Come join us to explore what it’s like to do CI in a community of queers.

We will shape the weekend together. Offerings from Hilary and Eddy can include Contemplative Dance Practice, sensory magic, play with costumes, drag, material for the spine, CI Basics and CI play.

What is a CoCo Jam?

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 have hosts and some support staff, however the hosts may have less direct influence on the schedules, and they may have varying degrees of leadership or dance experience. Compared to the Seasonal jams, the workshop offerings and schedule will be more influenced by the participants 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?

SHARE OUR FACEBOOK EVENT!

Queer COCO Jam Details

• Attendance: An average of 15 – 40 people will attend this jam and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds. 
• Jam Options: Full Jam. And, a Saturday Drop-In (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.
• 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. 

COCO Jam Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, and Departures.

• Arrival/Check-In: Thursday, September 18th from 4-7pm front of the Farmhouse. Dinner is 6-7pm.
• Opening Circle: Friday, September 19th at 10am. We encourage all NEWCOMERS to attend the Opening Circle.
• Saturday Drop-In (Only for folks who’ve been to Earthdance before): Arrive/Check-In Saturday, September 20th between 8-10am. Breakfast is 8-9am. Departure at 10pm day of.
• Closing Circle: Sunday, September 21st 12:30pm-1pm, Lunch 1-2pm.
• Final Clean: Sunday, September 21st at 2-3pm.
• Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, September 21st.

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.

PRICING: Sliding Scale

GRATITUDE LODGE

$300 – Financially Strained to $700 – Financially Abundant

CAMPING

$275 – Financially Strained to $675 – Financially Abundant

COMMUTER

$250 – Financially Strained to $650 – Financially Abundant

Equity & Access Tickets 

Although we’re not able to offer any full scholarships this year, we’re excited to offer up to 3 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 Coming Soon!

Earthdance makes efforts to support Equity & Access at all its events, and we do this through:

• Reduced price Equity & Access tickets for folks who find our normal tickets to be a barrier. Participants self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized in CI are prioritized when allocating these tickets.
• An Accountability, Safety and Care (ASC) team that supports the processing of difficult situations that might come up in relation to consent, identity and other relational issues.
• Support from a BIPOC Team at our seasonal jams that hosts meals and supports offerings and affinity spaces based on BIPOC participants’ desires.

Housing Options

Gratitude Lodge

Includes a bed in the Gratitude Lodge, event offerings, sauna & quarry access, and food during the event.

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 cost. Beds are available on a first come basis.

Camping

Includes a spot to camp at Earthdance, event offerings, sauna & quarry access, and food during the event.

Commuter

You will have access to the event offerings, sauna & quarry access, and 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 event participants.

Nine Mountain is NOT available.

Cancellation Policy

Refund available up to 14 days (September 4th) before the event less a $75 processing fee. 

No refunds available less than 14 days (September 4th) 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 participants.

Participant Community Support

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

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

Earthdance’s Jam Guidelines

Earthdance’s Nudity Policy

HOST BIOS

Hilary Kennedy

Hilary Kennedy is a dancer, chef and conceptual artist living on unceded Wabanaki land, in the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts. She has worked within the fields of experimental dance and somatics for over 17 years. Her practice and performance work weave together magic, buddhist meditation, qigong, authentic relating, and prayer. She is grateful to have worked with teachers such as Deborah Hay, Anna Halprin, Lisa Nelson, Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, Sara Shelton Mann, and more. Her approach to CI includes physical fundamentals such as spirals, fascial connection, and material for the spine, as well using the practice as a place for self-awareness, generosity, and play. She has practiced CI in California, Latin America, NYC, Berlin, British Columbia, and Western Mass. She brings together qualities from all these places into her teaching.

BA in Dance 2010 Colorado College; Tamalpa Life/Art Practitioner 2014; Body Mind Centering Practitioner (in progress)

Eddy

Eddy is a dance and sound artist, facilitator, body worker, farmer and transwitch from Tkaronto/Toronto, living in Greenfield, MA, the land of the Nipmuc, Pocumtuc and Wabanaki Confederacy people. Before recently relocating to Greenfield, Eddy was living in Berlin for 8 years spending their time facilitating d.i.y arts residencies, community spaces and workshops, dancing for vocation and for pleasure, various kinds of care work, drumming as a choreographic and spiritual practice, and thinking / making with an array of artists such as Tone F Pony, Inky Lee, An* Neely, Danielle Magee and Coral Short. They have danced and collaborated with Maria Scaroni, Marga Alfeirão, Sara Shelton Mann, and Pepper Fisher and their dancing has been influenced by teachers Sigal Zouk, Shannon Cooney, Benoît Lachambre, Maya M. Carroll and Peeps. 

They love somatic practices that play with and challenge ways of relating and are committed to continuing to learn about and confront how systems of oppression affect each of us differently. They care about how to recover connection and consciousness of interconnectivity and use ritual, improvisation and play as practices of liberation. 

Other teachers: the earth and lessons from being a new farmer, being trans and the technologies and medicines that come along with this fabulous reckoning, meditating and Buddhist teachings, human emotions, the body holding a hilarious accumulation of content to digest and express and pass through !

Interdisciplinary Fine Art (BA) Nova Scotia College of Art and Design; Tanzfabrik´s Dance Intensive program (Berlin); Pantarei Somatic Bodywork (Berlin); Emotional CPR Trainer.

We’re dreaming a jam of joyful connection and embodied expression—where families, movers, and magic-makers of all kinds can gather for dance, ritual, pageantry, and moments of meaning. We hope to co-create something alive, inclusive, and full of heart.

SHARE OUR FACEBOOK INVITE!

Children’s Programming

The children’s program is a very special part of the summer jam at Earthdance. This jam brings in many families and about thirty or more kids of all ages. Every morning, for 4 hours, there will be 6 staff and one coordinator who will be dedicated to creating a fun experience for your children. 

They will be offered opportunities to move around and play in the field, make art and crafts, have story time, gardening, forest walks and more. We couldn’t have a summer jam without S’mores around the bonfire, pizza making and our now-famous giant slip’n slide. This year we’re hoping to add more soccer games, foam swords fights, ninja training parcours, baking(-and eating!) cakes and crepes, and dancing. 

We’re also planning more afternoon offerings as well as parents-focused sharing circles and other workshops. We are so excited to welcome you and your kids to our program. Whether it’ll be your first time or not, we are looking forward to being in community with you. 

JOIN The Children’s Programming Team!

As we’re planning the kids’ program, we’re also creating our 2025 team. You would like to be part of it? The staff works from 9am until 1pm for 5 mornings of the jam (you get one morning off!) in exchange for a free jam.

Please tell us about you and how you could contribute in this application form. Jump on this great opportunity early because we’d like to complete our team sooner than later. We’re looking forward to hearing about you!

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. 
• Please take a look at what to expect at an Earthdance Seasonal 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 commuter 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 Saturday, 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: Sunday, June 29th at 10am.
• Full and 1st Half Jam All House Clean: Wednesday, July 2nd at 10am 
• 1st Half Jam Departure: Participants will depart on Wednesday, July 2nd by 2pm (after lunch).
• 2nd Half Jam Check-In: Arrive to check-in on Wednesday, July 2nd between 4-7pm. Dinner is at 6-7pm
• Full and 2nd Hall Jam All House Clean: July 5th at 2-3pm
• Jam Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Saturday, 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.

PRICING: Sliding Scale

Full Jam – Adult Tickets (June 28th-July 5th)

GRATITUDE LODGE:

Financially Strained ($630) to
Financially Abundant ($1030)

CAMPING:

Financially Strained ($595) to
Financially Abundant ($995)

COMMUTING:

Financially Strained ($560) to
Financially Abundant ($960)

Full Jam – Kid Tickets

GRATITUDE LODGE:

Financially Strained ($150) to
Financially Abundant ($500)

CAMPING:

Financially Strained ($120) to
Financially Abundant ($480)

COMMUTING:

Financially Strained ($110) to
Financially Abundant ($470)

Additional Kid Ticket: $75 (can be purchased after the 1st kid’s ticket) 

Nine Mountain Full Jam Tickets

You must  purchase a Full Jam Nine Mountain ticket and then email robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed for an additional price.  

1st Half Jam – Adult Tickets (June 28 – July 2nd)

GRATITUDE LODGE:

Financially Strained ($430) to
Financially Abundant ($830)

CAMPING:

Financially Strained ($415) to
Financially Abundant ($815)

COMMUTING:

Financially Strained ($400) to
Financially Abundant ($800)

1st Half Jam – Kid Tickets

Financially Strained ($100) to
Financially Abundant ($425)

Additional Kid Ticket: $50 (can be purchased after the first kid’s ticket) 

No Camping or Commuting ticket prices for kid’s Half Jam Tickets

2nd Half Jam – Adult Tickets (July 2nd-July 5th)

GRATITUDE LODGE:

Financially Strained ($400) to
Financially Abundant ($800)

CAMPING:

Financially Strained ($385) to
Financially Abundant ($785)

COMMUTING:

Financially Strained ($370) to
Financially Abundant ($770)

2nd Half Jam – Kid Tickets

Financially Strained ($75) to
Financially Abundant ($400)

Additional Kid Ticket: $50 (can be purchased after the first kid’s ticket) 

No Camping or Commuting ticket prices for kid’s Half Jam Tickets

Nine Mountain 1st and 2nd Half Jam Tickets

You must  purchase a Half Jam Nine Mountain Ticket and then email robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed for an additional price.  

Equity & Access Tickets 

Although we’re not able to offer any full scholarships this year, we’re excited to offer up to 12 FULL JAM and 6 Half 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 – Applications Due June 21st!

Earthdance makes efforts to support Equity & Access at all its events. At our four Seasonal jams we do this through:

• Reduced price Equity & Access tickets for folks who find our normal tickets to be a barrier. Participants self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized in CI are prioritized when allocating these tickets.
• An Accountability, Safety and Care (ASC) team that supports the processing of difficult situations that might come up in relation to consent, identity and other relational issues.
• Support from a BIPOC Team at our seasonal jams that hosts meals and supports offerings and affinity spaces based on BIPOC participants’ desires

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

Please contact to Robyn at robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed at an additional charge after registering for a Nine Mountain ticket with Earthdance.

Cancellation Policy

Refund available up to 14 days (June 14th) before the event less a $75 for Full Jam Ticket, $30 for Half Jam Ticket & $15 for Children’s Ticket processing fee.

No refunds available less than 14 days (June 14th) 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!

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

Earthdance’s Jam Guidelines

Earthdance’s Nudity Policy

HOST BIOS

Alli Ross

Alli Ross is a performing and teaching artist collaborating through dance and theater for most of her life. Her training spans a wide range of approaches to contact improvisation as a form of dialogue and as a tool for storytelling. Recent work includes a residency at Mass MoCa which brings a new enthusiasm for locative audio in immersive theater.

Other performance credits include the development and touring of Healing Wars with Liz Lerman (2012) and the U.S. premiere of Punchdrunk’s Sleep No More, originating the role of Lady Macduff  (2009-2011) /American Repertory Theater/Emursive’s NYC. Ross is an Associate Professor of Theater at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee where her research and classes over 11 years work at the intersection of movement arts, somatics and contemporary theater.

Cody Strauss

Cody Strauss is a home organizer, yoga instructor, kid’s camp leader, workshop facilitator, and performance artist. Cody is also known as a clown artist because she specializes in Juggling All Those Things — while also being a mom, a partner, and staying human in this beautiful, tender, fraught world. 

Fusing decades of somatic practices and facilitation, a deep regard for sacred rites and rituals, Cody creates soulful participatory art events. She encourages groups to dive deep– into creative connection, being kids, making meaning, playfulness, and exploration of our inner wilderness as it meets the world. Cody’s aim is to help us all to emerge together; more connected with one another and more connected with our essential selves. An illumination of spirit takes courage . 

The Weight of our Unfolding

New buds in spring are tender, full of potential yet vulnerable, to the elements and to the weight of their own unfolding. They emerge from the stillness of winter, delicate yet determined, stretching toward warmth.

Like these buds, we will attune to the delicate rhythm of our own emergence. How can we create enough spaciousness and cultivate enough sensitivity to make this process visible? By slowing down, shedding what is not needed, and attending to each other, we will cultivate a space ripe for easeful creativity. Through the lens of dance as ritual, we will invite an expansion and deepening of possibility within our Contact Improvisation practices.

Spring Jam Curatorial Update

Earthdance is excited to introduce a new addition to this year’s Spring Jam— a CI Intensive! Brandon will be leading classes on Friday and Saturday, offering a chance to deepen our dancing throughout the weekend. No additional sign-up or commitment is needed—come as you are and dive in.

We are also delighted to welcome Ana Harmon on Saturday, who will be offering a Gaga movement class.

About Gaga:

Gaga is the ever-evolving movement language created by choreographer Ohad Naharin. Classes are predicated on a deep activation of the body and attunement to physical sensations. Information is layered, building into a multisensory, physically invigorating experience. While many instructions are imbued with rich imagery, the research of Gaga is fundamentally physical, connecting to a specific process of embodiment. Inside Gaga’s guided structure, the improvisational nature of exploration enables each participant to connect to their own research and range.

SHARE OUR FACEBOOK INVITE!

Jam Details

• Attendance: An average of 40-80 people will attend this jam and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds. 
• Jam Options: Full Jam and Saturday Drop-In Day.
• Saturday Drop-In: Ana Harmon will be offering a Gaga movement class. (Drop-In Day is available only to folks who have been to Earthdance before or attending the Full Jam).
• 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 3rd from 4:00pm-7:00pm front of the Farmhouse. Dinner is at 6-7pm.
• Opening Circle: Friday, April 4th 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 5th at 8am. Breakfast is from 8-9am. Check-In from 1-2pm during lunch with Olive. Departure at 10pm day of.
• Closing Circle/Final Clean: Sunday, April 6th Closing Circle at 12:30pm, Lunch 1-2pm
• Final Group Clean at 2-3pm.
• Full Jam Departure: After the final group clean by 3pm on Sunday, April 6th.

Our Fees Explained

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

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

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

PRICING: Sliding Scale

FULL JAM

GRATITUDE LODGE
Financially Strained $375.00 to Financially Abundant $800.00

CAMPING
Financially Strained $350.00 to Financially Abundant $775.00

COMMUTER
Financially Strained $325.00 to Financially Abundant $750.00

SATURDAY DROP-IN DAY

Financially Strained $85.00 to Financially Abundant $450.00

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! Deadline is March 27th!

Earthdance makes efforts to support Equity & Access at all its events. At our four Seasonal jams we do this through:

• Reduced price Equity & Access tickets for folks who find our normal tickets to be a barrier. Participants self-identifying as being underrepresented and/or marginalized in CI are prioritized when allocating these tickets.
• An Accountability, Safety and Care (ASC) team that supports the processing of difficult situations that might come up in relation to consent, identity and other relational issues.
• Support from a BIPOC Team at our seasonal jams that hosts meals and supports offerings and affinity spaces based on BIPOC participants’ desires

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.

Cancellation Policy

Refund available up to 14 days (March 20th) before the event less a $75 processing fee. 

No refunds available less than 14 days (March 20th) 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!

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

Earthdance’s Jam Guidelines

Earthdance’s Nudity Policy

Guest Facilitator

Brandon Gonzalez

Brandon Gonzalez is an interdisciplinary dance artist, choreographer, and educator based in Austin, Texas. He’s moved by the transformational power of dance as a ritual practice, using it as an experimental ground for investigating embodied human experience. Focusing on the capacities of the body as a resource for artistic practice, he develops works across a variety of media and performance modalities.  He teaches Contact Improvisation nationally and internationally, and for over 15 years has produced dance events in Austin. Working as a co-organizing member, he helped establish the annual Texas Dance Improvisation Festival (TDIF). He is also the Artistic Director and an established DJ/facilitator at Ekstasis, a vibrant community ritual-dance event in Austin. Brandon is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Department of Theatre and Dance at TXST University. He holds a BFA in Studio Art from TXST and an MFA in Dramatic Arts from UC Davis. 

Brandon has only been to Earthdance a few times and is looking forward to dancing and getting to know the community there! 

SATURDAY Drop-In Gaga Facilitator

Ana Harmon

Ana Harmon is a dance and movement advocate currently living in her home state of Massachusetts. She has been a Gaga teacher since 2019, completing her certification in Tel Aviv with the artistic guidance of Ohad Naharin. Now more than ever, she is committed to dancing every day and sharing the healing power of movement with a range of movers. Ana currently divides her time between Gaga teaching engagements and supporting the Gaga organization’s various artistic and educational programs across the globe. She is a faculty member at the Boston Conservatory and recently led an undergraduate Gaga course at Harvard University. Ana trained with Boston Ballet’s pre-professional program for 13 years and joined Ballet Austin II in 2008. In 2010, she joined Kamea Dance Company in Be’er Sheva, Israel where she danced for three years. Ana completed a BA in English Literature & Middle Eastern Studies from Tel Aviv University in 2016. 

As a new resident of the Pioneer Valley, Ana is excited for her first visit to Earthdance!

CICo HOSTS

The CI Committee (CICo) is the Earthdance seasonal jam production team. Since 2001, this team has been supporting the Guest Facilitators and producing the jams from behind the scenes. For this Spring Jam, instead of having two guest facilitators, Anya and Meta will be joining Brandon in hosting the event. 

Meta Bobbe

Meta Bobbe (she/her) is an integrative body therapist, embodiment and movement researcher, and a CI teacher and community organizer. Since first encountering CI in Israel in 2012, this practice has become central to her life. Meta has been part of the leadership team at Earthdance for years, serving on the CICo seasonal jam organization team since 2019, was an intensive teacher at Spiral & Roots CI Professional Training 2025, and is a former Earthdance Board Member (2020-2023). Curating CI spaces that foster creative expression, community connection, and a welcoming atmosphere is both a passion and a practice for her. She’s excited and honored to be part of this Spring Jam’s team!

Meta is a Certified Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist, Ilan Lev Method Practitioner, and Licensed Massage Therapist. She holds a BBA in Management and Human Resources from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. A seasoned traveler and former expat, Meta now resides in Florence, Massachusetts.

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. Smolnikova has exhibited internationally in Armenia at HAYP; in Los Angeles at LAST Projects; in Chicago at Mana Contemporary, Heaven Gallery, Links Halls, No Nation, and 6018 North; in Massachusetts at the Boston Boston Center for the Arts, Piano Craft Guild, MUSA Collective, Dorchester Art Projects and Four Eleven Gallery in Provincetown. Collaborations include projects with Anastasia Tinari, FAR x WIDE, Seeding Sovereignty among others. Teaching includes Northwestern University; Northwestern Prison Education Program; Chicago Art Partnerships in Education; Museum of Fine Arts Boston; Brookline, Cambridge and Boston Centers for Adult Education; The Field Center and The Putney School in Vermont among others. Smolnikova has been a resident artist at the Vermont Studio Center, Boston Center for the Arts, Groundworks Space in Hudson Valley, and holds an MFA from Northwestern University in Chicago. She lives at The Field Center in Vermont, where she is a founding member, Director of Operations, Curator and Faculty.

Gratitude is a universal language, shaped by culture, tradition, history, and space. Its expression takes countless forms– some bow in deep reverence, others place a hand over the heart. A quiet nod or soft smile might convey appreciation, while joyous songs or dances do the same elsewhere. In Native traditions, gratitude is intimately tied to the land and its cycles, where giving thanks is not merely a gesture but a living relationship with the earth. For many Native peoples, gratitude compels giving, not just to show appreciation, but to ensure abundance continues for future generations.

Amidst our gratitude at Earthdance, on Nipmuc land, we acknowledge that Thanksgiving is a reminder of the genocide of Native peoples, the theft of Native lands, and the ongoing ethnocide, the destruction of Indigenous cultures. As we gather, we may also feel sorrow for our disconnection from this reality, from the Earth, and from the loss of biodiversity. Our practice here is one of both gratitude and reflection, honoring the joy of connection alongside the grief for what has been lost.

Through the practice of contact improvisation, we will explore how to connect to somatic awareness, questions, disorientation, and gravity, letting movement reflect both individuality and connection to the earth’s ancient rhythms. As we transition into stick season, the time when the leaves have fallen and winter approaches, we welcome you to come together in dance, attunement, study, witnessing, resting, sharing meals, and creating warmth together in community. 

50% of the profits from this jam will go to the Ohketeau Cultural Center.

What is a CoCo Jam?

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?

SHARE OUR FACEBOOK EVENT!

Jam Details

Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, and Departures.

• Thanksgiving Potluck: Arrival/Check-In on Thursday, November 28th from 4-7pm front of the Farmhouse. Potluck is at 6-7pm.
• Opening Circle: Friday, November 29th at 10am.
• Friday-Sunday Jam: Arrival/Check-In on Friday, November 28th from 8-10am front of the Farmhouse.
• Saturday Drop-In (Only for folks who’ve been to Earthdance before): Arrive Saturday, November 30th starting 8am. Departure at 10pm day of.
• Final Clean: Sunday, December 1st at 2-3pm. Lunch 1-2pm.
• Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, December 1st.

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. 

PRICING

FULL JAM – THURSDAY 28th – SUNDAY 1st

Financially Wealthy -$650

Financially Abundant – $500

Financially Stable – $400

Financially Coping – $325

Financially Strained – $275

PARTIAL JAM – FRIDAY 29th – SUNDAY 1st

Financially Wealthy -$575

Financially Abundant – $450

Financially Stable – $350

Financially Coping – $275

Financially Strained – $225

CAMPING

$20 discount

COMMUTING

$40 Discount

DROP-IN DAYS:

THURSDAY 28th – THANKSGIVING POTLUCK + JAM ONLY

Financially Wealthy -$400

Financially Abundant – $220

Financially Stable – $120

Financially Coping – $60

Financially Strained – $35

SATURDAY 30th DROP-IN ONLY

Financially Wealthy – $450

Financially Abundant – $300

Financially Stable – $200

Financially Coping – $125

Financially Strained – $85

Equity & Access Tickets 

Although we’re not able to offer any full scholarships this year, we’re excited to offer up to 4 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.

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, 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.

Nine Mountain

Beds are available at Nine Mountain across from the orchard. Please contact Robyn at robyn@ninemountain.com to reserve a bed. This is an additional cost to purchasing a ticket for the jam.

Cancellation Policy

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

No refunds available less than 14 days (After November 14th) 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. 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!

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

Earthdance’s Jam Guidelines

Earthdance’s Nudity Policy

HOST BIOS

Paris Cullen

Paris is a movement artist, performer, and self-proclaimed contact improvisation nerd. Obsessed with falling, resistance, momentum, gravity, disruption, and mutual support, they’re interested in CI as a question, a queer practice, and a way of world building. P has been hosting the NYC queer jam and teaching since 2022. They’re grateful to the teachers and guides they’ve studied with including Defne Erdur, Anya Cloud, Paul Singh, Ishmael Houston-Jones, Keith Hennessy, Nita Little, and the friends/collaborators who teach them so much– they would not be here without them!! 

Zohaib Malik

Zohaib is a cross-cultural artist, human activist, and multipotentialite who has spent years exploring diverse cultures, gaining profound insights into the complexities of the human experience. He integrates a range of movement practices, such as Iyengar yoga, contemporary dance, and contact improvisation into his performances. Weaving storytelling into the flow of life, he fosters meaningful connections that bridge the personal and collective experience, nurturing change and unity among individuals. Zohaib spent three years living like a monk at a meditation center, where he helped train volunteers and supported hundreds of participants in their mindfulness journeys. His spiritual practice deepened through engagement with various masters globally, embracing the shared struggles and triumphs of humanity. From creating welcoming spaces through art projects in Norway to promoting eco-sustainability in New Zealand, his community work is aimed at cultivating a sense of belonging. Devoted to continuous learning, Zohaib approaches each opportunity with an open heart, believing that creativity, connection, and empathy are essential to understanding and celebrating the diverse tapestry of life. Looking ahead, he aims to empower others to realize their potential and contribute to the world in their unique ways.

Queering CI & Embodying Queer Joy 

In this year’s Queer CoCo Jam, we’ll explore what it’s like to center Queer Joy, liberate ourselves, our bodies, and our relationships from supremacist narratives, and investigate what it means to queer contact improvisation. Let us infuse queer joy into our bodies and our dances as we dismantle the confines of limiting heteronormative conditioning.

Bring your joy, your grief, your pleasure, your play, your curiosities, your quietness, your loudness, your tenderness and your fierceness. All skill levels are welcome!

During this jam, we aim to create a trauma-informed, anti-racist, and liberatory container in which to explore CI, somatics, co-regulation, deep listening, play, prayer, ritual, song, and reciprocity with the land.

What is a CoCo Jam?

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 have hosts and some support staff, however the hosts may have less direct influence on the schedules, and they may have varying degrees of leadership or dance experience. Compared to the Seasonal jams, the workshop offerings and schedule will be more influenced by the participants 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?

SHARE OUR FACEBOOK EVENT!

Queer COCO Jam Details

• Attendance: An average of 15 – 40 people will attend this jam and is open to all movement levels & backgrounds. 
• Jam Options: Full Jam. And, a Saturday Drop-In (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.
• 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. 

COCO Jam Arrival, Onsite Check-In, Opening Circle, and Departures.

• Arrival/Check-In: Thursday, September 19-22 from 4-7pm front of the Farmhouse. Dinner is 6-7pm.
• Opening Circle: Friday, September 20 at 10am. We encourage all NEWCOMERS to attend the Opening Circle.
• Saturday Drop-In (Only for folks who’ve been to Earthdance before): Arrive/Check-In Saturday, September 21 between 8-10am. Breakfast is 8-9am. Departure at 10pm day of.
• Closing Circle: Sunday, September 22 12:30pm-1pm, Lunch 1-2pm.
• Final Clean: Sunday, September 22 at 2-3pm.
• Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, September 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. 

Equity & Access Tickets 

Although we’re not able to offer any full scholarships this year, we’re excited to offer up to 3 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 September 16th.

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 is NOT available.

PRICING

GRATITUDE LODGE

Financially Wealthy – $625

Financially Abundant – $500

Financially Stable – $400

Financially Coping – $325

Financially Strained – $275

CAMPING

Financially Wealthy – $600

Financially Abundant – $475

Financially Stable – $375

Financially Coping – $300

Financially Strained – $250

COMMUTER

Financially Wealthy – $575

Financially Abundant – $450

Financially Stable – $350

Financially Coping – $275

Financially Strained – $225

Saturday, September 21st DROP-IN (Only if you’ve been to Earthdance before)

Financially Wealthy – $450

Financially Abundant – $300

Financially Stable – $200

Financially Coping – $125

Financially Strained – $85

Cancellation Policy

Refund available up to 14 days (September 5th) before the event less a $75 processing fee. 

No refunds available less than 14 days (After September 5th) 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. 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!

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

Earthdance’s Jam Guidelines

Earthdance’s Nudity Policy

HOST BIOS

Olive Frank

Olive Frank loves a good contact improv dance. After 9 years of dancing contact improvisation in various countries and communities, she is still researching what makes a good CI dance so satisfying. And, she is eager to research that with you.

Sarah Zucchero

Sarah Zucchero is looking forward to this gathering between witches, wizards, and mages of CI. She herself is a weird CI disciple. Her prayer is this: may we all be amused and fed well by our co-created spell!