Album Notes

"One of the finest debuts of this or any year." - Steve Ryals, Fresh Tracks

"A refreshing restorative - an hours retreat from the sharp edges of life. Quiet music that encourages quiet contemplation... an almost guaranteed doorway to an inner peace... priceless." - Wes Phillips, music critic for Stereophile and onhifi.com

"I listen to it each night; it draws me to a more centering and real place. I will put it with Chopin's 'The Nocturns,' Satie's 'Trois Gymnopedies,' and George Winston's 'Plains.'
- Michael J. Brown

This audiophile-quality album contains 12 original compositions that lead the listener through nearly an hour of serene yet evocative music. In the words of the artist,"My intention is toward cultivating a greater sense of the present moment, and inviting the listener to open more fully to his or her own experience."

FROM THE CD INSERT: "Dancing at the Gate is a musical offering which comes from this experience we call life - exhuberance, sadness, joy, anticipation, deep longing, love. As the poet Rumi says,

'This being human is a guest house,
every morning a new arrival...

treat each guest honorably...

be grateful for whoever comes,
for each has been sent as a guide from God.'

It has become clear to me over the years that whatever our experience is in the present moment, no matter how beautiful or painful, it can be for us a gate - a pathway into the larger Presence, that deep reservoir of Love for which we were made. It is my prayer and hope that this music invites you to a stillness that awakens you to that larger place within."

Dana Cunningham is an instrumental pianist living and composing in the mountains of New Hampshire. Her primary interest is in performing her original piano compositions and the poetry of Rumi, Rilke, David Whyte, Mary Oliver, and others in concert and retreat settings. Dana has a degree in Communications from Vanderbilt University where she also studied piano at Blair School of Music.

For more reviews and artist information, please visit Dana's website: www.danacunningham.com