Join us in beautifying, fixing, community building and dancing at Earthdance! We’ll work together during the day to help maintain and rebuild Earthdance, while dancing together in the evenings. If you have any carpentry, electrical, permaculture, or any skills that you think Earthdance would benefit from, please don’t be shy, we’d love your help!
Earthdance will provide us with healthy and delicious meals so that we have plenty of energy to give. You’re invited to join us for the whole weekend, or just drop in for a day. We’ll create lists of specific tasks for people to sign-up to beforehand according to skills and interests.
EARTHDANCE WISHLIST
If you’re planning on attending the work weekend and could donate any of the following items, we’d greatly appreciate it!
Good blankets (stainless, pleasant looking and functional)
Good pillows (stainless, pleasant looking and functional)
Twin sized mattresses (stainless, pleasant looking and functional)
Mugs (no chips, no corporate/anniversary/words, maybe a set?)
Bowls (no chips, no lip, full size)
Small to medium cooking pots (lightly used)
4 slot toaster (lightly used)
Twin, full and queen sheets/pillow cases (matching, stainless, pleasant looking and functional)
Wooden Hangers
Any size clean area rugs (stainless, pleasant looking and functional)
Nice Art
String lights
Table Lamps (stainless, pleasant looking and functional)
No specific requirements on vaccination status are needed to attend this event. Please take adequate measures to limit your exposure in the days before. 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!
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.
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!
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.
The Countertechnique® class is a contemporary dance technique class. It stretches, coordinates and strengthens the body, making the dancer sweat, build stamina and really move.
The class starts with a recurring set of exercises, allowing dancers to investigate the Countertechnique® principles in detail. The second half of the class consists of changing components, working towards luscious movement combinations and jumping at the end.
The Countertechnique® class results in dancers using less energy, losing their fear of taking risks and gaining speed in changing direction.
What folks should be aware of for the class / dance levels:
In Countertechnique® classes, dancers are introduced step-by-step to the various tools – making sure, however, that the priority always lies with experiencing and enjoying the difference in moving, rather than first having to understand the tools intellectually. Classes are therefore very accessible, and can be taught to participants of all levels. Even so, gaining a full understanding of the different tools and being able to apply them in complex movement, instantaneously and often simultaneously, involves a learning process of several years, even for professional dancers. Throughout this process dancers increasingly become their own teachers, allowing them to practice and progress even at times when a teacher is not available.
Countertechnique® encourages dancers to take control of their own training and accept full responsibility for their personal development. The Countertechnique® system offers the tools to do so, enabling dancers to get the maximum out of their career, while – of equal importance – continuing to enjoy it to the full!
Potluck Dinner: Please bring your favorite dish or donation of $10-15
Sauna and 2 towels: $10
***If you find that you are struggling financially or there are other circumstances that are making it difficult to join this special workshop, please email programming@earthdance.net with your situation so that we can create a way to have you join us.***
If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight: A dorm bed in our Gratitude Lodge is $40 (Rental of sheets and towel is $15) or $30 to camp* Includes access to the sauna and kitchen use but does not provide food.
Refund available up to 10 days before the event less a $15 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 this event. Please take adequate measures to limit your exposure in the days before. 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.
Maya LaLiberté was born and raised in Boulder, Colorado, and now lives in Northampton, Massachusetts. She first connected with Countertechnique in 2014 during her undergraduate studies at Smith College, and subsequently participated in multiple workshops with various teachers in NYC. She attended One Body One Career (OBOC) intensives in Amsterdam in 2019 and 2022, and became a certified teacher after successfully completing the Countertechnique Teacher Training (CTTT) in 2022.
Maya studied at Smith College, and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Dance in 2018. Upon graduating, she worked in NYC as a freelance dance artist, collaborating and performing in many projects throughout the Northeast. Since returning to Western Massachusetts in 2020, Maya has deepened her creative practice and strengthened her commitment to building community through dance and collaborative art-making. She is currently a faculty member at the School of Contemporary Dance and Thought, and teaches classes within the Five College Consortium and in NYC.
Join others on the path of self-discovery in a supportive workshop for attending to our inner world.
Drawing from IFS (Internal Family Systems), also called Parts Work, this workshop is about rooting into our centered self, that inner witness, and attending to the parts of us that hold difficult emotional and mental states, such as depression, anxiety, judgment, and jealousy, from a place of curiosity.
Our aim is not to fix ourselves or to analyze, rather, our goal is to listen. When we turn towards ourselves with compassion, we find parts of us, who are sometimes frozen at a young age, are simply trying their best to help us and get their needs met. They want to feel safe, to be connected to others and to contribute to life in a way that is meaningful. We can help them to get these needs met and this is where lasting healing happens.
In this introductory workshop, we will explore some of the foundational skills of Parts Work, get to know some of our parts, and connect more deeply with at least one part of us.
Somatic skills such as breath, sensing and movement are woven in to help us to regulate our nervous system, gain greater awareness of our feelings and nurture connections to each other. Writing and drawing are incorporated as well. Some practices are done alone, others in small groups and some in the big group.
Come for personal insights and to grow in self-acceptance. Experience the joy of learning together and embracing our shared humanity. Bring a journal.
Potluck Dinner: Please bring your favorite dish or donation of $5-10
Sauna and 2 towels: $10
***If you find that you are struggling financially or there are other circumstances that are making it difficult to join this special workshop, please email programming@earthdance.net with your situation so that we can create a way to have you join us.***
If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight: A dorm bed in our Gratitude Lodge is $40. (Rental of sheets and towel is $15) * Includes access to the sauna and kitchen use but does not provide food.
Refund available up to 10 days before the event less a $20 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 this event. Please take adequate measures to limit your exposure in the days before. 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.
Mandy Snyder is a Somatic Healer and group facilitator who is passionate about creating spaces for embodied self-discovery. With warmth and welcoming, she guides others to make contact with self-compassion, a balm that makes everything just a little easier. Her individual sessions, groups and workshops draw from her training in Somatic Experiencing, study in Internal Family Systems and 25 + years as in movement studies, including Authentic Movement, Body Tales and Contact Improvisation. A lover of nature and laughter, Mandy has spent many years in Vermont and California, and now makes Western Massachusetts her home.
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.
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 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.
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!
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.
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.
Originating in post WWII Japan, butoh is a potent and revolutionary dance form. Butoh uses the body brazenly as a battleground to attain personal, social or political transformation. In its early forms, butoh embraced and referenced Western artistic movements; German Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Existentialism and Fluxus, all of which pervaded the Tokyo underground and the avant-garde arts scene at that time. In fact, the co-founders of butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata and Kazuo Ohno trained in German modern dance, which was integral to the development of German Expressionism. But, eventually they took opposite approaches to their dance making.
Hijikata’s work became known as ankoku butoh (dance of utter darkness); and, he embraced the grotesque and the absurd, exploring themes of sacrifice, struggle and death.
Ohno’s butoh was playful, humorous and filled with light and life. Today’s butoh is influenced by both Hijikata and Ohno and wrestles to balance those contrary approaches. Philosophically, butoh slips between the cracks of definition in order to reveal the fervent beauty of the unique human spirit.
Noguchi Taiso
“The materials that constitute our bodies are undoubtedly of this earth and have participated in and experienced the creation process . . . Our body, living here and now, includes the history of the earth.” Michizo Noguchi
Michizo Noguchi, a gymnastics coach and founder of this method in post-WWll Japan, was confronted with a realization that when everything else is gone the body still remains alive and subject to gravity. He used the body as a primary source and tool for developing a new kind of movement practice based in principles of nature, the way matter moves in space and time. The human body is 70% water, the rest is earth materials. Noguchi proposes that natural effort free movement does not fight gravity but embraces it, using its force to assist the movement. A main principle of Noguchi Taiso is movement as a reaction. Instead of making a move intentionally the practitioner creates the conditions for the movement to arise as a natural response.
Noguchi Taiso has been adopted by many butoh, dance and theatre practitioners in Japan especially for its ability to empty the body of various learned, superficial and culturally derived patterns of behavior, making it more transparent, aligning it with the more universal forces that are at play.
“13 Aspects of Butoh”
“13 Aspects of Butoh” is an ongoing research project designed by Julie Becton Gillum in order to discover the essential nature of butoh and how it differs from other dance and theater forms. Gillum has been creating and sharing workshops based on her personal research since 2010. Some of the “Aspects: such as “Space”, “Time” and “Force” are basic to all forms of dance. However some aspects are more specific to butoh and Japanese aesthetics, such as: “Ma,” “Jo-ha-kyu,” “Ghost of Self”, “Dance Like a Child,” “Every Dance is a Prayer,” “Masculine and Feminine.” Many of the “Aspects” began as quotes from my butoh mentors during training sessions. It is these, more obscure body concepts, that we will delve deeply into during our training at Earthdance. Transformation, interior and exterior space, sensation and presence will be at the core of our butoh investigations. I will explain the concepts of “Ma” and “Jo-ha-kyû” to give examples as to how they will be used in the workshop.
Guided explorations of concepts such as “ma” and “Jo-ha-kyû”encourage students to examine Japanese aesthetic principles through experience with movement timing, phrasing and forming.
Dancers, actors, martial artists, yoga practitioners and anyone interested in exploring their own personal capacity for movement expression is welcome to join Butoh and Noguchi Taiso Training. This training is appropriate for all levels.
Gillum’s intention is to introduce Noguchi Taiso as a warm up and perfect companion to butoh; afterwards she will guide lessons selected from “13 Aspects of Butoh”. Dancers, actors, martial artists, yoga practitioners and anyone interested in exploring their own personal capacity for movement expression is welcome to join Butoh and Noguchi Taiso Training. This training is appropriate for all levels.
Noguchi Taiso water body practice feeds and prepares the body, releasing unnecessary tension and creating the conditions for movement to emerge as a natural response for life, dance, performance and sports. The Noguchi Taiso system as well as butoh training help to eliminate socially and culturally derived habits and behaviors, creating a more open and fluid vessel through which natural and free impulses can flow with minimal resistance. The body learns to move using its own weight and to heighten its sensitivity in order to move efficiently from its most relaxed and receptive state. Noguchi and butoh practitioners discover how imagination, thoughts and mental attention can change the quality of the physical form. During the Butoh practice dancers will be guided to develop their own movement through explorations from “13 Aspects of Butoh.”
Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle and COVID testing
Arrival: Participants may arrive starting at 4:00 pm on Thursday, May 11th.
Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence from 4:00pm-7:00pm on Thursday, May 11th, 2023. Please email site@earthdance.net if you think you cannot make it during the check-in times.
Opening Circle: Friday, May 12th at 10 am. All participants are asked to attend
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.
Equity & Access Tickets
Although we’re not able to offer any full scholarships this year, we’re excited to offer up to 10 highly reduced Equity & Access Tickets 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. For transparency and context, in the past, and we hope in the near future, we offered 3-5 full DEI scholarships.
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 New Year’s Winter 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.
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.
Gratitude Lodge at Earthdance Tickets – Include room at the Earthdance Dormitory and food for the weekend.
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 – Include a spot to camp on the Earthdance property and food for the weekend.
Cancellation Policy
Refund available up to 14 days 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 and Testing
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, May 11th 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.
Participation 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!
Julie Becton Gillum is the artistic director of the Asheville Butoh Festival (14 years running), has been creating, performing and teaching dance in the US, Europe, Asia and Mexico for over 40 years. Since 2019 she has been active in Turkey, Ukraine, India and other areas in Europe. Julie has received numerous grants and awards for her choreography. She was awarded the 2008-09 NC Choreography Fellowship and used the funds to travel to Japan to study Butoh, her primary form of artistic expression. Julie’s work has been influenced by extensive study with mentors: Mari Osanai, Diego Pinon, Natsu Nakajima, Anzu Furakawa, Yoshito Ohno and Seisaku.
We offer an invitation to come together in community to grieve, assisted by music and song.
What is the medicine of grieving in ritual containers? Unprocessed grief compounds and becomes a toxic emotional energy, which can create violence and perpetuate intergenerational trauma. Singing and sounding together helps vibrate our grief loose from these stuck places in our individual and collective bodies and make more space within us. This gives us a sacred opportunity to choose aligned action and to show up in the ways we truly want to show up in the world.
Many cultures have shared traditions around grieving, which could sometimes last for days at a time. We as Western ritualists aim to co-create spaces that honor the wisdom of our lineages as well as the many generous teachers who have brought their practices to the West.
For this ritual our intention is to invite gentle movement of our bodies and the emotions held there. We will utilize the medicine of communal song and live music to call forward what is ready to be released at this time. We recognize that forgiveness and compassion are essential ingredients of our grieving process. We are holding these as the foundation for this ritual.
Following our ritual, we will share a potluck meal together at Earthdance, and then delight in a Dance Jam together.
This ritual is for you if:
You need support processing grief and would like to do this in a held container with others.
You understand that grief is both a personal and collective experience and you’re willing to hold your grief as a way to heal both self and community.
You understand that this space will be one piece of healing and are willing to seek ongoing support such as co-counseling, bodywork, nature connection, medicine ceremony, therapy, dance jams, etc.
You are willing to be with your pain or discomfort and be witness to others’ without needing to fix it.
It’s not the right time for you to join this ritual if:
You are in an active trauma state on the day of the ritual.
You feel unable to moderate your nervous system when activated, for example, by noticing if you are dissociating and grounding, asking for support, or taking a break etc.
You are unwilling to be with your own and others’ pain or discomfort without needing
Potluck Dinner: Please bring your favorite dish or donation of $10-15
Overnight stay: If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight: A dorm bed in our Gratitude Lodge is $40. (Rental of sheets and towel is $15)
***If you find that you are struggling financially or there are other circumstances that are making it difficult to join this special workshop, please email programming@earthdance.net with your situation so that we can create a way to have you join us.***
Refund available up to 10 days before the event less a $20 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 this event. Please take adequate measures to limit your exposure in the days before. 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.
Chaya Leia Aronson, RN BSN is a mother, partner, lover and ecosensensual earth worshipping clown goddess. Chaya maintains a private practice offering Maya Abdominal Massage, Holistic Pelvic Care and Health, Movement and Sexuality coaching for over a decade. Chaya has also facilitated a number of transformational and alchemical rituals related to grief, wombs and eros. She has great passion and skill in supporting people and relationships to have clear conversations about desires and boundaries and to unpack our wounds and traumas gently to find more capacity for love and pleasure. She has a private practice, Your Sacred Pelvis, where she sees clients in person and virtually based in the Northampton, MA area.
Charlotte Malin is a violinist, violist, singer/songwriter, teacher, and healer guiding people into direct, communal, and transformational encounters with music. She is passionate about bringing audiences, clients, and students into aliveness and authenticity through music. Her offerings and projects include holistic classical concerts, sound healing journeys, vocal improvisation workshops & song circles, and compositional sound projects for dance, film, and podcasts. She is currently working on her first full album of original music, titled Welcome Home. Malin currently serves as the Viola Instructor at Amherst College and lives in Northampton, MA.
Pa-Kua is an ancient knowledge that has served humanity, from ancient times to the present, in an attempt to understand the changes and adapt to them in order to live in a state of greater harmony. Pa-Kua is primarily about change. Constant and never-ending change!
Pa-Kua, is approached through the practice of one or more disciplines.
Commonly, I begin the learning process through a fun and powerful practice of “circle walking”. Through walking the circle we can do standing and moving meditation, sparring, full-out combat training or a fun and active dance which starts through setting intention, warming up, then simply letting the body flow with the moving energy.
A little history on Pa Kua
Pa-Kua knowledge began in Chinese mythology. The most well-known myth takes place about 5000 years ago. As Emperor Fu-Hsi was meditating on the banks of the Yellow River, a turtle emerged from the waters. In his shell, Fu-Hsi could glimpse the eight states of change or trigrams that make up the Pa-Kua symbol, which were intended to be used to understand the events of the Universe.
The long-time tradition of weekly Sunday CI Jams has returned to Earthdance! Come for a class beforehand, or just for the jam. Stay for the sauna and potluck dinner! Registration not required.
Class Details
This life-style practice builds on many aspects of life dynamics:
Physical, mental, emotional, sexual, financial and many more.
In my class, I will be focusing on the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of the practice called, “Circle Walking”.
In circle walking there is a beginning, middle, and an end.
In the beginning we work on simply walking both clock-wise then counter-clock-wise around a large imaginary circle. This loosens the mind and body for the next development which includes:
1. Shaking the tree and opening the Chakras
2. “Banging the bones” a deeper activation of the 12 Chinese meridians
3. Pa Kua Push Hands and “bumping the Trees” – These are both ways to further experience the flow which we have cultivated with those around us.
4. We end with, “laying meditation” along with a clearing process called, “Chinese Energetic Medicine”.
*Sage and sweet grass are used to clear each person and the room.
Potluck Dinner: Bring a dish to share or a suggested donation of $10 to $15
If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight, cost of a bed in the dorm is $40 or camping for $30. Includes access to the sauna and kitchen use but does not provide food. (Rental of sheets and towels is $15)
Accem Scott – As a practitioner of energy therapies for over 15 years, I’ve worked with many approaches, including Reiki, kinesiology, homeopathy, acupuncture, therapeutic movement, bodywork, flower essences, light and sound therapy, Pa Kua and many others. However, working with the Pa Kua and Chinese Energetic Medicine (CEM) together is unique in that it has provided me with a way to understand how all of these therapies are, in fact, working with consciousness. Using Pa Kua & CEM gives us a way both to describe where energy is in or out of balance, and also to change that energy with conscious awareness. Comprehending how these therapies and practices work requires direct experience rather than just theories and words. Book link: American Barefoot Doctor’s Manual.
Liberate your true nature and core connection to wellness through the brilliant power of breath. An active, heart-centered and body-informed meditation, breathwork invokes an ecstatic experience that strengthens your connection to the part of you that knows how to heal, beneath any patterns and chronically held tension in the body. Breathwork is an integration of body-mind-heart-spirit experiences that has the potential to radically transform your life in just a single session. It is a journey to a state of elevated consciousness, revelatory experience, somatic awareness, and energy attunement.
Breathwork activates your inner healer, reveals pathways of healing, and empowers you with life-affirming direction. Effects are multidimensional, touching upon the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects of oneself, ways of being, relationships, and life choices. Participants are supported in a trauma-informed empathic space rooted in community and authentic expression.
The power of live improvised music will amplify your inner journey, taking your breathwork experience to a new level. Sound healing artist Char Malin channels soundscapes of live-looped vocals and strings to create a container for transformation. Energies range from lush and ethereal, to energizing and empowering, to tender and nourishing. Live sound medicine augments all the amazing benefits of breathwork, and can profoundly assist the practitioner in reaching states of elevated consciousness and emotional release. Additional benefits include regulating the nervous system, creating harmony between body systems, aligning and clearing the energetic field, activating your creative channels, and so much more.
We look forward to being with you and supporting you on this journey into peace, well-being, and a sense of reclaimed freedom and vitality.
Breathwork Journey Workshop Details
Please arrive by 5:45pm to give yourself some time to prepare for the workshop.
We will begin by coming together as a group and discussing the process before breathing together.
The experience is followed by relaxation, and self care next steps.
Consider wearing comfortable, loose clothing, and bring water, a yoga mat, blanket and pillow(s) to support your journey.
We will then move into a sweet potluck afterwards. Bring your favorite potluck dish to help nourish and integrate this rich journey together.
Workshop starts at 6pm. Please arrive by 5:45pm. Potluck to follow.
$85 – Financially Wealthy
$70 – Financially Abundant
$55 – Financially Stable
$40 – Financially Coping
$30 – Financially Strained
Potluck: Please bring a dish to share for the potluck afterwards OR donate $10-$15
***If you find that you are struggling financially or there are other circumstances that are making it difficult to join this special workshop, please email programming@earthdance.net with your situation so that we can create a way to have you join us.***
Sauna with use of 2 Earthdance towels for $10
If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight in a dorm bed in our Gratitude Lodge is $40 (Rental of sheets and towel is $15) or $30 to camp* Includes access to the sauna and kitchen use but does not provide food.
Refund available up to 10 days before the event less a $20 processing fee for workshop.
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 this event. Please take adequate measures to limit your exposure in the days before. 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.
Jordan Grinstein is a multifaceted educator who has guided thousands of students over the past thirteen years in a range of healing modalities including breathwork, dance, meditation, and yoga. His mission is to inspire people to be leaders in their lives by using education and wellness practices as tools for personal empowerment, and to support the healing journeys of individuals, families, and communities. As the mindfulness director of Shrewsbury Public Schools, he trains students to be wellness and meditation facilitators for their peers, and strives to create a more just and liberated education system while supporting the social emotional wellness of school communities. He is an Ayurvedic Practitioner, meditation coach, yoga teacher trainer, and a facilitator of racial equity workshops. Centering equity as a core value in his life and work, he develops culturally responsive, trauma-informed curricula rooted in community, authentic expression, vulnerability, rest, and social justice. To learn more about Jordan and his work in education visit wholeschoolmindfulness.org and ivychild.org.
Char Malin is a violinist, violist, singer/songwriter, teacher, and healer guiding people into direct, communal, and transformational encounters with music. She is passionate about bringing audiences, clients, and students into aliveness and authenticity through encounters with sound. Her offerings and projects include Holistic Classical concerts, sound healing journeys, vocal improvisation workshops & song circles, and compositional sound projects for dance, film, and podcasts. She is currently working on her first full album of original music, titled Welcome Home. Malin currently serves as the Viola Instructor at Amherst College and lives in Northampton, MA.
Earthdance Sunday Jams are now on the 2nd Sunday of each month!
Bring your movement gifts to share along with a yummy dish to nom on after class. Let’s commune and practice during our sweet jam. And, relax together in the sauna while we rest our bones.
Potluck Dinner: We HIGHLY encourage you to please bring your favorite dish! (OR donate $10-15)
***If you find that you are struggling financially or there are other circumstances that are making it difficult to join this special workshop, please email programming@earthdance.net with your situation so that we can create a way to have you join us.***
If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight: A dorm bed in our Gratitude Lodge is $40. (Rental of sheets and towel is $15) * Includes access to the sauna and kitchen use but does not provide food.
Health Precautions
No specific requirements on vaccination status are needed to attend this event. 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.
