a cultural anthropologist with a Ph.D. from the University of Colorado, and is a full professor in the Department of Human Behavior at the Community College of Southern Nevada. Best of all, he is the proud father of his young son, Jazz!

"I follow the drum and it leads me to the most delicious people and places in the world. My passion is for the mysterious music of communication between rhythm playmates, whether they be a drummer and a dancer, a circle of drummers, or a single drummer exploring the labrynth of his own heart. Rhythm is one of the great archetypal metaphors."

Deborah Nervig (BA,CMT) has been pursuing movement as a form of meditation, self expression, and community connection for the past 20 years. Together with Joshua Levin, she is the co-founder of Sacred Arts Circles and New World Rhythmatism. Some of the movement forms that have shaped her dance and teaching include modern, Middle Eastern, Nepalese dance, Kung Fu, and yoga. Deborah uses movement as a vehicle to reach into the eternal experiences of ecstasy and ego-less connection with the Source. She has performed in a wide range of contexts and was recently featured in the television series, Dance in Nevada. Deborah is especially interested in dance as a way to honor, empower, and discover the divinity within each of us. She dances daily with her son Jazz E.

Entrance • About Us • Schedule • Ideas • NWR • Contact