Join us for a vibrant day of dance while championing our fundraising drive in support of capital improvements for Bombyx. Enjoy a full menu of daytime classes and evening DJ sets featuring some of the Valley’s finest. Join for as much or as little as you’d like—every step you take supports the work we’re doing together. This event is powered entirely by generosity: with all teachers and DJs donating their time out of love for dance, art, and community.

Daytime Dance Classes (11 am - 5 pm)

No dance experience necessary. Just a willingness to move and be moved. Please bring water, and wear clothes you are comfortable moving in.

11 am - 1 pm
5Rhythms® is a simple movement practice designed to release the dancer that lives in every body, no matter what its shape, size, age, limitations and experience. This practice itself is simple, there are no steps to follow. We dance not for a mastery of the practice, and not to “look good” — but for the medicine this practice brings. The class is guided by a certified teacher, who offers prompts, invitations and/or guided exercises to bring dancers deeper into the practice. We explore each of the 5 rhythms – Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness.  The 5Rhythms experience is somewhat like ecstatic dance that is held in an intentional and spiritual container where participants can experience and meet new parts of themselves simply by engaging in movement. To learn more about the 5Rhythms practice, Gabrielle Roth - The Wave Dance

1:30-2:45 pm
“Open Roles” in Partnering Lead and Follow between partners are root building blocks in traditional duet-style dance; these roles are derived from traditional gender roles in historical social dances. Daniel is at the forefront of developing conscious practice of Open Roles in partner dance. Open Roles in partner dance means: Open to learning. Open to listening. Open to dialogue. Open to switch. Taking the learning of social dancing into the territory of exploring gender identity and expression through learning both iconic roles at the same time. Whether you are a beginner or experienced dancer, no matter your background, style, or gender, this class invites you to explore “open roles” in partner dance, opening up new ways to connect through movement and music. Through guided practices we will explore the essence of partnering, not as a rigid gender-roles tradition, but as a living language that unites people.

3:15-5:00 pm
Biodanza is a gentle and powerful integrative system promoting human development both personal and collective, originally developed in Chile during the 1960's and now a global movement. Each class journeys through dances that connect with everyday life, catalyzed with carefully-chosen inspiring music from around the world. These are invitations into “vivencia,” vividly lived present moments which create a cascade of experiences opening up new ways of relating with ourselves, each other, and the world around us. A pathway to reclaim what’s most life-giving and discover new ways of moving through life, learning how to live together as human beings, and celebrating and building on all the good. Come dive in for two hours of restorative play and community care that return us to our most essential selves and create ripples far beyond our time together. ¡Bienvenides todes!  To learn more about Biodanza,  Biodanza: Dance of Life, San Francisco School of Biodanza, USA (short version)

+++BREAK 5:00-6:00 pm+++

Evening Activities (6 - 10 pm)

Warm up with a Contact Improv Class followed by original music by Althaea and then live DJ-inspired music with DJs Brando and Father Otter. Father Otter will close the evening with a soundscape journey. 

6:00 - 7:00 pm
Contact Improv 

Touching the Moment with Moti Zemelman.  Contact Improvisation dance is an honoring of every moment. There is a sweet surrendering that happens when our bodies stay faithful to what is happening now, and now... and NOW! In this workshop we learn to recognize and differentiate the subtle impulses in our choices and our partner's choices. We begin to decipher the cues that we give and receive which tell us when to lead or follow, when to go up, when to go down, where to touch, how to lift, when to slow down, and when to be still. Learn to stay in integrity with each choice, never forcing, never rushing. When Body, Mind, and Spirit are united in their instinctive wisdom we find our-selves at home in every moment expressing our true nature.

7:00 pm
Althaea (Charlotte Collins) will guide us as we transition from a day of dance into an evening of live DJ inspired movement. Offering vocal and acoustic sound of ethereal beauty and transcendence. Althaea is a charismatic and soulful artist with a unique range spanning classical violin and viola, intimate and ethereal songwriting, and genre-defying improvisation. Be prepared to be blown away with her voice and talent. 

8:00 - 9:00 pm
Dance with DJ Brando 

DJ Brando offers heart opening soulful soundscapes that seamlessly weave music styles & cultures. A global tapestry of beats, bumps, & baselines that penetrate to the marrow of your bones, invoking your soul to dance. Starting his career on vinyl records in 1995, Brando refined his skills amidst a burgeoning electronic scene in Western Mass.  Since then, he has transitioned from vinyl to a digital rig and includes a massive diversity of music. Brando has been featured as an emerging artist on fmainstream.com and a featured guest on the Valley Advocate’s video podcast series.

9:00 - 10:00 pm
Dance and Soundscape with DJ and Journey Guide Father Otter
Father Otter (Nash Atkins) Father Otter tends the roots and reaps the fruits of cathartic, awakening, energizing, medicinal, blissful, and connective beats from around the earth and throughout time. A curated arc of tension and release, intensity and joy, drops your awareness down into the body while simultaneously blasting your spirit into hyperdrive. Be prepared to travel the wilds of your consciousness with a fusion of organic and electronic sounds.