The Gala and Online Auction

The Gala is Saturday, December 13th, 2025, 5:00 – midnight 

The Online Auction

Showcase your skills, experiences, or unique offerings while supporting Earthdance. This is a great way to promote your business, help raise funds, and spread the word about Earthdance to our global creative community.

The 2nd annual online auction is now live!

Place your bids or BUY NOW until December 13th at 6pm.

The Gala

Join us for a night of swanky celebration to honor our beloved Earthdance community and raise funds for its growth. This holiday season, let’s show some love to the space that nurtures connection, exploration, healing, and creativity.

You will get to enjoy the silent auction, a decadent multi-course meal created by our loving Earthdance chefs, group singing and blessing of our shared feast, special performance, photo options, awards and of course DANCING!  It will be an evening that promises a full heart and belly. Dress to impress, and let’s end the year with community, charm, and goodwill!

Evening Schedule

• Arrival: 5pm
• Peruse Silent Auction and Photo Option: 5:30-6:15
• Singing and Blessing of the Meal: 6:15-6:30
• Feast of Recognition & Achievement: 6:30pm-8:00pm
• DJ Showdown and Dance Off: 8:00 – till we can’t twirl anymore

Pricing

• Financially Wealthy – $1000
• Financially Abundant – $500
• Financially Stable – $300
• Financially Coping – $160
• Financially Strained – $85  
• Pay from the heart – $35
• Work Exchange – Contact fundraising@earthdance.net

Stay Overnight – Add $75

If you wish to continue the celebration or you are traveling from far away, consider staying overnight for Bruce’s famous sourdough pancake brunch (Sunday). Stay at the Gratitude Lodge in a dorm bed (sheets and towels included) or bring your tent and camp. Includes access to the sauna.

The Voices of the Gala: Masters of Ceremonies Lex and Murry

Jupiter Ariel aka “Lex Grotesque” is an artist, activist, & witch  from Western Massachusetts. Jupiter works as a transformative muse and co-founder of The House of Grotesque. They specialize in producing and directing innovative performances and offer teaching in movement and character development. Through interactive theatre and dance, Jupiter cultivates creativity and expression, inspiring countless individuals in the arts community. Jupiter shares a deep love for the land and people who flow through Earthdance. They are excited to host this years Gala!

Marie “Murry” Echo’s  (fae/they/she) primary partnership is with the meandering magic of the Muse. Living in devotion to this waking dream, fae shapeshifts between and beyond archetypal roles of boundless bard, dream druid, death doula, cosmic clown creature, harmonic healer. Their offerings are a convergence of creativity, connectivity, sensuality & ritual. For many years fae has been performing with the Grotesque Burlesque and recently put on an original play called “Witchpunk the Musical.” Earthdance is a second home for the Murry and she loves the creatures here dearly, 
Stay tuned for the fairy next album coming out soon! Follow them for more community & one-on-one offerings: @musemundiThanks ba

Performance by Artist in Residence Charles Peoples

Charles Peoples III is a sonic changemaker residing at the intersection of performance art and experimental music theater. He focuses on the convergence of sound, movement, technology, and spirituality, while creating multidisciplinary experiences that awaken dormant senses. For media and more information, visit www.CharlesPeoplesIII.com.

Description from the Artist for the Gala Performance:

During my residency at Earthdance, I will continue to build the movement vocabulary of my ‘sonic changemaking’ practice. Both the voice and the body are essential to my practice, so I will share both at the Gala. 

A Night of Music & Magic with DJ TintedDreams

Langston aka DJ TintedDreams is a Western Mass local hailing from the Pioneer Valley. He discovered Ecstatic dance and Contact Improv back in 2018, quickly falling in love with the freedom and nourishment these modalities brought to his soul. After many years of learning, healing, and growth facilitated by these spaces, it was his desire to give back. He aspires to facilitate a sonic space where dancers can explore their sense of self and expression through movement. By blending downtempo, electronica, world, and alternative soul music, He aims to take the dancer on a journey in which the boundaries between the material and immaterial soften.

The 2025 Gala Honorees

Robyn O’brien

Robyn first came to Earthdance in 2004, and from the start, it felt like home. She once said she felt so high after dancing, she’d get lost on the three-turn drive back to Vermont! She served on the board, helped shape its early governance, and has nurtured TEN Earthdance babies as a doula! After 34 years managing a food co-op in Putney, Vermont, she joined the 9 Mountain team just before Covid, bridging the connection between our two communities with deep love and purpose. Describing Earthdance, she once said “here if you drop a pebble, the ripples are felt and that is huge”. Oh—and if you’ve ever been lucky enough to eat her homemade bread, you know: she feeds this community in every sense of the word.

Bruce Hooke

Bruce first found out about Earthdance when a dance friend in Providence mentioned it. He looked it up and came for the winter offering weekend. He then continued to come for lots of work weekends starting in 2006 eventually this spread to other events and in 2013 he saw a fallen down for sale sign at the building next-door. He talked with Sarah Young the director at the time, about offering space for work exchangers, she loved the idea and he closed on the property that summer. He housed many work exchangers and staff for the next seven years until Covid. He has tirelessly volunteered and built the website, maintaining it through many years and also oversaw the new well installation. He is known for his beautiful photographs and art that are displayed throughout 9 Mountain and Earthdance. He has used his building skills to transform the square barn into a winter wonderland for many New Year’s jams complete with the most magical unicorn. He is also known for his delicious sourdough pancakes.

Rick Cernak

Rick Cernak began his involvement with Earthdance in October 2013 after receiving permission to collect minerals on the property. Later David Sharp, the Building and Grounds person at the time suggested he meet Bruce.  They became close friends with a shared passion for mineral collecting. At the time, Earthdance was bringing in only $300–$500 annually from mineral collecting, with few restrictions and low fees. Recognizing the potential, Rick helped implement new systems—raising rates to $20 for individuals and $10 for clubs—leading to a dramatic increase in revenue to $7,000–$8,000 annually.

Rick’s connection to the area runs deep: his mother grew up and married in Plainfield, and he was raised in East Hampton as one of five siblings. In 2012, while accompanying his mother on a visit to the area, he stopped by Earthdance and was warmly welcomed. He still remembers walking into the farmhouse and seeing a massive mound of broccoli—one of his favorite vegetables—which made him feel instantly at home. Ali invited him to stay for dinner marking the beginning of his enduring relationship with the land and community.

Tal and Olive will be offering a CI morning lab throughout the weekend that is designed for movers who crave a richer, more integrated connection to their dancing.

In this season of harvest, we’ll explore gratitude through the body: how we offer and receive weight, how we say “thank you” with timing, tone, and touch, and how we fine tune relaxation as a form of gifting the body spaciousness and acceptance.

Contact Improvisation Morning Lab: Gathering  support, reciprocity, and enoughness.

Blending foundational elements of Contact Improvisation, floor-based somatic practice, and expressive solo exploration, this Lab, opens a space for cultivating both skill and freedom, nuance and boldness in how you move — with others and with yourself. 

This morning lab is happening inside of a CoCo jam container, which stands for COmmunity COllaboration. Our intention is that the morning lab will inspire the participant’s own research and curiosities, and that these curiosities can be explored throughout the jam through offerings made by the participants themselves. Through solo, duet, and group scores we’ll cultivate presence, and hone on our improvisational intelligence. 

Open to all levels; come curious. Expect warm-ups, clear partnering pathways, improvisation, and a reflective closing ritual. You’ll leave with a fuller toolkit for deeper informed CI research and Lab ideas/offerings  for the rest weekend.

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 INVITE!

COCO Jam Details

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

• Thanksgiving Potluck: Arrival/Check-In on Thursday, November 27th from 4-7pm front of the Farmhouse. Potluck is at 6-7pm (there will be a spreadsheet to add your dish you will bring)
• Opening Circle: Friday, November 28th at 10am. Newcomers must attend.
• 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 29th starting 8am. Departure at 10pm day of.
• Final Clean: Sunday, November 30th at 2-3pm. Lunch 1-2pm.
• Departure: All participants will depart after the final group clean at 3pm on Sunday, November 30th.

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

FULL JAM: Thursday – Sunday

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

PARTIAL JAM: Friday – Sunday

GRATITUDE LODGE

$250 – Financially Strained to $650 – Financially Abundant

CAMPING

$225 – Financially Strained to $625 – Financially Abundant

COMMUTER

$200 – Financially Strained to $600 – Financially Abundant

THURSDAY EVENING DROP-IN ONLY

$35 – Financially Strained to $400 – Financially Abundant

SATURDAY DAY DROP-IN ONLY

$85 – Financially Strained to $500 – 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.

Apply HERE! Due November 20th.

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 (November 13th) before the event less a $75 processing fee. 

No refunds available less than 14 days (November 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 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

Olive Frank

Olive Frank lives in reverence to the gravitational pull that keeps us all on the same Earth. Olive studies Structural Integration, the Axis syllabus, and Contact Improvisation, and enjoys co-creating dances that helps them experience gravity in new and playful ways. They have studied CI in numerous wonderful containers including Spiral and Root at Earthdance, Leviathan in Lasqueti, and Mission Improvable in Buffalo NY. They have been a regular attendee at most CI jams at Earthdance for the past several years, learning from each dance that they have the opportunity to experience. Olive is currently perusing a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy at Western New England University.

Tal Shibi

Tal Shibi is an improviser, choreographer, educator, and healing arts practitioner. His practice bridges performance, Contact Improvisation, and somatic research; often weaving dance, voice, and storytelling into moments of embodied presence. With roots in Shiatsu and Watsu therapy modalities and an MFA in Dance from Bennington College, Tal creates workshops and performances that invite playfullness, awareness, and poetic spontaneity while exploring themes of embodied art, ritual, and the raw terrain of being seen.

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.

This jam is open to all who self-identify as queer. A queer jam is aspirationally a space for queers to practice in a community in which they feel safe, seen and received by people who, while diverse, share some aligned ways of living and understanding the world. To us, being queer means living outside of the script of heteronormativity as it pertains to our bodies, our relationships, and our ways of navigating our lives. Living as queer people we commit to practices of listening, collective care, and honoring authenticity in our expressions and desires.

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?

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. 

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

SATURDAY DROP-IN

$100 – Financially Strained to $400 – 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.

Apply Here! Due September 11th!

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 Levin

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.