Retreats

 

          To facilitate deeper community, Dance Spree periodically hosts retreats - longer, fuller events - that span anywhere from a day to a half-week. The retreats described below have been sponsored by Dance Spree over the past few years and are likely to continue on a semi-regular basis.

          We can also, upon request, create a retreat for your group, family, or company based on the themes of freestyle boogie, drum & dance, and social justice. To inquire about having your retreat at Dance Spree, call Jasper at (413)658-7011.

 


The Martin Luther King
Social Justice Dance Festival

4th annual
January 17 & 19, 2020 - Greenfield, MA

SATURDAY EVENT RESCHEDULED TO SUNDAY, JANUARY 19

 

 

 

 

 

Friday - 4:00-10:00

4:00-6:45 - African drum class with Ult Mundane ($20-$35)

6:45-7:30 - Vegan dinner by Lynn Parker ($7 or bring your own)

7:30 - “I Have a Dream” speech (free)

8:00-10:00 - Drum & Dance ($5-$10)

Sunday - 4:00-10:00 - $5-$10 inclusive

5:00-7:00 - Freedom & Struggle Song Swap with Charlie King

Potluck supper included in Song Swap time
7:00-8:00 - InterPlay with Judith Reichsmann

8:00-10:00 - Social Justice Boogie with DJ Jed

 

 

 

Workshop descriptions

African Rhythm Intensive:

Over the course of the afternoon, we will dive deep into a traditional rhythm from Guinea, West Africa. We will learn to play all the parts of the melody made by three dunduns (two-headed drums played with sticks). We'll also learn traditional variations for the dundun parts, and a series of djembe solo phrases associated with the rhythm. Dunduns will be provided; please bring your own djembe if you're interested in learning solo phrases. Time permitting, we will also develop a composition, including an intro and an echauffement.

     This workshop is ideally suited for those who have some experience playing traditional rhythms. Beginners are welcome and will also benefit, but would not be expected to master all the parts in a single day.

InterPlay (a dance-related variant of comedy improv):

Why Taste InterPlay? InterPlay makes grown-ups have the fun of a 5 year old ... and has 5 year olds feel that they're having as much fun as grown-ups.
 In an InterPlay class, we play in the same ways we did as kids... Shifting in the moment, discovering new ideas as we shift, laughing, crying, being serious, being hilarious... experimenting with what our bodies can do, what our voices can come up with, and mixing the two before we know it. All this incrementally so we are underwhelmed rather than overwhelmed. Body and spirit finally rejoined; Spirit and voice reunited. Telling a story from the point of view of a 5 year old one minute; singing a line of made-up country western song or opera the next. Hang onto your hat, it's InterPlay time!

 

 

 

 

 

3rd annual Festival-in-review:

Friday - 4:00-midnight

Advanced African drum class

Vegan dinner

African Dance & Drum workshops

“I Have a Dream” speech

Drum & Dance

Saturday - 4:30-9:30 (time cut short due to snow)

InterPlay

Potluck

Open mic for Songs of Freedom & Struggle

Live music & dancing

Social justice boogie with DJ Jed

 


The Drum at the End of the Rainbow

Our all-ages, all-awesome drum and dance camp will be on hiatus for 2019, returning sometime next year.

 

2nd annual Camp-in-review (Camp Timber Trails, Tolland, MA)

 

 


 

PRE-CAMP INTENSIVE with Ult Mundane

  • A small, committed group of us gathered for potluck dinner Thursday evening.
  • Around 9:00pm, a fire was lit for pre-camp opening. Rain began just as we started drumming, so we held on as long as we could.
  • The next day, the Friday Intensive for intermediate and advanced drummers hummed along from 9am-5pm as setup continued.
  • These 8-10 drummers, together for so long, formed a lasting bond!

 

 

FRIDAY NIGHT

  • Arrival & welcoming committee began at around 5:30pm
  • As people arrived, they added to the omnivorous potluck. Food was provided for Intensive participants.
  • Drumming and dancing around the fire from 8-10pm
  • Main Camp opening circle, welcoming each other, circled around the fire.
  • Due to noise restrictions, indoor drumming and dancing continued for hours, faster and faster and faster - wow!
  • Night closed at ~2:00am

SATURDAY

  • We started bright and early. Breakfast was served at 7:30, and yoga started on time at 8:00am.
  • Workshops before lunch: InterPlay and Sacred Nature Mandala.
  • The camp grew as many people, having been delayed, arrived during the course of the day
  • Workshops after lunch: Dancing All Over the World; Rhythm & Flow Drumming
  • We kept a relaxed schedule - plenty of downtime for swimming, napping, and connecting in between activities

SATURDAY NIGHT

  • Drumming and dancing around the fire started at around 8:00 pm
  • It was a high-energy night, with so many more people and such beautiful weather
  • We circled up a little after 10:00 for a heartshare and went deep. We spent a few hours together, though it felt more like a lifetime.
  • We ended around embers, the last of our firewood, with a brief ritual as we honored the directions and elements.

SUNDAY

  • After yoga, we had Vocal Voyagers, Salsa Rueda, and a fun & silly rhythm play group
  • The lunch room was full to bursting with networking, new friendships, and plans to see each other again.
  • About 20 of us gathered for a heartwarming closing circle at around 2:00pm
  • We all ran whistling off into the woods! (well, we drove home.)

Join us next time!