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Dan Furst
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Author, Actor, Astrologer
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Teacher of Literature and Theatre Arts
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| Hospedaje Beho, 141 Calle de Ruinas, Pisac, Cusco, Peru | Phone: 0051 - 84 - 203001 |
| e-mail: dan@hermes3.net, dan@kevcom.com, | URL: http://www.hermes3.net |
| tehuti3@gmail.com | |
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Resume
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I. Writing and Editing
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| 2009-2010 | Book-signings of Dance of the Moon: Celebrating the Sacred Cycles of the Earth (see next). This Living by the Moon Tour of book signings, talks, ceremonies at the dark and full Moons, and astrology/astrocartography readings covered a total of 46 cities throughout the USA, with return engagements in four for a total of 50 events, from Nov. 3, 2009 through June 16, 2010 | ||
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2009
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| 1998- 2009 | Creator of Hermes 3 Website (http://www.hermes3.net), home of the Universal Festival Calendar; Sacred Sounds; When It Rained in Egypt and other holistic theatre works under the aegis of The Play of Freedom; and other projects in spiritual evolution and ceremonial art and performance. | ||
| 1985- 1996 | As journalist, wrote regular columns on theatre for the Mainichi Daily News and Asahi Evening News, and contributed occasional pieces to Japan's other two English-language dailies, the Daily Yomiuri and The Japan Times; wrote theatre column for Kansai Time Out monthly magazine and short plays and other theatre pieces for Kyoto Journal and Tokyo Journal; covered theatre and other performing arts in Japan for American Theatre, High Performance, Metropolitan Opera News, Edinburgh Festival Souvenir and other magazines; wrote a variety of pieces on the arts, politics, society and religion for these publications and others such as Winds (Japan Airlines), Hong Kong and Sedona: Journal of Emergence. | ||
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1989-1995
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Corresponding Secretary to Rev. Kyotaro Deguchi at the Oomoto Foundation in Kameoka, Japan. Managed communications with religious leaders throughout the world, and assisted with development and planning of interfaith activities in Japan. | ||
| 1991-1995 | Edited English programs for the annual Osaka International Music Festival; also was Editor-in-Chief of Kyoto Visitors' Guide monthly magazine. | ||
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II: Astrology:
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| 1980-2009 | Professional astrologer for 30 years, doing thousands of Astrology Readings for clients by personal appointment, voice recording and written report, and by Skype. Specializing since 2006 in Astrocartography locational readings. | ||
| Extensive writings on astrology at Hermes 3 and for various publications. "Dan Furst is one of the best astrology writers out there," according to Rob Brezsny at Free Will Astrology (August, 2006) | |||
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III: Performing:
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1978- 2009
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Have worked for 32 years as an actor, singer and fight director, in theatre, film, TV, radio, and commercials. Highlight credits: | ||
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A. United States (2009 - 2010)
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| 2009-2010 | Performed An Evening with Rumi with music by Alauddin Ottinger and Dwight Frissell (Kansas City, MO, Dec. 2009), with Erika May (Silver City, NM, Feb. 2010) and with Marko Zonka and Richard Williams (Ashland, OR, Feb. 2010) | ||
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B. Egypt (2005 - 2009)
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2009
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Played Nepalese singing bowls and led an interactive performance of ancient Egyptian chants at Catweazle in Oxford, UK. | ||
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2009
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Collaborated with Osama Khattab on the first orchestrations and recordings of music from When it Rained in Egypt. See especially "Have You Seen Osiris?" | ||
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2008- 2009
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Founded The Dahab Orchestra with Sergei Shchegolkov, and guided its growth into an ensemble of players from Russia, the UK, Greece, the USA, Japan, Sudan and Egypt. Produced the group's initial performances at Rush in Dahab, in Sinai. | ||
| 2005- 2007 | Appeared as singer and didjeridoo player with Fathy Salama and the Sharkiat Band at Beit El-Harrawy, the Cairo Opera House, and the Cairo Goethe Institut. | ||
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2006
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Appeared as guest singer in Cairo Christmas concert with Trygve Seim and Source | ||
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2005
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Produced, composed music, played and sang in Music Medicine, an international concert for peace and planetary healing with Naseer Shamma, Rahalla, Manal Mohei el Din, Svemir Vranko, Scott Huckabay and Willow Chang at Sakia El Sawy Culture Wheel, Cairo | ||
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C: Hawaii (1995 - 2007)
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| 2007 | Performed An Evening with Rumi, sponsored by the Honolulu Academy of Arts, with music by Steve Rosenthal and Reggae McGowen, as a featured cultural event in the International Year of Mevlana. | ||
| Appeared in the December 2007 Caravan of the Mevlevi Order of America, as MC and presenter of Rumi's poetry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the Maui Arts and Cultural Center, the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts and Royce Hall at UCLA. | |||
| 2003 | Created title role of the Sufi poet Jalaluddin Rumi in An Evening with Rumi, with Sangeet Gellhorn, Nuri Martin, Ivan Krillzarin, Larry Ward and Valerie Noor Karima, at the Arts at Mark's Garage, Honolulu. Other highlight credits include: | ||
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D. Japan (1984 - 1995):
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| Was named one of the People of the Year by the city of Kyoto in its 1200th anniversary year of 1994, for contributions to cross-cultural theatre and international understanding. Highlight credits include: | |||
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E: New York (1978 - 1984)
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IV: Theatre, Music and Environmental Event Production:
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2005-2009
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Created and led numerous Sacred Sounds music ceremonies and sound healing circles in Egypt at the Temple of the Sun in Abu Ghroub, the Red Pyramid at Dashour, the Solar Cross at Giza, the temple complex of Imhotep at Saqqara, the sacred sound chamber of Amenemhet at Beni Hassan, the Temple of Isis at Philae and other ancient sacred sites, as well as Wadi Degla, the Insight Inside holistic center and Community Services Association in Cairo; the Nour Center in Alexandria, Mt. Sinai, Wadi Gunai and the Gateway Center in Dahab. | ||
| 2003-2005 | Was chief Tour Coordinator and Master of Ceremonies for the Makua Lani Ocean Adventures project and Real Hawaii Tours. Led hundreds of tour groups from Japan, Europe and North America on daily kayak excursions to encounter wild dolphins off Makua Beach in Oahu, and on special eco-tours and immersion experiences in Hawaii's traditional culture. | ||
| 1996-2004 | Founded and led the Sacred Sounds music ensemble of Oahu, coordinating meditative music and sound healing events with holistic practitioners and voice artists in combination with players of didjeridoos, crystal singing bowls, drums, harps, flutes, bells and other traditional instruments. Sacred Sounds has been featured at events in Kyoto, Japan; Sedona, Arizona and the Whole Life Expo in Los Angeles, as well as in numerous Hawaii events, including such highlights as:
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| 1994-1995 | Dolphin Communication: Led four groups from Japan to swim with wild dolphins and conduct dolphin healing experiments in Oahu. Work included planning and promotion, management, interpretation and event production. The July 1995 group included dolphin research scientist John Lilly; physicians and medical researchers from hospitals in Osaka, Fukuoka and Okinawa; the director of the Dolphin Healing Center in Kyoto; and artists and scholars from France, the United States and Singapore as well as Japan. | ||
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1993
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Stage Managed and was announcer and master of ceremonies on international environmental conferences: The Kyoto Global Forum, chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev; and the Conference on Ecological Responsibility: A Dialogue with Buddhism, convened by H. H. the Dalai Lama in New Delhi, India. | ||
| 1988- 1995 |
Founder and artistic director of Sirius Productions theatre company in Kyoto, Japan. Music, theatre and other principal productions included:
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V: Teaching:
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A: Regular Teaching Appointments
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| 2000-2004 | Leeward Community College, Pearl City and Waianae, Hawaii: Lecturer in English. Have taught Writing Intensive courses in American Literature and Types of Literature (Novels and Short Fiction); currently teaching World Literature, Ancient to Renaissance; and Types of Literature (Poetry and Drama); also created the first course in The Art of Storytelling to be developed at the University of Hawaii. | ||
| 1999-2000 | Chaminade University, Honolulu, Hawaii: Adjunct Lecturer in English and Drama. Taught 200-level courses in Poetry and Drama, Prose Fiction, Film and TV, and Acting Workshops; also 400-level courses in Early and Late Shakespeare, Chaucer, Literary History and British Literature of the Twentieth Century. | ||
| 1993-1995 | Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan: Taught courses in Propaganda and Persuasion, and The Art of Freedom, using the performance media of poetry, theatre and film; also an intensive seminar in Cervantes' Don Quixote | ||
| 1988-1995 | Osaka Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka, Japan: Taught intensive English courses to research physicians and laboratory technicians, with special emphasis on speech skills for oral and written presentations of research findings at international medical conferences | ||
| 1990-1992 | Kyoto University College of Medicine: Taught intensive English courses aimed at teaching Japanese physicians and nurses to communicate more effectively with English-speaking colleagues and patients | ||
| 1986-1988 | Osaka Seika Women's College, Osaka, Japan: Taught courses in Business English and English composition to women preparing for careers in the travel and international banking industries | ||
| 1984-1986 | Nippon Information and Communications, Osaka, Japan: Taught a variety of English-through- Drama classes; designed and wrote in-house materials in audio and video formats. Principal assignments included: intensive courses in English composition; curriculum design, writing and audio/video recording of training programs in English for academic and corporate clients; Business English courses and special field training seminars for such major companies as Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nippon Steel, Mitsubishi Chemical and Osaka Gas | ||
| 1970-1972 | Hunter College, New York, New York: Instructor in English. Taught Expository Writing classes in World Literature and Drama | ||
| 1969-1970 | Columbia University School of General Studies, New York: Preceptor in English. Taught Expository Writing classes in World Literature | ||
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B. Special Teaching Activities:
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| 2005-2009 | Presented numerous lectures on sound medicine, astrology, tarot, the Mayan calendar and other topics at the Maadi Community Services Association, the Heliopolis Community Association, the Cairo Women's Group for Health and the Alexandria Philosophical Society | ||
| 1998-2003 | Alliance for Drama Education, Honolulu, Hawaii: taught dozens of residencies at elementary and high schools throughout Oahu in the Getting Dramatic! Program, designed to teach confidence, poise and communication skills through theatre exercises and improvisations | ||
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1999
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"How to Play the Millennium": special multimedia lecture series on prophecy and divination, Honolulu, Hawaii | ||
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1995-1997
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Multimedia Lectures on Ceremonial Theatre and Sacred Geometry, delivered in Japanese: "Leonardo da Vinci and the Earthquake" (Kobe, 1995); "The Geometry of Love" (Nine-city Japan Tour, 1996); "Secrets of the Spiral" (Kyoto, 1997) | ||
| 1993- 1995 | Physical Theatre workshops in Movement, Intuition and Silence at Yoshida Shrine, Kyoto; and drama, voice, public speaking and improvisational theatre courses at Steps Academy for Performing Arts | ||
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1993
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Assisted director Peter Brook with Kyoto Prize theatre lecture/demonstrations | ||
| 1992-1993 | Universal Comedy and Japanese Theatre Today: series of Lecture/Demos at The New School, New York; the Japan Foundation, Kyoto; and the University of Hawaii at Manoa | ||
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Education:
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1974
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Ph. D. in Literature and Drama, Columbia University, New York. Major: 18th-century English literature. Minors: Renaissance poetry and drama. Dissertation: "Desperate Journey: The Race between Art and Death in Tristram Shandy" | ||
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1967
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M. A., 18th Century Literature, Columbia University Major: 18th-century English literature. Minor: 20th-century European Theatre. Master's Thesis: "Black, White and Motley: Visual Theatre in Tristram Shandy" | ||
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1966
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B. A., Literature/Drama, Rockhurst College, Kansas City, Missouri. Major: English and World literature. Minors: Theatre and Latin | ||
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Special Skills and Certificates:
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| Fluent in Japanese, nearly fluent in Spanish | |||
| Interfaith minister, ordained in the Church of Spiritual Science, New York (1982) | |||
| Expert in fencing, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking and cooking | |||
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Resume last updated: June 4, 2009
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