Ritual & Release: Charleston Day of the Dead Concert & Dance Benefit

In a world shaped as much by quiet transitions as by seismic change—losing loved ones, chapters closing, identities evolving, paths diverging—letting go is a constant part of the human experience. Yet we’re rarely given the space to honor it, feel it, or release it. Ritual & Release is part performance, part ceremony, part communal unburdening—a multisensory experience where story becomes sound, release becomes rhythm, and memory becomes medicine.

This immersive offering blends live music, dance, spoken word, and projection art with wellness practices, intentional ritual design, and a powerful collaboration with , inviting participants into embodied movement as a practice of somatic release and collective unburdening. It’s not a show—it’s a portal. A place where we come together to feel what we’ve avoided, speak what we’ve swallowed, move what we’ve carried, and remember what the spirit never forgot.

Drawing inspiration from traditions across cultures—from the Día de los Muertos ofrendas that celebrate and honor the dead to the Gullah Geechee ways of remembering ancestors—Ritual & Release reclaims art as an ancient and sacred tool for healing, guiding us through mourning, remembrance, and renewal. This is a space for deep reflection, honest feeling, embodied release, and authentic connection.

Featuring performances from some of the Lowcountry’s most gifted artists, Ritual & Release invites us to embrace the cycles of life, shed what no longer serves, and find beauty and grace in the face of change. Whether you’re grieving a loss, moving through transition, or simply longing for connection in uncertain times, we offer a collective experience of release and resilience—a reminder that healing has always been a shared human practice.

Honor the past, embody the present, release the rest.

All proceeds from the evening will benefit Luke 4 Ministries and .

Yoga Is Us (@yogaisus) brings accessible, trauma-informed wellness programs to under-resourced communities in Charleston and beyond. They are fundraising to open a donation-based, BIPOC-led yoga studio at the Shaw Community Center, provide BIPOC scholarships for teacher training, and support graduates teaching in nontraditional settings such as detention centers, after-school programs, hospitals, rehabs, and community centers.

Luke 4 Ministries advances freedom, healing, and dignity through advocacy, education, aid, and partnerships. Their work includes forming and training ICE Rapid Response Teams in South Carolina, running bilingual hotline and verifier trainings, offering workshops and vigils with local partners, connecting families with legal and educational resources, and providing direct aid. They also conduct on-the-ground research and build networks locally and globally.

Host or Publisher W/E Coast Studio