Rites of Dance VALHALLA // A Viking Festival (GC)
THE EXPERIENCE
Welcome to Valhalla.
For the sixth year, we gather once again to bring this world to life.
What started initailly as a small themed experiment has slowly grown into the biggest night on the Rites of Dance calendar, with people travelling from all over and beyond to be part of it.
A lot of what shaped Valhalla came from the old worlds of Northern Europe... Norse mythology, Celtic traditions, pagan ceremony, tribal lore, music, storytelling, and the way entire communities once gathered close to the land, the elements, and each other.
That influence runs through the whole night, but this isn’t about throwing on a costume for a few photos or just turning up for a themed party, people actually immerse themselves in it.
By late afternoon, the field starts filling, outfits start appearing, friends reconnect, strangers start talking, and you can feel the whole atmosphere slowly starting to build.
As the sun starts to drop, ceremony opens the space.
From there, the night moves through live performances, fire, live drumming, Nordic and tribal soundscapes, and a full dance journey where somewhere along the way the crowd stops feeling like a crowd and starts feeling like a tribe.
Some come for the music. Some come for the mythology. Some come because a mate brought them once and now they don’t miss it.
However people find their way here, by the end of the night most understand why Valhalla has become what it has.
---
SCHEDULE
4:30PM
• Gates Open
• Afternoon DJ Set (SAHAJA RIA)
6:00PM
• Opening Ceremony (NERI ROSSO)
• Fire Performance (BRAD BARNETT)
7:00PM
• Dance Journey (DJ MARK SANKHARA & DRUMMER GARETH COHEN)
9:30PM
• Closing Performance (ODELLE WOLFENDEN & NERI ROSSO)
10:00PM
• Closing Ceremony (NERI ROSSO)
---
FOOD
Little Miss Delish (Old fashion Burgers + Fish & Chips)
TREATS & ELIXIRS
(TBC)
CACAO
(TBC)
(*not included in ticket price)
---
WHAT IS RITES OF DANCE?
Rites of Dance is a sober, intentional dance floor for people who love music, movement, and real experience.
It blends the energy and sound system culture of a club with a very different atmosphere. No drugs. No alcohol. No spectators.
This is not about getting it right or dancing in a certain way. It’s about showing up, moving what’s there, and letting the night unfold.
Some nights are light and playful. Some go deeper. Some are challenging. Most are a mix of all of it.
People come for many reasons. To move stress. To reconnect to themselves. To feel something real again. To be part of a room where nobody is trying to impress anyone else.
Rites of Dance isn’t a workshop. It isn’t a ceremony. It isn’t a club night. It’s a space that sits somewhere in between, and over time, it becomes something you build a relationship with.
---
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Music is the backbone of Rites of Dance. It’s not background. It’s the thing that carries the night.
The sound moves through many places over the course of an evening. You’ll hear everything from bass-heavy electronic music, drum and bass, techno and house, through to more spacious, atmospheric, and downtempo moments.
Sometimes the unexpected finds its way in too – an old favourite, a forgotten classic, or something nobody saw coming.
The sets are built like a long arc rather than a playlist. Energy rises and falls. Things get heavier, then lighter. You’re invited into intensity, and then back out again.
The intention isn’t to keep you in one state, but to let you move through many.
On some special nights, guest musicians or live elements may join the journey and add another layer to the experience. These are occasional and intentional, rather than a fixed part of every event.
At its core, the music is there to support your own process, not to distract you from it.
---
MEET THE TEAM
MARK SANKHARA – CREATOR & DJ
For the past seven years, Mark Saṅkhāra has been a driving force in the Gold Coast conscious dance scene, holding it down with Rites of Dance – a pivotal pillar of the community. His events have created a sacred space for movement, connection, and deep transformation, making an undeniable impact on the local scene.
Saṅkhāra is a master at sculpting soundscapes that take dancers on a journey inward and outward – deep into the womb of the earth and soaring into the cosmos, unlocking the raw expression of the soul. His sets are an intoxicating fusion of tribal rhythms, deep bass, world beats, and groove-driven melodies, weaving together a hypnotic, high-energy experience.
Saṅkhāra is an ancient Buddhist term meaning formation and fabrication – the process of fashioning and the fashioned things that result. It’s a fitting name for the way Mark works a crowd, “fashioning” the atmosphere on dance floors into an irresistible, soul-stirring experience.
Originally from New Zealand and now based on the Gold Coast, Mark has been DJing for over a decade, playing across clubs, competitions, parties, weddings, and conscious dance events in Australia and NZ. With a Diploma in Audio Engineering and 20+ years of guitar experience, his devotion to sound and movement is woven into every set he plays.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/mark_sankhara/
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/ritesofdance/
---
GARETH COHEN AKA DRUMMINGAZ – LIVE PERCUSSION
Gareth Cohen, a South African drumming virtuoso, boasts over two decades of global experience.
From heavy metal kits to djembe rhythms, his music transcends boundaries, uniting cultures worldwide.
Gareth, affectionately calling music “Mother Music,” believes in its ability to cultivate unity, peace, and love in any space.
Witness his transformative beats on stage and embrace the undeniable truth — in music, unity prevails.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/drummingazz/
NERI ROSSO - OPENING CEREMONIALIST & LIVE PERFORMER
Neri Rosso is a musician and ceremonialist whose roots stretch across the coasts of Europe and deep into the sacred lands of South America. A 13th-generation musician born Edward 'Nery' Rosano in Western Sydney to a Spanish mother and Uruguayan father of Indigenous Charrúa descent.
Neri's musical career spans nearly two decades, from Sydney's electronic underground alongside Justice, Kavinsky, and Boys Noize, to touring the national hip-hop circuit with Mobb Deep, Tech N9ne, and Onyx. Whether it's a festival stage or a sacred circle, he brings the same thing, full presence, ancestral rhythm, and an energy that pulls the room into one pulse.
His music has been called transcendent rap, not just rhythm and bars but a transmission that activates something primal in the listener. A deep remembering. A pulse of fire and truth.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/neri.del.rosso/
SAHAJA RIA - OPENING DJ
Sahaja RIA is a genre-fluid DJ with over two decades behind the decks and an incurable obsession with discovering music that moves people.
Blending organic house, Afro rhythms, roots, bass music, disco, funk and soulful grooves, her sets are intuitive, playful and impossible to box in. Known for reading a room with uncanny precision, she weaves together unexpected sounds, deep rhythms and feminine energy to create dance floors that feel equal parts liberation, connection and mischief.
She doesn't follow trends. She follows the feeling.
CONNECT >>> https://soundcloud.com/sahaja_dj/
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/sahaja_dj_/
ODELLE WOLFENDEN - CLOSING PERFORMER
Odelle is a wild Earth songstress and spoken word channel for soul remembrance & heart awakening.
Her song spirals you on a journey home, weaving angelic and shamanic tones, light language and looping harmonies.
Expect the unexpected and to have fun, feeling connected, alive, loved, calm and activated through her unique transmission.
A perfect final offering to land, soften, and integrate all we’ve moved through - together, in rhythm, in reverence.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/iamodelle/
BRAD THE FIREBENDER - FIRE PERFORMER
Brad the Firebender is a fire performer who creates highly immersive fire experiences for events, retreats, weddings, birthdays, and transformational spaces.
Having travelled throughout Australia, Bali, and Japan sharing this medicine, his work blends fire performance, storytelling, and ritual to create powerful opening and closing ceremonies that leave a lasting impact on audiences.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/bradthefirebender/
---
IMPORTANT INFO / WHAT TO BRING
You’re in for a big night and it’s good to be prepared.
Please bring:
• Drinking water
• Sweat towel
• Light, comfortable clothes and something warm to wear as the night cools
• Cash/card for purchases
• Cushion/pillow to sit on
• Yoga mat/something to lie on for the sound integration
*Strictly no drugs or alcohol
*No previous experience needed
---
TICKETS
Children under 12 attend free with a parent or guardian.
Youth – $20 (Ages 13–17)
Super Early Bird – $35 (24 hours)
Early Release – $42 (30 tickets)
Second Release – $52 (50 tickets)
Final Release – $62 (60 tickets)
General Admission – $69
Door – $75
Bring A Mate Pass (2 Tickets) — $104
Viking Tribe Pass (4 Tickets) — $196
All ticket tiers grant full access to the entire Valhalla experience.
Earlier releases simply reward those who commit sooner.
If finances are genuinely tight, feel free to reach out. We want this space to remain accessible to the community.
There is also an option to donate further if you're feeling abundant.
---
REFUNDS
No refunds, but you're welcome to on-sell or gift your ticket if you can no longer attend, or keep it as credit for a future event (valid for 6 months).
WET WEATHER / EVENT POSTPONEMENT
In the event that Valhalla needs to be postponed due to unsafe or unsuitable weather conditions, all tickets will automatically transfer to the backup date: SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2026.
If you’re genuinely unable to attend the new date, simply reach out and we’ll organise a refund.
---
ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO COUNTRY
We acknowledge that this gathering takes place on the traditional lands of the Kombumerri people of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging, and honour their deep and ongoing connection to this land, its waters, and its stories.
Welcome to Valhalla.
For the sixth year, we gather once again to bring this world to life.
What started initailly as a small themed experiment has slowly grown into the biggest night on the Rites of Dance calendar, with people travelling from all over and beyond to be part of it.
A lot of what shaped Valhalla came from the old worlds of Northern Europe... Norse mythology, Celtic traditions, pagan ceremony, tribal lore, music, storytelling, and the way entire communities once gathered close to the land, the elements, and each other.
That influence runs through the whole night, but this isn’t about throwing on a costume for a few photos or just turning up for a themed party, people actually immerse themselves in it.
By late afternoon, the field starts filling, outfits start appearing, friends reconnect, strangers start talking, and you can feel the whole atmosphere slowly starting to build.
As the sun starts to drop, ceremony opens the space.
From there, the night moves through live performances, fire, live drumming, Nordic and tribal soundscapes, and a full dance journey where somewhere along the way the crowd stops feeling like a crowd and starts feeling like a tribe.
Some come for the music. Some come for the mythology. Some come because a mate brought them once and now they don’t miss it.
However people find their way here, by the end of the night most understand why Valhalla has become what it has.
---
SCHEDULE
4:30PM
• Gates Open
• Afternoon DJ Set (SAHAJA RIA)
6:00PM
• Opening Ceremony (NERI ROSSO)
• Fire Performance (BRAD BARNETT)
7:00PM
• Dance Journey (DJ MARK SANKHARA & DRUMMER GARETH COHEN)
9:30PM
• Closing Performance (ODELLE WOLFENDEN & NERI ROSSO)
10:00PM
• Closing Ceremony (NERI ROSSO)
---
FOOD
Little Miss Delish (Old fashion Burgers + Fish & Chips)
TREATS & ELIXIRS
(TBC)
CACAO
(TBC)
(*not included in ticket price)
---
WHAT IS RITES OF DANCE?
Rites of Dance is a sober, intentional dance floor for people who love music, movement, and real experience.
It blends the energy and sound system culture of a club with a very different atmosphere. No drugs. No alcohol. No spectators.
This is not about getting it right or dancing in a certain way. It’s about showing up, moving what’s there, and letting the night unfold.
Some nights are light and playful. Some go deeper. Some are challenging. Most are a mix of all of it.
People come for many reasons. To move stress. To reconnect to themselves. To feel something real again. To be part of a room where nobody is trying to impress anyone else.
Rites of Dance isn’t a workshop. It isn’t a ceremony. It isn’t a club night. It’s a space that sits somewhere in between, and over time, it becomes something you build a relationship with.
---
ABOUT THE MUSIC
Music is the backbone of Rites of Dance. It’s not background. It’s the thing that carries the night.
The sound moves through many places over the course of an evening. You’ll hear everything from bass-heavy electronic music, drum and bass, techno and house, through to more spacious, atmospheric, and downtempo moments.
Sometimes the unexpected finds its way in too – an old favourite, a forgotten classic, or something nobody saw coming.
The sets are built like a long arc rather than a playlist. Energy rises and falls. Things get heavier, then lighter. You’re invited into intensity, and then back out again.
The intention isn’t to keep you in one state, but to let you move through many.
On some special nights, guest musicians or live elements may join the journey and add another layer to the experience. These are occasional and intentional, rather than a fixed part of every event.
At its core, the music is there to support your own process, not to distract you from it.
---
MEET THE TEAM
MARK SANKHARA – CREATOR & DJ
For the past seven years, Mark Saṅkhāra has been a driving force in the Gold Coast conscious dance scene, holding it down with Rites of Dance – a pivotal pillar of the community. His events have created a sacred space for movement, connection, and deep transformation, making an undeniable impact on the local scene.
Saṅkhāra is a master at sculpting soundscapes that take dancers on a journey inward and outward – deep into the womb of the earth and soaring into the cosmos, unlocking the raw expression of the soul. His sets are an intoxicating fusion of tribal rhythms, deep bass, world beats, and groove-driven melodies, weaving together a hypnotic, high-energy experience.
Saṅkhāra is an ancient Buddhist term meaning formation and fabrication – the process of fashioning and the fashioned things that result. It’s a fitting name for the way Mark works a crowd, “fashioning” the atmosphere on dance floors into an irresistible, soul-stirring experience.
Originally from New Zealand and now based on the Gold Coast, Mark has been DJing for over a decade, playing across clubs, competitions, parties, weddings, and conscious dance events in Australia and NZ. With a Diploma in Audio Engineering and 20+ years of guitar experience, his devotion to sound and movement is woven into every set he plays.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/mark_sankhara/
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/ritesofdance/
---
GARETH COHEN AKA DRUMMINGAZ – LIVE PERCUSSION
Gareth Cohen, a South African drumming virtuoso, boasts over two decades of global experience.
From heavy metal kits to djembe rhythms, his music transcends boundaries, uniting cultures worldwide.
Gareth, affectionately calling music “Mother Music,” believes in its ability to cultivate unity, peace, and love in any space.
Witness his transformative beats on stage and embrace the undeniable truth — in music, unity prevails.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/drummingazz/
NERI ROSSO - OPENING CEREMONIALIST & LIVE PERFORMER
Neri Rosso is a musician and ceremonialist whose roots stretch across the coasts of Europe and deep into the sacred lands of South America. A 13th-generation musician born Edward 'Nery' Rosano in Western Sydney to a Spanish mother and Uruguayan father of Indigenous Charrúa descent.
Neri's musical career spans nearly two decades, from Sydney's electronic underground alongside Justice, Kavinsky, and Boys Noize, to touring the national hip-hop circuit with Mobb Deep, Tech N9ne, and Onyx. Whether it's a festival stage or a sacred circle, he brings the same thing, full presence, ancestral rhythm, and an energy that pulls the room into one pulse.
His music has been called transcendent rap, not just rhythm and bars but a transmission that activates something primal in the listener. A deep remembering. A pulse of fire and truth.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/neri.del.rosso/
SAHAJA RIA - OPENING DJ
Sahaja RIA is a genre-fluid DJ with over two decades behind the decks and an incurable obsession with discovering music that moves people.
Blending organic house, Afro rhythms, roots, bass music, disco, funk and soulful grooves, her sets are intuitive, playful and impossible to box in. Known for reading a room with uncanny precision, she weaves together unexpected sounds, deep rhythms and feminine energy to create dance floors that feel equal parts liberation, connection and mischief.
She doesn't follow trends. She follows the feeling.
CONNECT >>> https://soundcloud.com/sahaja_dj/
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/sahaja_dj_/
ODELLE WOLFENDEN - CLOSING PERFORMER
Odelle is a wild Earth songstress and spoken word channel for soul remembrance & heart awakening.
Her song spirals you on a journey home, weaving angelic and shamanic tones, light language and looping harmonies.
Expect the unexpected and to have fun, feeling connected, alive, loved, calm and activated through her unique transmission.
A perfect final offering to land, soften, and integrate all we’ve moved through - together, in rhythm, in reverence.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/iamodelle/
BRAD THE FIREBENDER - FIRE PERFORMER
Brad the Firebender is a fire performer who creates highly immersive fire experiences for events, retreats, weddings, birthdays, and transformational spaces.
Having travelled throughout Australia, Bali, and Japan sharing this medicine, his work blends fire performance, storytelling, and ritual to create powerful opening and closing ceremonies that leave a lasting impact on audiences.
CONNECT >>> https://www.instagram.com/bradthefirebender/
---
IMPORTANT INFO / WHAT TO BRING
You’re in for a big night and it’s good to be prepared.
Please bring:
• Drinking water
• Sweat towel
• Light, comfortable clothes and something warm to wear as the night cools
• Cash/card for purchases
• Cushion/pillow to sit on
• Yoga mat/something to lie on for the sound integration
*Strictly no drugs or alcohol
*No previous experience needed
---
TICKETS
Children under 12 attend free with a parent or guardian.
Youth – $20 (Ages 13–17)
Super Early Bird – $35 (24 hours)
Early Release – $42 (30 tickets)
Second Release – $52 (50 tickets)
Final Release – $62 (60 tickets)
General Admission – $69
Door – $75
Bring A Mate Pass (2 Tickets) — $104
Viking Tribe Pass (4 Tickets) — $196
All ticket tiers grant full access to the entire Valhalla experience.
Earlier releases simply reward those who commit sooner.
If finances are genuinely tight, feel free to reach out. We want this space to remain accessible to the community.
There is also an option to donate further if you're feeling abundant.
---
REFUNDS
No refunds, but you're welcome to on-sell or gift your ticket if you can no longer attend, or keep it as credit for a future event (valid for 6 months).
WET WEATHER / EVENT POSTPONEMENT
In the event that Valhalla needs to be postponed due to unsafe or unsuitable weather conditions, all tickets will automatically transfer to the backup date: SATURDAY JUNE 13, 2026.
If you’re genuinely unable to attend the new date, simply reach out and we’ll organise a refund.
---
ACKNOWLEDGMENT TO COUNTRY
We acknowledge that this gathering takes place on the traditional lands of the Kombumerri people of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present, and emerging, and honour their deep and ongoing connection to this land, its waters, and its stories.
Where is it happening?
Mudgeeraba Show Grounds, 14 Worongary Rd, Worongary QLD 4213, Australia, Merrimac
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Host or PublisherRites of Dance
