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BEN VEREEN
and
JOHN LOCKLEY
Host: DR. CONNIE CORLEY

Few entertainers today are as accomplished or as versatile as BEN VEREEN. On Broadway, he starred in Pippin, Wicked, Fosse, I’m Not Rappaport, Hair, Jesus Christ Superstar, Grind, Jelly’s Last Jam and A Christmas Carol. His role in Pippin garnered him both the prestigious Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for “Best Actor in a Musical.” Also a force in film and television, Mr. Vereen’s most recent credits include: Amazon TV series Sneaky Pete, which completed its second season earlier this year; 20th Century Fox’s Making History and The Rocky Horror Picture Show; as well as Time Out of Mind where he starred alongside Richard Gere. Other film credits include: Sweet Charity, All That Jazz, Funny Lady (Golden Globe nomination), Why Do Fools Fall In Love, and many others. On television, his memorable character, “Chicken George,” created a veritable cultural tidal wave in the landmark television series, Roots. Ben is now in the Theatre and Dance Hall of Fame and is considered one of our nation’s most popular motivational speakers. Last year he joined Americans for the Arts, the largest arts organization in the country advocating for the advancement of the arts and art education. In addition to his estimable artistic career, Vereen has devoted considerable time and energy to numerous nonprofit organizations. Learn more at www.benvereen.info.

Steppin’ Out with BEN VEREEN is an evening filled with song, dance, stories, and humor that takes you on a journey through Broadway with some of the greats of our time. Two nights only: August 10th and 11th at Catalina Jazz Club, 6725 West Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, CA. Tickets are available online at TicketWeb.com (search Ben Vereen) or by phone at 323.466.2210

JOHN LOCKLEY is one of the first white men in recent history to become a fully initiated sangoma (shaman) in the Xhosa lineage of South Africa. He was born, in 1971, into a divided Apartheid South Africa, with the mark of the sangoma on his face – a band of white birth skin around the eyes. At 18, John was serving in the South African army as a medic (during the war with Angola in the 1980s) when he had a strong, prophetic dream calling him to train as a Xhosa sangoma. He immediately began to suffer from “the thwasa,” a severe period of ill-health that is inherent in all ancient shamanic cultures which can only be cured through apprenticeship to a shamanic teacher. Because of the restrictions of Apartheid (which ended in 1994) it would take John seven years to find a Xhosa teacher. During the early days of his calling he trained as a Zen student under renowned Zen Master, Su Bong, completing an intensive three-month kyol che in a Buddhist monastery in South Korea. He was then invited by the Grand Master Dae Soen Sa Nim to join his “monk army,” but the strength of his sangoma calling drew him back to South Africa. Eventually, post-Apartheid, John met Mum Ngwevu, a well-known Xhosa Sangoma medicine woman, in one of the poorest townships in South Africa. She had foreseen his arrival in a dream and began his 10-year apprenticeship, giving him the initiated name, “Ucingolwendaba,” meaning “messenger or connector between people and cultures.” John now splits his time between South Africa, Europe and the U.S. Learn more at johnlockley.com.

John Lockley will speak at InsightLA in Santa Monica, CA, on August 16th and will hold a workshop Aug 18th. Details at InsightLA.

His audio book is The Way of the Leopard: Meditations and Shamanic Practices from the Heart of Africa.