Experience the gorgeous resonance of the Umbrella Barn in a profound way with musician and sound healer Charlotte Malin. First, take a luxurious restorative journey to the sounds of singing bowls, violin, viola, etheric vocals, harmonium, drums, tuning forks and more. Lie down, sit, or cuddle with a friend and receive vibrations to restore the heart and spirit. Live sound medicine profoundly assists 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.
Bring your own blankets/pillows/mats to be as comfy as possible, an eye mask, a water bottle, and your journal.
After this delicious restorative attunement, Charlotte will offer Bach In Your Body, an embodied classical music experience. After a short guided workshop on listening to classical music with the body, Charlotte will perform the music of Bach on violin and viola. During the concert, the space is open for movement, dance, meditation, journaling, and art-making (bring your own materials). Consider wearing comfortable clothes and bringing your own seat cushion and water bottle.
If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight in our Gratitude Lodge dorm bed is $40. (Rental of sheets and towel is $15) Or, camping which is $30. * Includes access to the sauna and kitchen use but does not provide food.
***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 $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.
Charlotte Malin is a charismatic and versatile musician with a unique range spanning classical violin and viola, intimate and ethereal songwriting, and improvised live-lopping. Her many creative offerings sit at the intersections of classical music, holistic wellness, creative empowerment, ritual, and community-building. As an artist and facilitator, she hosts “Now/Hear” conscious & connective classical concerts, Sound Baths, multi-disciplinary Salons, workshops, creativity retreats, community open mics, and more. She performs internationally, including in a string quartet with violinist Midori, and has served as Principal Viola of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic and a member of the Hartford and Albany Symphony orchestras. She holds degrees in violin and viola from New England Conservatory and Northwestern, where her principal teachers were Kim Kashkashian and Almita Vamos. Malin currently serves as the viola instructor at Amherst College and curates a community hub for embodiment, arts, and spirituality in Florence MA called The Hidden Temple.
As we transition from 2024 to 2025 we offer the theme of Resistance and Support. These complementary qualities underscore the tension between individual perspectives and collaborative action. Through classes, jams, and conversation, we will engage with the evolving form of Contact Improvisation, and celebrate how it informs and strengthens our ability to push back, pull with, lean it, turn away, resist, and support. We also pay tribute to the recently published book by the same name: Resistance and Support: Contact Improvisation @ 50, edited by Ann Cooper Albright, which contains 20 articles by our peers and mentors that challenge, evolve, and honor this dynamic dance form.
What do you resist or can’t resist? What do you support or need support for?
How does what we practice on the dance floor prime us to resist and support as we move into 2025?
Come to rest, play, and connect. Come to party in the kitchen, gather around the bonfire, sweat it out in the sauna, and to lift and be lifted in the umbrella studio.
Winter Jam Details
The Winter Jam is one of the four main Earthdance seasonal jams. It often has around 100-140 participants, is open to all movement levels and backgrounds.
Ticket Options: We offer full jam, commuter, camping and 2 drop-in day options.
Drop-In Days: We are offering 2 drop-in days (no overnight) on Monday, December 30th and Tuesday, December 31st Drop-Ins (15 ticket limit per day). This option is only available for folks who have been to Earthdance before. We ask that you check-in with ED staff during lunch between 1-2pm.
Nine Mountain retreat center is just across the field and is available once you purchase a Commuter Ticket with Earthdance. You will need to contact robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed at an additional cost per night.***ALL participants staying at Nine Mountain MUST check-in at the Earthdance Farmhouse during registration times BEFORE settling into Nine Mountain. Thank you for understanding.***
Children: We are encouraging children to stay home for this jam. We are not providing child care, children’s programming, or kids pricing. Join us for the Summer Jam, which offers many children focused offerings!
Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, and Departures
Arrival and Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence for Full Jam participants on Friday, December 27th from 4:00pm-7:00pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm. If you arrive late, please find Olive to pick a chore.
Opening Circle: Saturday, December 28th at 10am. We ask that ALL Newcomers to attend this.
Mid-Jam Tidy Up Clean: Monday, December 30th from 9-10am. All Participants join in on the a Tidy Up Clean.
Drop-In Days: Arrive to check-in at the front of the farmhouse Monday, December 30th and Tuesday, December 31st at lunch between 1-2pm. Only availablefor folks who have been to Earthdance before.
Closing Circle and Final Clean: Closing Circle is at 12:30pm on Wednesday, January 1st. Lunch from 1-2pm and Final clean from 2-3 pm. All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm.
Our Fees Explained
Earthdance is a Public Charity that relies greatly on ticketing income to fulfill its Artistic, Cultural and Educational mission. We want to make our work available to folks with varying economic realities and offer a sliding scale payment for participation in most of our events. Please take a moment to reflect where you best fit on that scale. We ask everyone to stretch where they are able so that those who cannot may still have access to our events.
As you choose your rate please consider the following factors:
Your access to income and wealth, as connected to family and partnership(s), past, present and future.
The historical, systemic impacts of wealth accrual based on culture, race and other marginalized intersections 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.
Equity & Access Tickets
We are excited to offer up to 10 FULL JAM Equity & Access Discounts to individuals who have a financial need. We know that for those who come from marginalized populations showing up to spaces filled with primarily privileged groups can be a challenge and prioritize such individuals when granting these discounted tickets.
Application Deadline is over.
Earthdance makes efforts to support Equity & Access at all its events, this jam offers particularly strong support for diversity, equity, and inclusion through:
Reduced pricing offered to people with a financial need and self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized in CI.
Classes and discussions that aim to presence 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.
Opening Circle: Saturday, December 28th at 10am. We ask that ALL participants attend this.
Housing Options
SOLD OUT – Gratitude Lodge at Earthdance Tickets
Includes a bed in the Gratitude Lodge, 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, jam offerings, and food during the jam.
Commuter & Nine Mountain Tickets
You will have access to the 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 jam participants.
SOLD OUT – Nine Mountain (Across the orchard from Earthdance)
Nine Mountain has beds available in their spacious dorms for the Winter Jam.
The additional rate is $70 per night per person, which includes use of the hot tub, access to the kitchen for personal cooking, and we provide all bedding and towels. There are a few private rooms available.
You will need to contact Robyn at robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed AFTER you’ve registered for a Commuter Ticket with Earthdance.
***ALL participants staying at Nine Mountain MUST check-in at the Earthdance Farmhouse during registration times BEFORE settling into Nine Mountain.
Refund available up to 14 days (December 13th) before the event less a $75 (full jam) & $35 (drop-in) processing fee.
No refunds available less than 14 days (After December 13th) 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. We do not offer refunds if you catch a cold, the flu or COVID after the cancellation date.
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 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!
Dey Summer first went to Earthdance in 2000, and it has for many years been her home away from home.
She’s a body worker in Arlington, MA and recently renovated her home in Florence, MA with a crew of dancing builders that also built Earthdance!
Her current interests center around open scores, sincerity and letting go.
Gabrielle Revlock
Gabrielle Revlock, MFA, is an internationally touring postmodern dancer/choreographer and the creator of Restorative Contact, a mindful touch-based movement practice. She developed the form by synthesizing key elements of various somatic techniques including Contact Improvisation, Restorative Yoga, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Tai Chi, Klein Technique, Yin Yoga, Authentic Movement, and Deep Listening over her 20+ years as a professional dancer, choreographer, certified yoga teacher, and movement educator. As a choreographer, Revlock is the recipient of a New York City Bessie Award and numerous grants including an Independence Foundation Fellowship and project grant from the Pew Center for Arts & Heritage. Her choreography depicts complicated but relatable interpersonal relationships, developed through meticulous character study and improvisational structures. Presenters include The Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, New York Live Arts, JACK, The Flea, Joyce Soho, Gibney, Philadelphia Dance Projects, Center for Performance Research, ODC, FringeArts, Velocity Dance Center, Provincetown Dance Festival, The School for Contemporary Dance & Thought, Chop Shop and American Dance Festival. Internationally she has toured to Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Hungary, Russia and India. Her research on the therapeutic applications of touch is compiled into an essay, co-authored with Aaron Brandes, and published in the book, Resistance and Support: Contact Improvisation @ 50, edited by Ann Cooper Albright. Revlock has been an invited speaker at CI@50 at Oberlin College, the Embodiment Conference, the Dance & Somatics Conference and the Future of CI Conference at Earthdance. Previously offered on Airbnb Online Experiences (2020-2024), Restorative Contact was one of the highest rated experiences in the category of wellness and is now an on-demand offering on Happily, a site dedicated to relationship-building. Revlock has been a practitioner of Contact Improvisation since 2003 and has taught the form through Movement Research, the School for Contemporary Dance & Though, Philadelphia Dance Projects, DNE Dance Camp, Soho Contact Improv Collective, Montreal Annual Jam pre-festival, Smith College, Hampshire College, and Salt Spring Island Contact Improvisation Festival. She will be teaching CI at Amherst College in Spring 2025. Revlock holds a BA in Art History from Vassar College and MFA in Dance from Smith College. More at GabrielleRevlock.com
We invite you to perceive atmospheres: to listen to what the space is calling for before dialing up, down or sideways. Where are the energies percolating? How do we support these shifts?
This season’s gathering proposes an orientation towards plurality: creating an environment that tunes into shifting of states by simultaneously offering activities in spaces with varying moods in the Umbrella barn, the square barn, and upstairs loft.
There will be a range in types of structured/themed jams, workshops, of body-care seances, and of discussion groups to choose from. In this manner, one can actively listen to what they feel drawn to, intently attend to internal shifts, and be held in a space that supports change. Proposals will be suggestive only to aid emergent ways-of-being and becoming.
The event hosts are curious about expressions emerging from a continuous play of differences during facilitated activities as well as in in-between spaces. The upstairs loft will be utilized to hold silent breakfasts, BIPOC community lunches, body spa with musical accompaniment, and discussions facilitated by the hosting team and guests. Participants may connect with activities and densities held in three different spaces that correspond to their moment-to-moment needs and capacities.
A few notes from our former hosts Yun Lee and Jonah Leslie on their need to step down from hosting this jam:
Dear community, I am stepping down from co-hosting the fall jam due to unforeseen events that are requiring much of my attention. I’m also in hopes to bounce back from this experience and be able to hold space for others soon. I wish you joyous dances in the fall. – Yun Lee
Dear community, I’ve had to step down from co-hosting the fall jam due to health issues. In hopes to join the dance at a later moment. Wishing everyone a rich and nourishing experience! – Jonah Leslie
Support 10 BLACK, INDIGENOUS, and PEOPLE OF COLOR (BIPOC) Creatives to Attend Earthdance’s Fall Jam 2024!
Our Goal
We are seeking to raise $2,500 to cover the cost of 10 at cost jam tickets for BIPOC participants for Fall Jam. Your support will directly contribute to creating a more inclusive and diverse atmosphere at the Fall Jam, where all participants can feel seen, heard, and valued.
How You Can Help
Donate: Any amount helps! Your contribution will go towards covering the costs of attendance, including accommodation, meals, participation fees, and overhead costs.
Share: Spread the word! Share this campaign with your network to help us reach as many people as possible.
Support Diversity: By supporting this campaign, you’re not only helping individual artists and movers, but also fostering a more inclusive and equitable community at Earthdance and beyond.
Join Us
Let’s come together to make this Fall Jam a nourishing experience for 10 BIPOC creatives. Your generosity will help create a space where they can explore, grow, and connect in an environment that celebrates diversity and fosters creative expression.
Thank you for being a part of this journey towards equity, inclusion, and creative exploration!
Attendance: An average of 40-80 people will attend this jam and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds.
Jam Options: Full Jam, Saturday Drop-In, and Integration Days (Drop-In Day & Integration Days are available only to folks who have been to Earthdance before).
Integration Days – October 20th-22nd: Stay at Earthdance after the jam to integrate your experience in a small and lightly held container. This will be an unstructured time to be together, use the studios, be on the land, sauna and share meals. Participants will self organize around meals, clean-up and studio time, without hosts, staff or CICO organizing the spaces. We offer this as a way for participants to relax into the setting of Earthdance in a less busy atmosphere, so that your landing back into the world can be as smooth as possible.
Newcomers: If you have never been to Earthdance, we ask that you only sign up for the Full Jam. This will allow us to better welcome and orient you to Earthdance.
Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, and Departures
Full Jam: Arrival/Check-In on Thursday, October 17th from 4:00pm-7:00pm front of the Farmhouse. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Friday, October 18th at 10am. We request that ALL Newcomers attend the Opening Circle.
Saturday Drop-In (Only for folks who’ve been to Earthdance before): Arrive Saturday, October 19th at 8am. Check-In from 1-2pm during lunch in front of the Farmhouse. Departure at 10pm day of.
Closing Circle/Final Clean: Sunday, October 20th Closing Circle at 12:30pm, Lunch 1-2pm
Final Group Clean at 2-3pm.
Full Jam Departure: All participants who aren’t staying for the Integration Days will depart after the final group clean by 3pm on Sunday, October 20th.
Integration Days (Only for folks who attended the Fall Jam) October 20th-22nd.
Integration Days Final Clean/Departure: ALL house clean 2pm, Departure at 3pm on Tuesday, October 22nd.
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 4 FULL JAM Equity & Access 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 HERE! Application deadline is over.
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, this 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
Includes a bed in the Gratitude Lodge, jam offerings, sauna & quarry access, 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
Includes a spot to camp at Earthdance, jam offerings, sauna & quarry access, and food during the jam.
Commuter
You will have access to the jam offerings, sauna & quarry access, and food during the jam.
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 jam participants.
Nine Mountain is NOT available.
TICKETS
10 – Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Fall Jam Tickets
*These tickets are available only for those who identify as black, indigenous or person of color. They are for someone who does not identify as white.*
Stay at Earthdance after the jam to integrate your experience in a small and lightly held container. This will be an unstructured time to be together, use the studios, be on the land, sauna and share meals. Participants will self organize around meals, clean-up and studio time, without hosts, staff or CICO organizing the spaces. We offer this as a way for participants to relax into the setting of Earthdance in a less busy atmosphere, so that your landing back into the world can be as smooth as possible. Only for those who attend the Fall Jam or have been to Earthdance before.
GRATITUDE LODGE
$550 – Financially Wealthy
$400 – Financially Abundant
$300 – Financially Stable
$225 – Financially Coping
$175 – Financially Strained
CAMPING
$525 – Financially Wealthy
$375 – Financially Abundant
$275 – Financially Stable
$200 – Financially Coping
$150 – Financially Strained
COMMUTER
$500 – Financially Wealthy
$350 – Financially Abundant
$250 – Financially Stable
$175 – Financially Coping
$125 – Financially Strained
FULL JAM + INTEGRATION DAYS – October 17th – 22nd
GRATITUDE LODGE
$900 – Financially Wealthy
$700 – Financially Abundant
$600 – Financially Stable
$525 – Financially Coping
$475 – Financially Strained
CAMPING
$875 – Financially Wealthy
$675 – Financially Abundant
$575 – Financially Stable
$500 – Financially Coping
$450 – Financially Strained
COMMUTER
$850 – Financially Wealthy
$650 – Financially Abundant
$550 – Financially Stable
$475 – Financially Coping
$425 – Financially Strained
DROP-IN Saturday, October 19th (Only available for those who’ve been to Earthdance before)
Refund available up to 14 days (October 3rd) before the event less a $75 processing fee.
No refunds available less than 14 days (October 3rd) 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. We do not offer refunds if you catch a cold, the flu or COVID after the cancellation date.
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 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!
Ming Tsai is a dancer and a scientist living in Montreal. He started studying Contact Improvisation(CI) in 2019.
Since 2021, he has been facilitating CI jams and offering CI workshops in Montreal and other places in Quebec. After the pandemic, he took a few months off to visit CI communities in Europe and Asia where he learned about other CI cultures and way of practices.
His recent offerings in California Contact Improvisation Teacher Exchange and Georgia Silence Contact Festival had led him to explore philosophy through the lenses of soma and gravity.
He aims to continue the plurality theme where varying moods and activities will be offered in all three dance spaces at Earthdance to accompany the seasonal shift of energy from summer to winter.
Juliette Gomes
Juliette Gomes is a Cape Verdean and African American dancer, artist, and Earth scientist from Northampton, MA, based in Montreal. As an Oberlin College alum, Juliette is dedicated to the lineage of Contact Improvisation (CI) and the Black and Brown movement practitioners underrepresented in the form. Most recently, Juliette co-facilitated at the Earthdance 2024 Summer Jam in the Trans and Queer facilitator role, integrating lived experience across identities to support transgender, queer, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.
Juliette focuses on the intersectionality of race, gender, sexuality, and non-normative bodies in predominantly white CI spaces. Through somatic movement practices and CI, Juliette is interested in counteracting the impact of unchecked whiteness with embodied healing, community, and connection to ancestry and land. As one of the Fall Jam hosts, Juliette is excited to integrate these modalities to support and hold space in a non-hierarchy way through the theme of Plurality.
Entering into fall, as the energy of summer hits the slowness of a colder season, Juliette is interested in the restlessness that sits in our bodies. Juliette is curious about what happens when restlessness poses a constant question of the multiplicity of what to do, where to be, and the Plurality of staying and leaving, moving and stillness. Juliette hopes to thread these questions into movement, rest, and resilience this Fall Jam.
Dive into full bloom at the Summer Contact Improvisation Jam at Earthdance! We will gather to share in focused movement, grounded exploration, and workshops designed to deepen your CI practice. The Summer Jam is our family jam of the year where participants are welcome to bring their children and to come as families, making this a rich multigenerational space. The children share in our living and learning spaces bringing their energy of joy, chaos, hope and playfulness.
As we prepare for this portal, we propose the following warm-up questions to tune our collective experiences: What are the pathways of connection between external and internal? Me and you? When does one and one equal something other than two? What is the alchemy of refilling one’s life force when the well feels empty? How does the quality of my focus and presence change the space? How wild can I stay in the dance while cultivating connection with the ground and with another? How can I cocreate spaces that integrate magic, connection and survival skills? Where is down? What is a spiral? How can we grow and age more wholesomely? What does it mean to pass on the torch to the new generation? What are we taking on from the originators of the form who recently became ancestors? How to stand in the mystery? How to cultivate as much joy as possible? What are the ways to open up the possibility of the body?
We invite you to bring personal explorations and questions to share.
Children’s Program
The children’s program at the Earthdance summer jam is a space dedicated to the kids aged 3 to 17 that comes alive from 9:15am until 1pm every day. The activities vary from day to day and are planned and facilitated in attunement with the kids’ ages and interests. You could expect water games (slip n’ slide, sprinklers, kiddie pool), arts and crafts, storytelling and role playing, adventure walks in the woods, fire camp and s’mores, pizza making, maybe a talent show and intergenerational activities. Five facilitators and one coordinator collaborate throughout the jam with the intention to hold the program in a way that is both attractive to the kids and easeful for the parents.
Summer Jam Details
The Summer Jam is one of the four main Earthdance seasonal jams, it often has around 100-160 participants, offers children’s programming and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds.
We will have commuter, children, full and 2 half jam ticket options.
We are not offering a single day drop in for this jam.
CHILDREN: May only attend the jam with a caregiver responsible for the child.
NEWCOMERS: We ask that newcomers only attend the FULL or 1st Half of the Jam (Friday-Tuesday). We will be offering classes on embodied consent and CI fundamentals.
NINE MOUNTAIN: You must purchase a ticket for Nine Mountain here AND then email robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed at an additional charge.
Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, and Departures.
Arrival and Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence for Full and 1st Half Jam participants on Friday, June 28th from 4:00pm-7:00pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
NEWCOMERS: May ONLY register the Full or 1st Half Jam to attend the Opening Circle, attend classes on embodied consent and CI fundamentals, and to orient you to this new environment.
Opening Circle: Saturday, June 29th at 10am.
Half Jam All House Clean: Tuesday, July 2nd at 10am
1st Half Jam Departure: Participants will depart on Tuesday, July 2nd by 12pm (before lunch).
2nd Half Jam Check-In: Arrive to check-in on Tuesday, July 2nd between 4-7pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm
Full and 2nd Half Jam Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Friday, July 5th.
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 12 FULL JAM Equity & Access 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, this 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, 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, Jam offerings, and food during the jam.
Commuter Tickets
You will have access to 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 Jam participants.
Nine Mountain
Please contact to 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 14th) 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. We do not offer refunds if you catch a cold, the flu or COVID after cancellation dates.
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.
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!
Radmila (Rad/Rada) Olshansky (b. Kiev, Ukraine) is an artist, performer and facilitator living and working in Chicago. She started her Contact Improvisational journey in NYC in 2010 and has been spiraling into and out of its questions and discoveries ever since. Rada’s curiosities include Non-violent/Compassionate Communication, Fake Healing, Dreams, Yoga Nidra, Mindfulness and Applied Psychology which are woven into her somatic explorations. Rad studied with Nancy Stark Smith, Kathleen Hermesdorf among other dear teachers at festivals and workshops in the US and overseas. She has been teaching dance for over a decade and currently directs a high school dance program in Chicago.
Anya Smolnikova
Anya Smolnikova (b. Minsk, Belarus) is an artist and educator living and working in Vermont. Her art practice spans painting, drawing, performance, installation, dance and community actions. Anya works with movement pathways to listen for connection between external and internal experience and aims to facilitate spaces which integrate magic, joy and embodiment into individual and community learning.
Anya started studying Contact Improvisation in Boston in 2016 and has attended classes and jams across the country and internationally. Anya has been an organizer, facilitator and teacher at the Boston and Chicago CI Jams. She is a co-facilitator of the Contact Improvisation Program and Director of Operations at the Field Center, VT and is a member of the Contact Improvisation Committee at Earthdance. IG Page @anyasmolnikovastudio
Anya and Rada met at the Chicago CI Jam six years ago and bonded over their shared experience as Eastern European immigrant artists who do CI! Together they are navigating the complexities of identity/ies and moving toward healing, making, and learning in community.
Children’s Program Host
Malaïka Bittar-Piekutowski
Malaïka comes to Earthdance with her family since 2017. She lives in Montreal with her husband and two daughters (3 and almost 6 years old) and is a therapist. She loves connecting with fellow humans and the opportunity to coordinate the children’s program since 2019.
BIPOC Host
Ming Tsai
Ming Tsai is a dancer and a scientist living in Montreal. He started studying Contact Improvisation(CI) in 2019. Since 2021, he has been facilitating CI jams and CI workshops in Montreal and other places in Quebec. After the pandemic, he took a few months off to visit CI communities in Asia where he learned more about other CI cultures and way of practices. As his first time holding this role, he aims to create a space where trust is reexamined on and off the dance floor and a place where people of color can meet and be seen in.
In honor of Springtime, we will return to foundations – laying fertile ground for rebirth and re-entry into committed and focused Contact Improvisation. We will let go of what no longer serves us, and metamorphosize our practices.
Jam Details
Attendance: An average of 70-100 people will attend this jam and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds.
Jam Options: Full Jam, Post Jam Lab and Saturday Drop-In (Post Jam Lab and Drop-In Day is available only to folks who have been to Earthdance before).
What is a “Post Jam Lab”? After our traditional Spring Jam, and to cultivate the deepening of our shared practice, we are offering participants the opportunity to stay on for a few more days till Tuesday, April 9th for a Post-Jam Lab and Integration days. During this time participants will be able to enjoy our beautiful facilities and explore CI and other movement practices through self organized labs, workshops and jams. Food will be served as normal so you can also decide to just stay and relax giving your self time to integrate all the rich experiences from the Spring Jam itself. Those who did not attend the Spring Jam weekend are welcome to join the Post Jam Lab, however only if you have been to Earthdance before.
Newcomers: If you have never been to Earthdance, we ask that you only sign up for the Full Jam. This will allow us to better welcome and orient you to Earthdance.
Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, and Departures
Full Jam: Arrival/Check-In on Thursday, April 4th from 4:00pm-7:00pm front of the Farmhouse. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Friday, April 5th at 10am. We request that ALL Newcomers attend the Opening Circle.
Saturday Drop-In (Only for folks who’ve been to Earthdance before): Arrive Saturday, April 6th at 8am. Check-In from 1-2pm during lunch in front of the Farmhouse. Departure at 10pm day of.
Closing Circle/Final Clean: Sunday, April 7th Closing Circle at 12:30pm, Final Clean at 2-3pm.
Full Jam Departure: All participants who aren’t staying for the Post Jam Lab will depart after the final group clean by 3pm on Sunday, April 7th.
Post Jam Lab (Only for folks who attended the Spring Jam OR who’ve been to Earthdance before): Arrive/Check-In on Sunday, April 7th between 4-7pm in front of the Farmhouse. Dinner 6-7pm.
Post Jam Lab Final Clean/Departure: ALL house clean 2pm, Departure at 3pm on Tuesday, April 9th.
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 to6 FULL JAM Equity & Access 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.
Application deadline is over.
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, this 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, 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, Jam offerings, and food during the jam.
Commuter Tickets
You will have access to the 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 Jam participants.
Refund available up to 14 days (March 22nd) before the event less a $75 processing fee.
No refunds available less than 14 days (After March 22nd) 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. We do not offer refunds if you catch a cold, the flu or COVID after the cancellation date.
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.
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!
Lilianna Kane is a dancer and chef, currently invested in Contact Improvisation and collective improvisation. She is committed to improvisation as a physical practice of asking questions and paying attention. She is curious about the disruption of normative culture through dancing and gathering. She values the interplay of rigor, rest, discipline and play. She teaches and shares her practices nationally and internationally. She is currently the head chef at The Field Center in Bellows Falls, VT, where she also has the privilege of regularly practicing, teaching, and researching Contact Improvisation. Website: www.liliannakane.com
Anna Vomacka is a dance maker, performer, & educator based in NYC. She is driven by her curiosities and cravings for community, connection, and spaces of shared learning / (un)learning. As a performer Anna has worked with Brennan Gerard & Ryan Kelly in their Bessie Award winning project Timelining (2014; 2015; 2023), Nami Yamamoto (Trooper’s Brother; 2022), Mei Yamanaka, & Sondra Loring among others. As a creator Anna’s work explores collective/individual identities, edges, care, & disruption, with an emphasis on research as practice. As an educator Anna is dedicated to creating pathways for her students to deepen their practices of personal inquiry, reclaiming autonomy over one’s own body and choice making. Contact Improvisation has persisted as one of her main modalities. Anna is committed to the study and rigor of CI as a physical form, and practice of gathering people of varying identities. annavomacka.com (site under reconstruction)
Lilianna and Anna have been collaborating in life, dance, and friendship for ten years.
Winter can’t cant stop us from fixing and reinvigorating Earthdance this season. Come help us beautify the interiors and exteriors (if the weather permits) of Earthdance. Make your mark by lending a hand to strengthen this unique place we all call home and then dance together in the evenings!
EARTHDANCE WISHLIST
If can’t help us physically for the work weekend, we do have a wishlist of things we need below. We ask that the items do not have stains or chips, they are functional, you would use them in your own home, clean and lightly used. If you have specific or questionable donations, please email programming@earthdance.net.
If you have a chainsaw we can use while you’re here, bring it!
Good Blankets
Good Sleeping and Decorative Pillows
Cushions (to sit on the floor)
Twin and Full Mattresses
Twin, full and queen sheets/pillow cases
Mugs (no chips, no corporate/anniversary/words, maybe a set?)
Soup Bowls
Small to medium cooking pots with matching lids
Any size clean area rugs
Nice Art
String lights
Metal Shelving
SUGGESTED DONATION – This will help pay for food that we will feed you
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.
“The body is a mystery moved by tangible and intangible forces”
These forces can originate in interaction with other people, the relationship with space and also from the memory of our tissues and cells.
During these sessions, we will initiate explorations that allow us to make contact with the information received from the skin inwards. In this way, it will generate a sensitive record of the internal universes that can be decoded through the “sensations”, which in some way, could be the gateway to physicality.
Through different somatic dynamics and Contact Improvisation we will seek to sensitize our state of presence and attention in the body. This, in order to awaken a record of the different impulses which can originate from the inherent vitality of the organism, cellular memory, or the interrelationship that appears when inhabiting space and linking with other dancing bodies. These registers and connections could allow us to find a better state of presence and to see what is happening in our dance.
We will try weight exchanges with different qualities, dancing off the axis without losing connection with our bodies and our weight, exchanges of strength in connection to the earth, and we will explore how to take advantage of the momentum to fall in multiple directions.
Is it possible to fall upwards?
We will search how we can allow the creative power that inhabits each participant to unfold freely to improvise, play, and dance collectively. During the weekend, information from somatic disciplines, craniosacral therapy and other movement arts will be integrated.
Arrival and Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence for participants on Friday, October 27th from 1:00pm-4:00pm.
Friday CI Workshop: Friday, October 27th from 4-6pm, Dinner is at 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Saturday, October 28th at 10am
Saturday, October 28th Drop-In Day: Arrive/Check-In between 8am-10am, Breakfast is at 8am-9am, Opening Circle 10am and Departure at 11pm day of.
Weekend Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, October 29th.
COVID Testing: Please make sure that you have tested for COVID on the day of arrival for weekend and drop-in days. 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 Discounted Tickets to individuals who feel part of an underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. 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, 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 event offers particularly strong support for diversity, equity, and inclusion through:
Reduced pricing offered to people self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized.
Classes and discussions that aim to bring up the level of awareness and inclusion at the event as a whole.
Housing Options
Gratitude Lodge at Earthdance Tickets
Includes a bed in the Gratitude Lodge, event 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 event cost. Beds are available on a first come basis.
Camping Tickets
Includes a spot to camp at Earthdance, event offerings, and food during the jam.
Commuter Tickets
You will have access to the event including food.
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 participants.
Refund available up to 14 days (October 13th) 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 Friday, October 27th 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 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!
Dancer and Teacher of Contact Improvisation. Dedicated to the transmission of the C.I since 2013. I have learned from different somatic approaches such as: B.M.C, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique and Topf Technique. Craniosacral Therapist and teacher. Practitioner of Butoh and Kinomichi (Japanese martial art), languages that are part of his experience and that also cross the way of teaching and sharing the practice.
I was manager and co-creator of various projects and festivals in relation to Contact improvisation and somatic disciplines, to name a few; Mueves: platform for the production of festivals and workshops in relation to the practice of C.I. (Year 2013-2018 Chile). Matriz: International Contact Improvisation Festival, Chile between 2014-2017. Cuerpo inteligencia: Dance Training Program (year 2016-2019 Chile). Movere: International Dance Festival (year 2020-2022 Mexico). Mazunte Contact festival: International Contact Improvisation Festival to be held in February 2022, México. Immersion: International Contact Improvisation Festival to be held in January 2023, México.
I shared my work in festivals, universities and independent spaces in the following countries: Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Colombia and the United States.
The Winter Jam is one of the four main Earthdance seasonal jams. It often has around 100-140 participants, is open to all movement levels and backgrounds.
Ticket Options: We offer full jam, commuter, camping and drop-in day options.
Drop-In Days: We are offering 2 drop-in days (no overnight) on Saturday, December 30th and Sunday, December 31st Drop-Ins (15 ticket limit per day). This option is only available for folks who have been to Earthdance before. We ask that you check-in with ED staff when you arrive between 9-10am.
Nine Mountain retreat center is just across the field and is available once you purchase a Commuter Ticket with Earthdance. You will need to contact robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed at an additional cost per night.***ALL participants staying at Nine Mountain MUST check-in at the Earthdance Farmhouse during registration times BEFORE settling into Nine Mountain. Thank you for understanding.***
Children: We are encouraging children to stay home for this jam. We are not providing child care, children’s programming, or kids pricing. Join us for the Summer Jam, which offers many children focused offerings!
Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, Departures and COVID Testing
Arrival and Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence for Full Jam participants on Wednesday, December 27th from 4:00pm-7:00pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Thursday, December 28th at 10am. We recommend that all Newcomers to attend this.
Mid-Jam Full House Clean: Saturday, December 30th from 12-1pm. All Participants join the Clean.
Drop-Ins: Arrive to check-in at the front of the farmhouse Saturday, December 30th and Sunday, December 31st between 9-10am. Only availablefor folks who have been to Earthdance before. If you arrive late, find Olive.
Closing Circle and Final Clean: Closing Circle is at 12pm, Lunch from 1-2pm and Final clean from 2-3 pm. All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Tuesday, January 2nd.
COVID Testing: Please make sure that you have tested for COVID on the day of arrival for Full Jam and Drop-In days. 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 14 FULL JAM Equity & Access 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.
Application deadline is Closed.
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, this 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, 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, Jam offerings, and food during the jam.
Commuter Tickets
You will have access to the 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 Jam participants.
Nine Mountain (the retreat center next door to Earthdance)
You will need to contact Robyn at robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed AFTER you’ve registered for a Commuter Ticket with Earthdance.
Dorm bed (first come, first serve – includes sheets with kitchen and hot tub access at Nine Mountain)
$60 per person, per night
NOPrivate Rooms Available
***ALL participants staying at Nine Mountain MUST check-in at the Earthdance Farmhouse during registration times BEFORE settling into Nine Mountain. Thank you for understanding.***
$100 – Drop-in (Includes 3 meals and entrance to the Jam. Only 15 tickets available per day due to capacity limitations and only for those who have been at Earthdance before. Thank you for understanding.)
Refund available up to 14 days (December 13th) before the event less a $75 (full jam) & $30 (drop-in) processing fee.
No refunds available less than 14 days (After December 13th) 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
ALL registrants are required to take an antigen test on the day of before arriving on Thursday, December 27th (Full Jam), Saturday, December 30th (Drop-In), and Sunday, December 31st (Drop-In) at Earthdance. If you need a test, Earthdance will have them available to purchase for $10 each. 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 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!
Born & raised in Greece, first fell in love with Contact Improvisation in Argentina 8yrs ago – their desire to deepen in this practice, in nature & community, led them to Earthdance for a summer as a work exchanger 6yrs ago, and the 5 cold long winters that came after that have not yet managed to make them go away.
Katerina has been exploring movement and touch on land and water for the last 8yrs, is currently running a practice of therapeutic bodywork & somatic coaching in Boston,MA, and is part of the Contact Improvisation Jamaica Plain team.
Katerina loves researching what’s accessible when we come together in our bodies, while cultivating awareness of self & relationship, and often dreams that these practices might be part of what one day lead us to world peace. Some of their background: Esalen & Thai massage, Aquatic Dance, Aguahara aquatic bodywork, Authentic Movement, Feldenkrais, Somatic Self Compassion.
Kiori Kawai
Kiori Kawai (Japanese, b. 1978) is a dance performer/choreographer, interactive installation artist and an educator. As a dance performance artist/choreographer, she started her career in New York, she has worked with Carman Moore/Skymusic Inc., Elaine Summers Dance and Film, Lincoln Center, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Brooklyn Museum, Serraves Contemporary Museum (Portugal), Mesa Arts Center (AZ), Transformation Festival (Denmark/U.S), Megaron (Athens, Greece), Sharjah Biennial (U.A.E), New York University Abu Dhabi Arts Center (U.A.E), touring nationally and internationally. She’s built up her own improvisatory movement vocabulary based on the techniques of meditation, Kinetic Awareness, Contact Improv, yoga, and various dance/movement trainings. This led her to designing interactive installations that include human body movement within kinetic sculptures.
In 2011, she founded Purring Tiger with Aaron Sherwood. Purring Tiger is a multi- cultural, multimedia, interactive installation/performance group dedicated to bringing people together in the context of Art, in a subtext of Wonder. Their pieces have been commissioned and appeared at Burning Man Arts Festival, Brooklyn Museum, Federation Square (AUS), Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Telfair Museum, Cameron Arts Museum, Scottsdale Public Art and many more. Ignite.me magazine said “Not only does their art challenge us…, but it’s also beautiful.” She teaches performance workshops, Improvisation/Contact Improvisation based classes in US, Europe, Middle East and Asia. Her approach of Improvisation/Contact Improvisation is as a Meditative Movement Practice. It is based on observing breath and bodily sensations, placing the awareness to every part of the body, and integrating this awareness with movement. A practitioner of meditation and improvisational movement, Kiori Kawai’s approach employs observation of conscious and unconscious choices through stillness and movement, using kinesthetic awareness as a conversation to explore connection between self and environment. Her workshops focus on various thematic movement methods, such as “Body Climate”, “Arriving Score”, and “Sleep Dance Lab.”. Workshops often culminate in a site-specific performance as sharing and exchanging ideas with each participants’ view point.
She has taught at New York University-Abu Dhabi (UAE), Alpine Dance Academy/ Wave Festival (CO, USA), Tinkuy (Copenhagen, Denmark), Wrong Movement Studio (Athens, Greece), New England Dance Camp (New Hampshire, USA), Transformation Festival (U.S.A-Denmark), Deakin University/Federation Square (Melbourne, Australia), Savannah Arts Academy/ Telfair Museums (GA, USA), Dancing Water (TX, USA), Azule Dance Theater (NY, USA), Rinyou Temple (Japan) and more. http://kiorikawai.com/
In this workshop, led by Frieda Kipar Bay and Dana Iova-Koga, we immerse ourselves deeply into the inquiry of how to relate to the ecologies on either side of the skin. Drawing from the practices of contact improvisation, qigong, body weather*, wild tending, and deep observation (including tracking, plant ID, and internal states), we will delve into the question of how to dance – and be danced by- a landscape. In stretching the definition of CI fundamentals (such as ‘sharing weight’ and ‘entering a dance’) to include our environment, we open up new possibilities of how to be human here.
Our days will be spent in deep observation of the landscape, including wild tending and native plant walks and in the studio practicing deep observation of ourselves through qigong, CI, and bodyweather practices.
As part of this workshop, we will participate in land-stewardship activities that will support the forested watershed surrounding Earthdance. This work will also serve to ground our explorations in a practical application of what it means to have an embodied dialogue with place.
“Body Weather is a Butoh practice stemming from Min Tanaka (whom Dana studied/lived with for 5 years.)
Arrival and Onsite Check-In: The welcoming will commence for participants on Thursday, November 2nd from 4:00pm-7:00pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Friday, November 3rd at 10am.
Friday, November 3rd and Saturday, November 4th Drop-In Days: Arrive at 8am and Departure at 10pm day of.
Weekend Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, November 5th.
COVID Testing: Please make sure that you have tested for COVID on the day of arrival for weekend and drop-in days. 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 Discounted Tickets to individuals who feel part of an underrepresented and/or marginalized groups. 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, 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 event offers particularly strong support for diversity, equity, and inclusion through:
Reduced pricing offered to people self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized.
Classes and discussions that aim to bring up the level of awareness and inclusion at the event as a whole.
Housing Options
Gratitude Lodge at Earthdance Tickets
Includes a bed in the Gratitude Lodge, event 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 event cost. Beds are available on a first come basis.
Camping Tickets
Includes a spot to camp at Earthdance, event offerings, and food during the jam.
Commuter Tickets
You will have access to the event including food.
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 participants.
Refund available up to 14 days (October 19th) 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, November 2nd 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 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!
Frieda Kipar Bay is a weaver of knowledge, overlapping different threads to better understand the whole. Movement is the primary lens that she uses to see into life, and she works in depth with plant medicine to navigate health and disentangle from oppressive overcultures. Some of the threads she currently weaves with: Daoist medicine, qigong, five element theory and diagnostic practices, wild tending and native plant restoration, tracking, writing, performance art experiments, somatic experiencing and trauma resolution, The Work That Reconnects facilitation and grief processing, and equity practice. She finds that beautiful things get made when she weaves with many perspectives. Find out more at www.friedakiparbay.net.
Dana has been a polymorph since an early age. She could never choose between dance, theater, art, photography and writing. Luckily she managed to study them all at the Experimental Theater Wing at NYU. Her formative training in movement was with Japanese dancer Min Tanaka. She lived and worked for several years with him on his farm in the countryside of Japan- dancing, farming and studying nature of all kinds.
Since that time Dana has continued to explore and discover the connections between body and landscape. She has been a member of dance/theater company inkBoat and has been teaching “Dance on Land” with her partner, Shinichi, since 2006. She has been blessed with some of the highest caliber teachers and mentors one could hope for. She had the great fortune of working with dance pioneer Anna Halprin. Dana has studied Chinese Internal Martial Arts for over a decade and is a 17th generation Wudang San Feng Pai lineage holder through her Shifu David Wei of Wudang West. Most recently has been mentored by Jozef Frucek and given the honor of becoming an “Inspired by FM” teacher through Fighting Monkey. She is thrilled to be joining forces with Frieda Kipar Bay as Elemental Vessel. Together they practice researching the elements in the body and the body in the elements.
Dana is forever inspired by the complexity and diversity of life in all its forms, is fascinated by the phenomenon of creativity, and above all enjoys playing in the space occupied by the questions. These days you may find her in the studio, in the garden, on the stage, in the classroom, over the books, with the words, in the water, in the woods, in the kitchen, with her people, among her thoughts, under the sky. www.danaiovakoga.net
Come together for a unique celebration, a four-day journey from Thursday, November 23th to Sunday, November 26th. During this extended weekend, we invite you to revel in the joy of feasting, dancing, and expressing gratitude, sensitivity and awareness. Expect an abundance of contact improvisation classes, jams, and an array of other delightful offerings to indulge in. On Thanksgiving Day, we’ll share a collective potluck feast!
Thanksgiving is a special time for us, a moment to purposefully nourish and cherish our gratitude, to awaken to the blessings in our lives. At Earthdance, we are especially grateful for the resurgence of life and the profound sense of connection within our vibrant community.
Thanksgiving, rooted in the harvest season, calls for gratitude for the Earth’s boundless abundance. We are sustained in countless ways by this living planet – through the air we breathe, the pull of gravity, the sustenance it provides, and the deep spiritual and relational connections it offers. It beckons us to embrace our inner completeness.
Amidst our gratitude in Earthdance, located in Nipmuc territory, we want to bring our attention to the reality that Thanksgiving day is a reminder of the genocide of millions of Native people, the theft of Native lands, and the relentless assault on Native culture, therefore we also carry feelings of sorrow, perhaps for the sense of disconnection from this fact, from our Earth and the loss of biodiversity. When we would like to deeply acknowledge this grief to allow the natural flow of gratitude.
In the practice of contact improvisation, the Earth itself becomes our primary partner. We are forever held within its gravitational field, constantly returning to its reliable support. Can we extend this practice to maintain a vibrant, joyful connection to the Earth even when grief is present? Can we release our grip on the dance of life and move toward a secure attachment to our primary partner: this ever-present lover, the Earth itself?
Join us for an extended weekend filled with dance and delight, movement and serenity, fullness and release. Together, we will come alive, forging connections with ourselves, each other, and the nurturing Earth that sustains us.
*** Earthdance is happy to donate 50% of this jam’s proceeds to the Ohketeau Cultural Center. 948 Conway Road, Ashfield, MA 01330. https://www.ohketeau.org/
Community Collaborative Jams are a new and unfolding program concept at Earthdance which launched in early 2022. This new programming thread was driven by the desire for more opportunities to dance CI and to connect with the community in smaller containers. Similar to Seasonal Jams, the CoCo jam has one or more hosts that, rather than always being professional artists with strong facilitation skills, can be dedicated Earthdance community members and upcoming dancers building their leadership skills. Support staff is also more limited compared to our seasonal jams and participants are invited into a higher degree of autonomy and self care. Similarly, the workshop offerings and schedule are also more influenced by the community members themselves and created on a more adhoc basis.
In preparation for attending a CoCo jam, you may want to ask yourself: What are you currently researching or inspired to offer? Is there something you hope to lab, share, or play with?
Jam Details
An average of 40-60 people will attend this COCO jam and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds.
We have a single day drop-in option on Saturday, November 25th for folks who have been to Earthdance before.
If you have never been to Earthdance, we ask that you only sign up for either Thanksgiving Day or the full jam (either Thanksgiving Day through Sunday or Friday through Sunday). This will allow us to better welcome you and orient you to Earthdance.
If you are planning to attend Thanksgiving Potluck dinner, and you have registered, we will send out a shared document for folks to coordinate dishes to bring. We will start dinner at 5pm.
This will be a very self motivated jam, bring your ideas! Be ready to co-create! – We will send out a shared document for folks to fill out who would like to offer something during this co-creation weekend when you register.
Thanksgiving Potluck: Arrival/Check-In on Thursday, November 23rd from 4-7pm front of the Farmhouse. Potluck is at 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Friday, November 24th at 10am.
Friday-Sunday Jam: Arrival/Check-In on Friday, November 24th from 8-10am front of the Farmhouse.
Saturday Drop-In (Only for folks who’ve been to Earthdance before): Arrive Saturday, November starting 8am. Departure at 10pm day of.
Final Clean: Sunday, November 26th at 2-3pm.
Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, November 26th.
COVID Testing: Please make sure that you have tested for COVID on the day of arrival for both Full Jam and Saturday Drop-in. 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 6 Discounted 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.
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 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, 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, Jam offerings, and food during the jam.
Commuter Tickets
You will have access to the 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 jam participants.
Refund available up to 14 days (November 9th) 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, November 23rd, Friday November 24th or Saturday, November 25th. 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 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!
Funda is an adventurous explorer of movement who has delved into various disciplines on a captivating spiritual and intellectual journey. She began her exploration in the world of Aikido in 2005, which ignited a passion that shaped her path. Along the way, she also immersed herself in Systema, where she honed her skills as an instructor-in-training. Funda’s attraction to spirituality led her to complete a transformative 500-hour teacher training program in the Krishnamacharya lineage of Yoga, where she discovered the power of personalized and adaptable practices.
Since 2016, Funda has been deeply involved in Contact Improvisation as a student, teacher, and facilitator. She collaborates with esteemed dancers to organize engaging workshops and events, including a memorable workshop by Nita Little in the heart of New York City. Drawing from her background in Yoga and Martial Arts, Funda effortlessly tailors her teachings to suit the diverse needs and abilities of her students. Her goal is to create an inclusive space for movement exploration guided by the profound philosophy that “Function Creates the Form.”
Beyond the studio, Funda is dedicated to uniting the vibrant NYC Contact Improv community. Alongside fellow enthusiasts, she hosts inspiring performances enriched with live music. These events not only elevate the beauty of Contact Improvisation but also support organizations committed to combating climate change. In this realm, her spiritual practice takes flight as she strives to understand and experience the interconnectedness of nature and ourselves through the ‘Way of the Universe’ and the concept of ‘Oneness.’
In addition to her movement endeavors, Funda pursued a degree in Mathematics at Stevens Institute of Technology. Today, she channels her intellect and creativity into her work at an innovative AI company, where she is revolutionizing online math education to support students who lack access to math education.
Some of Funda’s leading teachers that she has tremendous gratitude towards are: Ayhan Kaya, Edgars Cakuls, Vladimir Vasiliev, Guta Hedewig, Richard Webb, Nita Little, Tres Hofmeister, Dan Messisco, Chuck Weber.
AARON BRANDES (aka Brando)
MSW, M.ED is a founding member of the improvisational dance company: Set GO and teaches and performs internationally. His dance videos have collected over a half million views and can be viewed via his website, BodyandBeing.net. In 2009, Brando established CI Ground Research, an annual conference for the pedagogical and embodied research of Contact Improvisation.
He continues to host a bi-weekly CI event in Northampton which explores the relationship between improvised music and dance. Brando is a licensed psychotherapist, is nationally certified in Structural Integration (SI) and is a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher. He has integrated aspects of SI bodywork, movement, and clinical social work in his therapeutic practice.
