Join Aaron Birk for an afternoon of illustration and dance! Let’s dilate our awareness to describe a curving spine, a floating pelvis, an arching rib, or a supporting limb, all with soft lines of charcoal and sweeping strokes of ink. Let’s dissolve our analytical mind and harness the power of gesture — to draw as an embodied witness.
In this 6 hour workshop we will draw and dance. Playing with Contact Improv scores, we’ll move in relationship — to ourselves, to one another, and to gravity. Working with the lens of The Axis Syllabus, we’ll take time to ‘unfold the map,’ exploring the connectivity of our bones, joints and ligaments; spiraling through the space, and unlocking the gentle, curving pathways of our body’s design. Working with charcoal and ink, we’ll practice ‘gesture studies,’ or quick, reflexive drawings that capture the essence of a body in motion.
Let’s slow down. Let’s expand, rest and witness. Let’s move in ways that nurture the body.
All art materials will be provided. Everyone will have an opportunity to draw and to be drawn. All skill levels are welcome. Just bring yourself and a potluck dish to share.
SCHEDULE
Arrival/Check-In: Saturday, November 15th at 9:45am. Class starts at 10am.
Potluck Lunch: Please bring a dish to share.
Departure: 4pm
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.
$60 – Financially Strained to $350 – Financially Abundant
***If you find that you are struggling financially or there are other circumstances that are making it difficult to join this special workshop, please email programming@earthdance.net with your situation so that we can create a way to have you join us.***
If you wish to extend your visit and stay overnight: A dorm bed in our Gratitude Lodge is $40. (Rental of sheets and towel is $20) * Includes access to the sauna and kitchen use but does not provide food.
Refund available up to 14 days (November 1st) before the event less a $20 processing fee.
No refunds available less than 14 days (November 1st) 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.
Aaron’s inquiry into Movement Arts encompasses 22 years of research, training, and performance, with a special emphasis on Contact Improvisation and The Axis Syllabus. Beyond the dance, Aaron maintains a 25 year career as a professional Illustrator, Muralist, and Art Instructor. As a teacher, Aaron creates spaces within which his students flourish; His pedagogy embraces an adaptable, responsive curricula, that emphasizes apprenticeship, embodiment, and hand held tools. His branches have extended to Carpentry, Puppetry, Shoemaking, Tango, and Saltmarsh Restoration.
His current inquiry, “Drawing The Dancing Body,” investigates gesture-drawing as a pathway to expansive learning, embodied witnessing and anatomical study.
Aaron lives in Philadelphia, and is working towards his certification to teach The Axis Syllabus. Feel free to email Aaron at dancinglaughingking@gmail.com, or visit www.aaronbirk.com
A festival where joy, connection, and radical inclusivity become powerful acts of resistance. Rooted in the rebellious spirit of ancient Tantra, we gather to replenish, celebrate diversity, and build authentic community. Our offerings are the antidote to these times, inviting you to restore yourself, so you can return home inspired to spark real, lasting change.
Divine Rebellion Manifesto
We gather at Divine Rebellion to create more than a festival–we are weaving a living, breathing tapestry of community, courage, and joy. We believe that authentic connection, radical inclusion, and collective accountability are powerful forms of resistance in a world that often asks us to shrink or divide.
We honor diversity in all its forms, welcoming every story, background, and expression. Here, we celebrate pleasure and play as sacred acts, knowing that joy is not a luxury, but a necessity for transformation and resiliance.
We remember the roots of Tantra as a movement of rebellion–born to challenge the confines of tradition and reclaim the fullness of embodied experience. In this spirit, we dare to meet one another with openness, honesty, and reverence.
We are committed to building spaces where healing, repair, and growth are possible. We recognize that mistakes are inevitable, and we meet them with humility, accountability, and a willingness to learn.
We show up–wholeheartedly, courageously, and with deep gratitude for everyone who says “yes” to this journey. We trust in the magic that is created when we come together with intention, creativity, and love.
We are Divine Rebellion. We are the antidote. We are the spark for lasting change.
For those who are longing for a deep and durational dive into CI research, pedagogy, and professional training, you’re invited to gather with us for three weeks from January 8th through 29th, 2026.
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?
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 JamArrival, 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.
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.
Cape Lookout, 2022
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!
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.
Loom Ensemble has brought Dance Music and Theater workshops and performances to Earthdance since 2017. This year we are thrilled to welcome LoomSong! Loom Ensemble’s newest project has been slow cooking for a decade – LoomSong is a fresh constellation of longtime collaborators, and a new approach to songs which have been in development for years.
Sasha, Onome and Raffles are LoomSong–a vocal trio exploring the boundaries of the human voice and the intersections between composition and improvisation. Their current repertoire consists of compositions by its members, new improvisational structures, and original arrangements of folk, jazz, classical and world music.
Most recently at Earthdance, Raffles co-facilitated a Winter Jam, Onome co-facilitated last summer’s EarthSing, and Sasha was here with “Tell Me How You Breathe” (and offered music at the ABCD Jam in Montague).
This workshop will offer an opportunity to explore the creative process with LoomSong through voice, rhythm, and movement-based practices for vocal composition and improvisation, drawing from their backgrounds in folk, world music, music theater and contemporary music. Best suited for confident singers: no advanced expertise required, but please come expecting “mid-level nerdery”, as we engage with some of the musical complexity that enlivens their music.
Sliding Scale $20-$60
Community Potluck: 5-6pm
5-6pm Community potluck will bridge any perceived distance between “audience” and “performers” within the embrace of shared food.
Please bring a dish or contribute $10-$15
LoomSong’s Performance: 6-7:30pm
LoomSong’s Performance is a tour de force of vocal pyrotechnics and brain-bending complexity, infused with warm, invitational opportunities to join in and sing along. You are invited not just to sit and listen, but to move, roll, stretch and shake the music through your body as Loom fills the space with heartfelt song! It’s good medicine for these times.
Sliding Scale $20-$60
Open Jam: 7:30pm
Open Jam holds open space for collective “response,” metabolizing LoomSong’s offerings into the realm of embodied practice, shared among all present. This is Earthdance’s regular “Sunday Jam”, with open space for Movement Improvisation, and guided structures for vocal improvisation. You could treat it like a “music jam” and be in your dance practice, you could spend the whole night singing your heart out, or you could flow between the two!
LoomSong is a vocal trio exploring the boundaries of the human voice and the intersections between composition and improvisation. Sasha Bogdanowitsch, Onome and Raffles collectively come from a wide variety of musical backgrounds consisting of contemporary music, world music, folk, jazz, choral music, and music theater; all which figure prominently in forming their unique sound and approach to singing. LoomSong’s current repertoire consists of compositions by its members, new improvisational structures, and original arrangements of folk, jazz, classical and world music. LoomSong concerts are a tour de force of vocal pyrotechnics and brain-bending complexity, infused with warm, invitational opportunities to join in and sing along.
About Loom Ensemble
Loom Ensemble. Weaving togetherness.
Loom (noun): -ancient technology associated with the goddess -used for weaving disparate linear elements into a singular, cohesive form–necessary both for meeting basic needs of shelter/protection, and for ceremonial, spiritual and/or magical purposes
Ensemble (noun): -literally “together” -a collective, a group of individuals acting as one -centering shared values instead of individualism
Audience and critic reactions to members of LoomSong:
‘Winning authenticity…” New York Times
“ …has the power to transport the listener to another time and place.” I Care If You Listen E-Zine
“I was brought to an ancestral and inclusive land where every voice makes up part of the whole. I love that I got to experience the joy of creation!” Workshop participant
“My father is deeply introverted and shy, and had never in his 82 years experienced anything interactive like LoomSong before, where he was invited to bring his own voice into the experience. He was so moved!” – Founder of a recent LoomSong concert venue
Cancellation Policy
Refund available up to 10 days before the workshop less a $15 processing fee.
No refunds available less than 10 days from the start of the workshop.
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.
Sasha Bogdanowitsch is a composer, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and educator, whose work includes music for theater, dance and film, interdisciplinary performance, concert music and original songs. His compositional output is heavily influenced by his studies of world, folk, early and contemporary music. Sasha has performed worldwide and throughout the New York area in venues such as: Carnegie Hall, Whitney Museum, Symphony Space, BAM and Roulette. www.timbretree.com
Onome
Onome is a vocalist, improviser, and interdisciplinary sound artist who leads experiences at the intersection of voice, creativity, and mindfulness – for a wide variety of audiences internationally at colleges, corporations, concerts, cultural centers, and retreats. She has partnered with numerous organizations as an artist-in-residence, teacher, and mentor, including the United Nations, Carnegie Hall, Música do Círculo, Grace Episcopal Church, and Bobby McFerrin’s CircleSongs retreat. www.onome.org
Raffles
Raffles is a singer, dancer and theater maker, born and raised in NYC. Co-Director of Loom Ensemble (2010) and Co-Founder of WildHeart (2022) Internationally, they’ve performed with the English National Opera in London; Loom Ensemble’s annual performance season in Dubai, three summers with Theater Slava in Stockholm, and with the Art Monastery Project at dozens of venues in Italy, Belgium, Sweden and Berlin. NYC highlights include Lincoln Center with Urban Research Theatre, New York Philharmonic with Constellation Chor, BAM with Meredith Monk, and La MaMa with Loom. https://www.raphaelsacks.com
Dancing with the trees: A nature-inspired Ecstatic Dance journey by TreeJ!
This dance will be held in the forest behind Earthdance. We will meet at the Earthdance farmhouse, then group hike about 10 minutes through the forest to an all natural dance floor.
Once we arrive, we’ll begin with a grounding meditation to attune ourselves to the rhythms of nature and the mycelial web beneath us. From there, we’ll flow into a music journey with the forest. We’ll dance around the grand oak tree, surrounded by hemlock, birch, and pine.
This is a rain or shine event ~ come prepared to dance with the elements!
~ A message from the Oaks~ Oak brings wisdom of strength, endurance, stability, ancient knowledge and longevity. Reminding us of our divine and enduring connection to nature.
“I am the steady, faithful Oak. Seek me and sit with me. I am old and strong and grounded. I will take your troubles and let them flow into Mother Earth for their transmutation. She knows what to do with the energy. I am the promise of spring. You can see my energy in the budding flowers. I am the daffodils and the tulips come to life. I am all of the little wild animal creatures in nature, they all come together under my sacred space. Come and sit in my grove, which is the most ancient of temples. Nature is your home; you are safe here and nurtured. Breathe me in and breathe me out. I will help you remember your true nature. You are loved and you are beautiful. You are perfect already. You have everything you need to manifest your dreams and desires. It is time to begin. This beginning is like the acorn that is a mighty symbol of growth and regeneration. What you begin has the potential to grow into a great oak tree of your own manifestation.”
TreeJ is a muscian, DJ, producer and tree whisperer ~ blending electronica, organic soundscapes and live instrumentation. Find their music on Soundcloud
Hosted by Neal and Shosei, come connect with the Earthdance community. Learn about sustainable gardening, share in the abundance, help us continue building and maintaining the Earthdance garden vision.
All are welcome! Tasks may include a wide range of typical garden tasks: bed making, planting, weeding, compost turning, harvesting. No tools necessary, just you in outdoor workwear willing to work and get a little dirty!
“One of the most important resources that a garden makes available for use, is the gardener’s own body. A garden gives the body the dignity of working in its own support”. – Wendell Berry
Schedule
Every 2nd Sunday of the month (before the 2nd Sunday monthly jam!)
Any time between 10am to 5pm – Garden education and beautification
5pm – Potluck (bring a dish and we’ll cook something from the garden!)
Please check in to register for the class and jam
6:15pm – CI Class
7:30pm – Jam
Earthdance Garden Crew
Neal Wecker
After acquiring an undergraduate philosophy degree, Neal spent the next 20 years growing a family and organic farm in Ithaca NY. Finding “the good life” and remaining connected to nature in a rapidly urbanizing and industrializing society felt imperative to explore and express. Then, after 10 years living and working as a sex and intimacy educator in Europe, Neal arrived at Earthdance in the spring of 2022. He is happy to be back exploring the mission of Creative Living at Earthdance as the gardener in service. He views his role of creating and maintaining a productive garden as supportive and aligned with both Earthdance’s mission and charm.
Shosei (Tamara)
Shosei (Tamara) came to Earthdance in September 2023 as a work exchanger and while exploring alternative lifestyles. While work exchanging and working remotely, she shadowed and assisted Neal in the Earthdance garden for the past seasons. Both being in the garden and living at Earthdance have offered Shosei respite from the burnout of a healthcare practice and inspired her in the way of alternative and complimentary future dreams of service. She continues to enjoy the teachings of the garden and its master gardener, Neal.
Join us in the beautiful Berkshire hills of Western Massachusetts to learn construction skills, build community, and dance!
Over four days here at Earthdance, you’re invited to help construct two simple A-frame structures that will provide housing for workshop instructors, staff, and visitors. This is an opportunity to gain practical experience in tiny home building while forming meaningful connections, sharing nutritious meals, and celebrating with music and movement.
What You’ll Learn
Construction Basics: Tool safety, site preparation, framing, and roofing.
Sustainable Building Techniques: Working with rough-sawn lumber, and wood protection without toxic chemicals.
Tiny Home Design & Construction: Building elevated platforms (yurt-style), running layouts for floor joists and roof rafters, A-frame roof construction, and installing doors & windows.
Arrival & Onsite Check-In: 4–7pm (Front of the Farmhouse)
Dinner: 6–7pm
Intro Session: 8–10pm
📍 Friday, July 25 – First Full Build Day
Self-Organized Breakfast with ED Staff: 8–9am
First Session: 10am–1pm
Lunch: 1–2pm
Second Session: 3–6pm
Dinner: 6–7pm
Contact Improv Basics Class & Jam (with ED Staff): 8–10pm
📍 Saturday, July 26 – Drop-In Day & Celebration
Self-Organized Breakfast with ED Staff: 8–9am
First Session: 10am–1pm
Lunch: 1–2pm
Second Session: 3–6pm
Dinner: 6–7pm
Ecstatic Dance with DJ TreeJ: 8–10pm
📍 Sunday, July 27 – Final Build & Departure
Self-Organized Breakfast: 8–9am
Final Build Session: 10am–1pm
Lunch: 1–2pm
All House Clean with ED Staff: 2–3pm
Departure: After 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.
***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.***
Housing Options
Gratitude Lodge at Earthdance Tickets
Includes a bed in the Gratitude Lodge, event offerings, and food arrangements.
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 on Earthdance land, event offerings, and food arrangements. You will need to bring your own camping gear.
Drop-In Day Tickets
You will have access to the event offerings and food arrangements, no overnight accommodations.
Cancellation Policy
Refund available up to 14 days (July 10th) before the event less a $40 processing fee.
No refunds available less than 14 days (After July 10th) 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.
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!
Brenden McBrier grew up in Denver, Colorado and always dreamed of building his own home and living surrounded by nature. In his younger years, he spent an ample amount of time outdoors having connection with the Earth in his mother’s garden. He started his building career learning about different natural building techniques after high school.
Attending the Earthship Biotecture Academy in Uruguay, South America was a catalyst towards that dream. Permaculture became his main focus years later as a lifestyle and career choice: uplifting and putting energy toward a life of growing food in symbiosis with the surrounding ecosystem. Combining the two passions with building livable greenhouses brought Regenerative Retrofits LLC to life in 2020. Now based in South Burlington, the green dream continues forward for him, sharing innovative ways and building with nature. (Yestermorrow, Regenerative Retrofits, & Permatours)
Scott Guzman
Scotty is a natural builder, compost educator, inventor, and farmer with a degree in chemical engineering from W.P.I. and 10 years of experience in the world of cooperative business. He is the founder of Diggers Cooperative, a local Maine compost and permaculture design business, and a co-founder of Permatours, a permaculture education non-profit organization.
Through collaboration with Permatours and several other highly skilled educators, Scotty is helping build an online education platform to share educational content on various topics such as building science 101 and Hempcrete. With a current focus on yurt construction professionally, Scotty is bringing his yurt energy to this A-frame design/build workshop by being a voice for simplicity, strength and function.
PERMATOURS EVENT AGREEMENTS
We value active participation in all facets of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share.
We treat the land and all beings with love and respect.
We do not tolerate hate language, discrimination, or violence of any kind.
We support an accessible and equitable environment for all beings.
Equality is not an assumption, and we strive to promote equitable access.
Consent is required for all: commitments (including time/energy expectations),
verbal interactions, physical contact, emotional support, desire for intimacy, etc.
We encourage curiosity to be a leader against assumptions.
We support the use of the acronym FRIES to share concisely that consent is:
F – freely given
R – reversible
I – informed
E – enthusiastic
S – specific
Permatours is dedicated to holding containers (intentional spaces) that remain free of alcohol, powders, pills, and gasses. Your presence, in times of joy and difficulty, is welcome here!
We support a space of interdependence, and mutual aid. We trust that when we arrive and are able to do for ourselves what we can, with the interstanding we may not be able to do everything, we are better aligned to receive the aid we truly need, and aid others in areas of their needs. Building mutually beneficial relationships and working together in symbiosis are key aspects of being able to thrive physically, emotionally, and spiritually, as a community.
We support a space of radical self-reliance, encouraging everyone to show up able to meet most, if not all, of their own needs. The community is here to support them when/if needed.
We observe the 4 Agreements, with the inclusion of the 5th agreement, by Don Miguel Ruiz.
During this workshop, participants will investigate movement and stillness by exploring the body’s natural anatomical potential, including floating, hanging, and strings. Exercises from Noguchi Taiso water body practice and aspects of butoh will help remove customary societal and cultural behaviors, guiding dancers toward bodily emptiness. Without the constraints of old habits, the unconscious body can freely respond to sensations, forces, and states of emotions to become a fully expressive body.
Dancers will be instructed with lessons to expand their range of movements, including subtle, unrestrained, fading, animal, and revolutionary.
Description of the Indescribable Butoh
Originating in post-WWII Japan, butoh is a potent and revolutionary dance form. Butoh uses the body brazenly as a battleground to attain personal, social, or political transformation. In its early forms, butoh embraced and referenced Western artistic movements: German Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Existentialism, and Fluxus, all of which pervaded the Tokyo underground and the avant-garde art scene at that time.
The co-founders of butoh, Tatsumi Hijikata, and Kazuo Ohno trained in German Modern dance, which was integral to the development of German Expressionism. But, eventually, they took opposite approaches to their dance-making. Hijikata’s work became known as ankoku butoh (dance of utter darkness); he embraced the grotesque and the absurd, exploring themes of sacrifice, struggle, and death. Ohno’s butoh was playful, humorous, and filled with light and life. Today’s butoh is influenced by both Hijikata and Ohno and wrestles to balance those contrary approaches.
Like many other Japanese concepts, butoh is defined by its very evasion of definition. It is both theatre and dance, yet it follows no choreographic conventions. It is a subversive force, through which traditions are overturned. As such, it must exist somewhere on the social periphery. It is a popular spectacle, unlike the classical theatre of Noh with its elaborate gestures. Yet it is esoteric. It is a force of liberation, especially within the conformist Japanese social structure, yet it is born out of extreme discipline. In a culture of exceptional visual harmony, it employs a vocabulary of ugliness.
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Arrival Check-In, Opening Circle and Departure
Arrival/Onsite Check-In: Participants will check-in at the front of the Farmhouse from 4-7pm on Thursday, September 4th. Dinner from 6-7pm.
Opening Circle: Friday, September 5th at 10 am. All participants are asked to attend.
Closing Circle: Sunday, September 7th at 12:30pm. Lunch 1-2pm.
Final Group Clean: Sunday, September 7th from 2-3pm
Departure: Sunday, September 7th by 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.
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.
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 (August 21st) before the event less a $75 processing fee.
No refunds available less than 14 days (August 21st) 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!
Julie Becton Gillum, artistic director of the 14-year-running Asheville Butoh Festival, has been creating, performing, and teaching dance in the US, Europe, Asia, and Mexico for over 40 years. She has practiced butoh for 27 years. Gillum was awarded the 2008-09 North Carolina Choreography Fellowship and used the funds to travel to Japan to study Butoh.
Julie is currently training and performing in Japan with Saga Kobayashi, Moe Yamamoto, Mari Osanai, Seisaku, and Yuri Nagaoka. On February 18, she performed with Katsura Kan at a festival in Kyoto at the URBANGUILD.
Since 2019, Gillum has been active in India, Serbia, Georgia, Greece, Mexico, and the USA. Recent performances at the Amsterdam Butoh Festival (October 2023), Seattle Butoh Festival (November 2023), NYU Abu Dhabi Art Museum (February 2024), UNFIX Festival in NYC (May 2024) were well received.
Julie’s most influential mentors in butoh have been: Anzu Furukawa, Diego Piñon, Yoshito Ohno, Natsu Nakajima, and Seisaku. Noguchi Taiso has become equally important for Gillum whose studies with Mari Osanai and Emre Thormann have refined her practice. She has guided butoh for 25 years and Noguchi Taiso for 10 years.
We return to our essence—the spark that ignites this journey, the playfulness, the deep relational explorations, the dance, the commitment to presence and community.
And we greet the edge—leaning into the unknown, expanding into new possibilities, growing where it feels uncomfortable, and daring to keep evolving.
Touch&Play embodies an international movement – a sexy, embodied and deeply heart-centered family – rooted in various local communities across the globe.
***Touch&Play: Essence and Edge is an Independent Event. Earthdance assumes no responsibilities for the activities of the organization of Touch&Play as a renter of Earthdance facilities.***
