This month’s Loft comes to you courtesy of Olive, our fabulous Site Coordinator:

Earthdance: The only constant is change

I was getting my haircut recently when my hairdresser, Chris, asked me “what’s a typical day like for you at Earthdance?” I was quiet and stumbled in my words a bit. I did not have a clear answer. 

“Well, I don’t think there is such a thing as a typical day at Earthdance” I stated boldly yet blankly.

Is this true? Is there a typical day at Earthdance? We have consistent social structures like weekly staff meetings, relational practices, weekly cleans, work exchange meetings, Contemplative Dance Practice. We have consistent physical structures like the umbrella barn, the long dining table, the sun porch. But the flesh that fills out this structure is constantly changing. The who, the what, the where, the why, fluctuates like weather patterns. On one day the farmhouse is full to the brim with running children and dancing bodies, and the next it’s just a few of us quietly mending our clothing. A typical day? Everyday involves making the best out of what is there. Working with the surroundings, pitching in where work needs to be done, resting when it’s quiet, and engaging in whatever gift of a program is happening at any given moment. It is not a typical life. And it’s my life. And I love it. 

• Olive Frank, Site Coordinator

Garden Update from Neal Wecker

With the native goldenrod showing their late season flowers, it's clear to me: this year's garden is simultaneously in full bloom, and fully in motion towards the end! It always feels bittersweet to me. The plants are lush - lush only to create seeds or energy-storing root stock to ensure their place in next year's show. Of course, this weathered gardener wonders as well about his own place in the cycles of life, of blooming and wilting, dancing and resting, motion and finality! 

This season's efforts to reestablish a significant garden at Earthdance for feeding the bodies and souls of the community has been good. I learned a lot about the land, climate, and potential of such a garden at  Earthdance. I am inspired and motivated towards working with a vision for not only next year, but 2025 and beyond. With deep gratitude of those, human and otherwise, on the land before me and for those to come, may we all be so fortunate to live intimately with the many lessons of life a garden so generously offers!

A New Roof For The Square Barn, And Upcoming Solar Panel Installation!

We're excited to share that thanks to our success in matching our $80.000 Cultural Facilities Fund grant to reach $160.000 we will be able to replace the old Square Barn roof with a brand new standing seam one. The work on this big project will start at the beginning of September and last for about a week. After this we will be able to install the long desired solar array to greatly improve Earthdance's sustainability.

As one of the selected artists of our Black History Month Artist Residency program, dancer Rochelle Jamila Wilbun spent a week in August with us developing a new piece of work. Below she shares some reflections on her time here:

I am still bubbling from the gratitude and joy I felt during my week at Earthdance. My days were filled with farm fresh food, sunshine, communal meals, waterfall hikes and solitary walks in the woods. Of course I can’t leave out the countless hours spent in the dance studio gazing at the Earthdance garden, dancing and singing with the trees.

I am reminded how life pulses on outside of cities, following the thrum of Mother Earth over the rhythms of industry and consumption. This is easy to forget in the hustle and bustle of my life in New York City. I was able to slow down, regroup, and dive deep into my creative process. The piece I am working on, tentatively titled Testimony, explores feminine archetypes and embracing the “dark” and “wild” aspects of those archetypes. This is sensitive work for me, and being surrounded by nature and loving community allowed me to dive deep into this process.

I felt genuinely held as I cracked open in the alchemy of healing and creation. A huge part of what made my time at Earthdance so special was getting to know the people. There were sweet heart to hearts and humble offerings, moments of witnessing and being witnessed. My creative practice and my awareness feels richer, more honest, and more tender. Thank you again to everyone who invited me into this space and Earthdance for offering me this opportunity. 

Hugs, Rochelle

Loom Ensemble Intensive, August 4th - 5th, 2023

Loom ensemble was an immersive experiment in devised theater creation. 9 dancers gathered together at Earthdance for 3 days, under the direction of Neva Cockrell, to create the dance ensemble piece for the production of “Tell Me How You Breathe”, a musical about climate collapse, grief, lungs, movement and community. The dancers were invited to showcase their strengths, and collaborative skills while dancing as forest sprites, protesters, mycelium, and the Tree of life. The touring cast of “Tell Me How You Breathe” integrated the new ensemble with ease. With 2 performances at Earthdance, and one performance in Boston, we were able to present this powerful production to our communities, which was a delightful treat. I would highly recommend working with loom ensemble, and attending any of their performances.

With love and mycelium - Olive

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