Event Categories: Major Event (left column)

Contact improv and Circling! Both are practices of presence; of simultaneous attunement to self and other; of expression and connection. Both support us in building a culture of authentic connection. Both develop in us a receptivity to each moment, and the freedom to respond creatively and authentically. With Circling, one might say, we extend the principles of CI from the physical into the verbal mode of connecting.

When authentic relating (AR) is offered at CI jams, people frequently reflect that it helps them drop more fully into the jam space—these kinds of tools support us to feel more self-connected and present! Thus the thought arises, “Why not emphasize this kind of practice: as an excellent complement to CI, and as a part of Earthdance’s motto of creative living?”

So, we’re bringing it in more fully, for Earthdance’s first Circling+CI jam! 

If AR games are like contact exercises (posting/sloughing, lifts, spirals, etc.)—in the sense that they are structures for training skills and principles— then Circling is like a jam, where those tools and principles get applied freely, with much less structure. 

Over the course of the weekend, we’ll have guided mixed CI/Circling activities, small breakout circles, and contact jams, exploring and playing with the parallels, overlaps, and complementarity of the two practices. 

*Note* For those new to CI, we just want you to know that there will not be a formal intro to Contact Improv. That being said, you are welcome to join. The jam times are open to any kind of movement that is attuned to the space/other bodies, so you don’t necessarily need to know CI to participate.  

Here’s a draft schedule, to give a rough sense of the flow of the weekend (subject to change)

Thursday night: 

Arrival: 4-6pm

Dinner: 6- 7

7:30 pm: Opening gathering: Orientation to Circling & CI Jam

Friday:  

7:15-8:30am Contemplative+Dance+Circling Practice (20min, 20min, 30min)

8-9:30 Breakfast

10-1 Morning session – Circling basics and movement

1-2 Lunch

3:30-6 Large group exercise into Small Group Circling 

6-7 Dinner 

8:00 Contact/Movement Jam

Saturday: 

7:15-8:30 Contemplative+Dance+Circling Practice

8-9:30 Breakfast

10-1 Morning session(s) – Building on the Movement and Circling blend

1-2 Lunch

2:30-4 Afternoon COCO time

4:15-6 Circling  

6-7 Dinner

8:00 Contact/Movement Jam

Sunday: 

7:30 Contemplative+Dance+Circling Practice

8-9:30 Breakfast

10-1 Culminating Circling+CI Jam into Closing

1-2 Lunch

2-3 Final clean and leave

Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle and COVID testing

Arrival and Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence from 4:00pm-7:00pm on Thursday, June 1st at the Farmhouse of Earthdance. Please contact the Site Coordinator at site@earthdance.net if you will be late. Dinner 6-7pm.

Opening Circle: Thursday June 1st at 7:30pm. All participants are asked to attend.

Depart: Final house clean at 2pm, depart at 3pm, June 4th.

COVID Testing: Please make sure that you have tested for COVID on the day of arrival. If needed, participants may purchase tests from Earthdance for $10 each.

Our Fees Explained

Earthdance offers a sliding scale payment for participation in this event, please take a moment to reflect as you decide on where you best fit. 

Your level of contribution is self selected and does not need to be advocated for. However we invite you to remember this contribution is currency and we ask that you stretch where you are able so that those who cannot stretch as far of a financial distance may also have potential access to community events. As you choose your rate please consider the following factors:

• Your access to income and wealth, as connected to family and partnership, both currently and anticipated in the future.
• The historical, systemic impacts of wealth accrual based on culture, race and other intersection marginalizations for you and your family.
• The regional ease of your attendance, while some community members can drive to Earthdance, others will need to consider tuition based on their ability to travel longer distances. 
• Earthdance is a community and rental funded organization which recently, historically and uniquely through the Covid-19 pandemic has struggled to have viable income.

Pricing

$525 – Financially Wealthy

$450 – Financially Abundant

$375 – Financially Stable

$300 – Financially Coping

$250 – Financially Strained

Equity & Access Tickets 

Although we’re not able to offer any full scholarships this year, we’re excited to offer up to 3 highly reduced Equity & Access Tickets to individuals who feel part of an underrepresented and/or marginalized group in CI, have a relationship with CI, and who have (ideally) not attended an Earthdance seasonal jam before. We know that for those who come from marginalized populations showing up to spaces filled with primarily privileged groups can be a challenge, and can feel vulnerable. “Apply” and see more details here.

For those who do not identify as marginalized and are in a represented group of CI, we invite you to stretch in your payment to help support those who cannot stretch and create a more diverse jam experience for all. 

Note: While Earthdance is making efforts to better support Equity & Access at all its events, the Gratitude Jam offers particularly strong support for diversity, equity, and inclusion through:

• Reduced pricing offered to people self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized in CI (more info linked below)
• classes and discussions that aim to bring up the level of awareness and inclusion at the jam as a whole
• affinity spaces (jams, discussions, etc.) for particular groups of people—e.g. PoGM, LGBTQIA+, differently-abled, immigrant—to connect, share CI space together, and rest from the pressures of being in a minority status at the jam

Housing Options

Tickets include room at the Earthdance Dormitory and full board. The Gratitude Lodge (a.k.a. the Earthdance dorm) is the main lodging facility, connected to the Farmhouse by a short wooded trail. The lodge includes large and small rooms featuring dormitory-style bunks and beds (twin & queen size) and is included in the base Jam cost. Beds are available on a first come basis. 

***Nine Mountain is not available for this jam.***

Cancellation Policy

Refund available up to 10 days before the event less a $75 processing fee

No refunds available less than 10 days from the start of the event.

Partial refunds might be given if a cancellation takes place under extenuating circumstances (e.g. a death of a 1st or 2nd degree family member, serious non-preventable illness or accident requiring hospitalization). Refunds in such cases remain at the discretion of the local organizers and will be decided on a case to case basis according to the timing of the cancellation and other factors.

COVID Precautions

No specific requirements on vaccination status are needed to attend the Spring Jam. However, all registrants are required to take an antigen test on the day of before arriving on Thursday, June 1st at Earthdance. If you need a test, Earthdance will have them available to purchase for $10 each. 

Please take adequate measures to limit your exposure in the days before arriving. If you are feeling sick, or have a known close exposure to someone with COVID in the past 5 days, please sit this one out to keep the community well.

Participant Community Support

Earthdance runs as a​ community, thus part of the participation is that all individuals contribute to 1-2 work shifts (typically meal cleans) throughout the jam/workshop and participate in a final house clean on Sunday. These are great ways to connect more with your fellow participants and Earthdance staff, and to feel more at home in the Earthdance buildings & grounds. Your contributions to this collective caring of this space are invaluable!

Earthdance’s buildings are ADA accessible. More info here.

Earthdance’s Jam Guidelines

Earthdance’s Nudity Policy

HOST BIOS

John Adams

John Adams is, among other things, a transdisciplinary academic, structural bodyworker (Rolfer), Circling facilitator, IFS-informed coach, and breath therapy practitioner. He’s taught contact improv across Texas, including for Texas A&M University’s dance program. He has a BS in ecological restoration, focusing on agroecology. His highly integrative graduate thesis shows how the quality of the relationships to our own bodies, to other humans, and to the more-than-human world, is a core determinant of human health and function; in so doing, it provides a framework for understanding whole-systems well-being. John’s been a regular at Earthdance for over 8 years; he currently lives next door, applying his thesis to his own life.

Michelle Huber

Michelle Huber is a Circling Facilitator and Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner based in Northampton MA. She originally fell in love with Circling as a place to practice expressing truth that she had habitually held inside in social interactions. She completed a Circling facilitation training with the Connection Institute in Boston in March of 2018 and assisted in the consecutive training in 2019. Over the past 5 years she has led numerous Circling groups, day-long and weekend Circling retreats. She also lived in a communal household for 4.5 years utilizing the tools of Circling to work through conflict and explore connection.

In addition to her private Circling groups, she has been honored to teach Circling tools to the staff at Windhorse Integrative Mental Health Center, the graduate Mental Health department at Westfield State and the Smith College Summer program. 

She delights in the discovery of unconscious patterns of human behavior and is fascinated by the never-ending connections of body, emotions, mind and the collective. She is dedicated to increasing awareness, learning to open her heart and supporting others in softening.

She is also a dancer and has been a member of the Earthdance Community since 2014. She is very excited about bringing together Circling and movement at the Coco jam. 

More information about upcoming workshops in-person and online: www.MichelleHuber.me

Paul Vidich

Paul Vidich is a person, he lives in a treehouse, he studied Circling with Peter Benjamin for a year at the connection institute and practices radical honesty in all his relationships except with his parents, where he practices moderate honesty. He has harborred many big time aspirations but not acted on them. He was an apprentice at the Monastic academy for 4 months from which he gained the exceptional capacity to perpetually feel like everything he does is a waste of time. He organized and ran a monastic inspired community house for a year – hosting retreats in circling, meditation, movement, and theater. He spends a majority of his time decapitating trees in the hopes of creating a layered canopy orchard. 

Michael Reginato

In his twenties, Michael spent quite a bit of time sitting on the floor meditating by himself. Then, in 2018, he discovered Circling, Authentic Relating, and Contact Improvisation, and life became a lot more fun. He’s been doing a lot of this, in addition to lots of other things, ever since. 

For more information, wave to him, or gently place your hand on his shoulder, and ask him, “what’s it like to be you right now?”

Rosie Jaye

Originally from San Diego, CA, Rosie holds an MA in Positive Psychology and a BA in Business Leadership. She has five years of meditation and circling experience including two years of full time monastic training. In 2018, she worked as a kitchen manager in Vermont. In 2019, she managed the Ecodharma Retreat Center in Colorado. In 2020, she trained at a soto zen monastery in Oregon and sat and supported multiple vision quests and sweat lodges. In 2021, she apprenticed with a medicine woman and certified as a circling facilitator through circling Europe. In 2022, she worked as a mental health counselor in Massachusetts and certified as a circling coach through The Relatfulness Company. She loves being 10-15 minutes late, moving multiple times a year, singing, dancing, wrestling, and screaming. She is passionate about community grief work and death care, holding people while they cry, connecting to wonder, and pursuing embodiment as a pathway to liberation.

Khemā Eernisse

Khemā recently left behind her life at a Buddhist monastic center in rural Vermont, where she trained for three years. She’s now following a call to be of service in the world through offering circling, grief ritual, coaching, and energy work. She’s been teaching, facilitating, and playing in the realm of circling for the last six years. In that time, she completed two facilitator trainings, the first with Peter Benjamin and the second with Circling Europe (SAS). She’s pretty sure circling can change the world and has personally found profound healing, growth, and aliveness through the practice. Right now, her passion is exploring the intersection between embodiment, Buddhism, and surrendered leadership.

Our Summer Jam (F.K.A July 4th) is a special and epic yearly event… family-inclusive, outdoor inviting, camping centered, and full of opportunity to dance, play, swim, and simply be within a communal setting. With the warmth of the air and the green of the fertile earth supporting us, this jam invites us to feel and expand into aspects of interdependence, intergenerational play, and interconnection. A children’s program both supports the parents as well as creates a container for children to explore together as well as with adults.

Jam Theme from Freida and Eliana

Illuminating Gratitude

Gratitude is a practice of noticing, inviting curiosity, and evoking praise. This is echoed in the high summer landscape with lush growth, long light, and celebratory birds. After years of collective tension around how we connect, we invite the practice of praise into the shared dance. “Cultures of gratitude are cultures of reciprocity”, says Robin Wall Kimmerer. Reciprocity is fundamental to the practice of Contact Improvisation, so what happens when we center our gratitude in the dance? Come find out with us!

“To be alive in this beautiful, self-organizing universe — to participate in the dance of life with senses to perceive it, lungs that breathe it, organs that draw nourishment from it — is a wonder beyond words.” – Joanna Macy

Summer Jam Details

• The Summer Jam is one of the four main Earthdance seasonal jams, it often has around 100-140 participants and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds. 
• We will have commuter, children, full and 2 half jam ticket options.
• Half Jam tickets will go on sale on June 5th.
• We are not offering a single day drop in for this jam.
• Please take a look at what to expect at an Earthdance Seasonal Jam.
• Scroll down to the “HOST BIOS” section at the bottom to check out what Malaika is offering for the children’s programming this Summer Jam.
• NEWCOMERS!!! It is highly recommended that newcomers attend the first half of the jam (Thurs-Sunday), we will be offering classes on embodied consent and CI fundamentals.

Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, Departures and COVID Testing

• Arrival and Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence for Full and 1st Half Jam participants on Thursday, June 29th from 4:00pm-7:00pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
• 2nd Half Jam Check-In: Arrive to check-in on Sunday, July 2nd between 4-7pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm
• Opening Circle: Friday, June 30th at 10am.
• 1st Half Jam Departure: Participants will depart on Sunday, July 2nd by 2pm (after lunch).
• Full and 2nd Half Jam Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Wednesday, July 5th.
• COVID Testing: Please make sure that you have tested for COVID on the day of arrival for both Full and Half Jam. If needed, participants may purchase tests from Earthdance for $10 each.

Our Fees Explained

Earthdance offers a sliding scale payment for participation in this event, please take a moment to reflect as you decide on where you best fit. 

Your level of contribution is self selected and does not need to be advocated for. However, we invite you to remember this contribution is currency and we ask that you stretch where you are able so that those who cannot stretch as far of a financial distance may also have potential access to community events. As you choose your rate please consider the following factors:

• Your access to income and wealth, as connected to family and partnership, both currently and anticipated in the future.
• The historical, systemic impacts of wealth accrual based on culture, race and other intersection marginalizations for you and your family.
• The regional ease of your attendance, while some community members can drive to Earthdance, others will need to consider tuition based on their ability to travel longer distances. 
• Earthdance is a community and rental funded organization which recently, historically and uniquely through the Covid-19 pandemic has struggled to have viable income.

Equity & Access Tickets 

Although we’re not able to offer any full scholarships this year, we’re excited to offer up to 8 FULL JAM Equity & Access Discounts and 6 HALF JAM Discounts to individuals who feel part of an underrepresented and/or marginalized group in CI and have a relationship with CI.  We know that for those who come from marginalized populations showing up to spaces filled with primarily privileged groups can be a challenge, and can feel vulnerable.

“Apply” and see more details here. Application deadline is June 12th.

For those who do not identify as marginalized and are in a represented group of CI, we invite you to stretch in your payment to help support those who cannot stretch and create a more diverse jam experience for all. 

Note: While Earthdance is making efforts to better support Equity & Access at all its events, the Summer Jam offers particularly strong support for diversity, equity, and inclusion through:

• Reduced pricing offered to people self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized in CI.
• Classes and discussions that aim to bring up the level of awareness and inclusion at the jam as a whole
• Affinity spaces (jams, discussions, etc.) for particular groups of people to connect, share CI space together, and rest from the pressures of being in a minority status at the jam.

Housing Options

Gratitude Lodge at Earthdance Tickets

Includes a bed in the Gratitude Lodge, Summer Jam offerings, and food during the jam.

The Gratitude Lodge (a.k.a. the Earthdance dorm) is the main lodging facility, connected to the Farmhouse by a short wooded trail. The lodge includes large and small rooms featuring dormitory-style bunks and beds (twin & queen size) and is included in the base Jam cost. Beds are available on a first come basis.

Camping Tickets

Includes a spot to camp at Earthdance, Summer Jam offerings, and food during the jam.

Commuter Tickets

You will have access to the Summer Jam offerings including food for the event.

Commuter Health Care: We ask that you please use caution when commuting and limit, if possible, to just commuting to and from your home and Earthdance, staying away from large crowds to maintain the health and well being of the other Summer Jam participants.

***If you would like to stay at Nine Mountain, you will need to contact Robyn at robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed at an additional charge after registering with Earthdance.

Cancellation Policy

Refund available up to 14 days (June 18th) before the event less a $75 processing fee. 

No refunds available less than 14 days from the start of the event.

Partial refunds might be given if a cancellation takes place under extenuating circumstances (e.g. a death of a 1st or 2nd degree family member, serious non-preventable illness or accident requiring hospitalization). Refunds in such cases remain at the discretion of the local organizers and will be decided on a case to case basis according to the timing of the cancellation and other factors.

COVID Precautions

No specific requirements on vaccination status are needed to attend this event. However, ALL registrants are required to take an antigen test on the day of before arriving on Thursday, June 29th (Full Jam) and July 2nd (2nd Half Jam) at Earthdance. If you need a test, Earthdance will have them available to purchase for $10 each. 

Please take adequate measures to limit your exposure in the days before arriving. If you are feeling sick, or have a known close exposure to someone with COVID in the past 5 days, please sit this one out to keep the community well. 

COMMUTERS: We ask that you please use caution when commuting and limit, if possible, to just commuting to and from your home and Earthdance, staying away from large crowds to maintain the health and well being of the other Summer Jam participants.

Participant Community Support

Earthdance runs as a​ community, thus part of the participation is that all individuals contribute to 1-2 work shifts (typically meal cleans) throughout the event and participate in a final house clean on the last day of the event. These are great ways to connect more with your fellow participants and Earthdance staff, and to feel more at home in the Earthdance buildings & grounds. Your contributions to this collective caring of this space are invaluable!

Earthdance’s buildings are ADA accessible. More info here.

Earthdance’s Jam Guidelines

Earthdance’s Nudity Policy

HOST BIOS

Eliana Bonard

Eliana Bonard – Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Since I was a child, dance has always meant pleasure, health and freedom. At age fifteen I began my path in movement improvisation through the Aberastury System. My training includes contemporary dance, ballet, tango as well as yoga, eutony and somatics, I also nourished my practice with theater and clown.

I like to experiment with hybrid/juxtaposed languages on scene. I have choreographed dance-theater pieces, aerial dance, dance for children and also made site specific and street performances.

I fell in love with Contact Improvisation in 1987 and I began teaching CI four years later. I have been a CI teacher at the School of Artistic Education (ESEA) since 2012. I was co-creator of Eimcila, Latin America CI Teachers Meeting in 2011, co-organizer of the Buenos Aires CI50 Celebration, as well as ongoing Jams in my city. Another passion of mine is to work in heated water and I give Aguahara sessions and facilitate @milon.gota mixing CI and tango in water.

I love simple things, like practicing yoga at the seaside, cooking or collecting grapefruit in my neighborhood and sharing time with my beloved 20 year old son.

Eliana Bonard – Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Desde pequeña concebí la danza como placer, salud y libertad. Comencé a los 15 años mi camino en la improvisación de movimiento a través del Sistema Aberastury. Me formé en danza contemporánea y ballet como en yoga, tango, eutonía y somáticas. Nutrí mi práctica con actuación y clown.

Me interesa la experimentación escénica en el cruce de lenguajes. Realicé varias obras coreográficas de danza teatro, danza aérea, danza para niños y performances en espacios no convencionales.

Me enamoré del CI en 1987 y lo comencé a enseñar cuatro años más tarde. Dí clases en varias ciudades y festivales internacionales en América y Europa. Soy profesora de CI en ESEA, profesorados oficiales de danza desde 2012. Soy co-creadora de Eimcila, Encuentro internacional de maestros de CI en Latinoamérica en 2011, co-organizadora de Celebración 50 CI Bs As, y actualmente coordino Jams en mi ciudad. Otra de mis pasiones es trabajar en agua climatizada dando sesiones de Aguahara y facilitar la @milon.gota, lab en el agua cruzando CI y tango.

Amo las cosas simples como hacer yoga en la playa, cocinar, cosechar pomelos y paltas en mi barrio y compartir tiempo con mi amado hijo de 20.

IG: @eli.bonard

Frieda Kipar Bay

Frieda Kipar Bay has been a dancer since before she can remember. Movement is the lens that she uses to see into life, and contact improvisation is one of her fundamental practices. She’s been studying this form since 1998, worked as a professional dancer for several years in San Francisco (Scott Wells, Sara Shelton Mann, BodyCartography,etc.), and has taught CI with Melecio Estrella and as a solo teacher since 2006. She has also deeply investigated BMC, feldenkrais, compositional improvisation, bodyweather practice, and qigong. She recently transplanted from Sonoma County, Ca. to Montague, Ma. with her partner and two kids, and works as a clinical herbalist and movement teacher. Website

Malaïka Bittar-Piekutowski

Children’s Summer Jam Host – Malaïka lives in her beloved Montreal with her husband and two daughters. She is a psychotherapist, loves springtime, baking, connecting with other humans and is afraid of ticks. She discovered the summer jam at Earthdance in 2017 and has attended every one since. She’s been coordinating the children program there since 2019.

The children’s program is a childcare space held by five staff members and a coordinator. We welcome children as of 3 years old all the way up to teenagers (who can assist facilitation if they’re interested in gaining such experience). The program starts every morning at 9:15am with an opening circle for parents, kids and staff. During the circle each staff presents what activities they’ll be facilitating that morning, and at the end of the circle, the parents entrust their child to the staff of their choice. The kids are grouped based on their interests, not according to their age. The activities range from arts and crafts, to walks in the forests, role plays and dance parties, face paint, sprinkles and slip and slide. Children are invited to express their desires and creativity to help co-create the activities, obviously within the constraints of our budget, staff ratio, basic safety and gravity. The program ends at 1pm which is also the start of lunch..and don’t forget kids have priority in the lunch lineup so go get these hungry kids’ bellies full! We also offer special “off the schedule” activities like pizza-making, S’mores, afternoon dance party and whatever else we’ll come up with this year.