Dance Friday

2/19 Benefit for Haiti

2010-02-02T00:15:00.003-05:00

On Friday, February 19th, we invite you to come dance, to honor the spirit of the people of Haiti during these difficult times, and to raise funds to help the work of healing and rebuilding being done by the Haitian and international volunteers with AMURT (for more information, see http://amurthaiti.org)

We at Dance Friday keep those in need in our minds and hearts always, but on occasion we try, as a community, to give more than just our consciousness. All net proceeds from the evening will be donated towards AMURT's Haitian Disaster Response.

8:00 - 9:30: Margaux DJs the beginning of our evening
9:30 PM Middle Circle: Images and Stories from Haiti - Bearing Witness
10:00 PM: Music from Haiti and the Haitian Diaspora with DJ Prakash and live music with John Viking, Lisa Bouchie and Haitian drummers
11:00 - 12:00: Andrew keeps us dancing 'til the end

Feel free to just show up, but it's always nice if you RSVP on facebook

DNE Boston Weekend

2010-01-25T23:15:00.006-05:00

Dance Friday invites you to the Dance New England Weekend March 5-7, 2010

Friday, March 5th (Dance Friday)
8:00-1 am DJs Davoid, Tim P, and Alkemi will kick off our weekend

Saturday, March 6th
11:30-1:00 Join us for Lunch at Golden Temple, 1651 Beacon St., Brookline
1-2 Tai Chi - Dan Kleiman
2-3:25 Ecstatic Vision Quest Roth 5 Rhythms® - Margaux Medicine Dancer;
2-3:25 *Theatre - Dev Luthra
3:30-4:55 *Swing -Tony & Aurelie Tye;
3:30-4:55 Erotic Energy Exchange - Brynn Bishop
5-6:25 *Wild Waltzing - David Sharpe;
5-6:25 Thai Yoga Partner Massage - Shanon Brophy
6:30-8:30 *Salsa Rueda - Gregory Sanon & Erica Roper
8:30-1:00 am DJ'd Dance - Mixmeisters for the evening: Steve C, Andrew D, Hrana J, & Dave S

Sunday, March 7th
11-12:25 Open Level Contact - Paul Spielman;
11-12:25 Joint Mobility - Joanna Roper
11-12:25 *Ballet for Families - Catherine Williams
12:30-1:30 *Journey Dance - Suzy Spivey;
12:30-1:30 Alexander Technique - Cecile Raynor
1:35-2:35 *Poi - Leslie Woodworth;
1:35-2:35 Yoga - Victor Oppenheimer
2:40-3:40 *Hula Hooping - Marria Kee;
2:40-3:40 Partner Massage - Jessica Lupien
3:45-4:45 Blue Tango - Hsueh-tze Lee;
3:45-4:45 *Family Folk Dance - Nina Grimaldi
4:45-5 Closing Circle

Dance Friday only: $8-12.
Full weekend: Postmarked before 2-24-10: $65; at the door: $80
Saturday Only: before 2-24-10: $50; at door: $57.
Saturday Salsa Rueda Class + Dance only: $15 students; $20 Adults.
Saturday Dance only: Adults $12-$15, Students $6-12.
Sunday Only: before 2-24-10: $35; at door $40
Individual classes, if there is room: $15/60min class; $22/85min class.

To register, print and fill out this form: [ pdf ] and mail it to the address provided.
In addition to registering, feel free to RSVP on facebook, and invite your friends

Christmas Dance

2009-12-13T15:45:00.005-05:00

Yes.

Christmas falls on Friday this year.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Dance.

We will be warming up and dancing First set to tracks provided by Fair Robin, queen of Dance Friday. Second and Third sets will be laid down with feeling and intention and a whole lot of boogie-down by Tim, the tasty DJ Pyneapple, serving upside down beats whipped to a delicious froth. Anara will be our facile facilitator for the evening.

Bring a delectable if you care to share.

Bring unwanted gifts to donate to the local shelters, too, if you feel so moved.

Dance to celebrate. Dance to escape. Dance the indulgent holiday calories away. Dance to commune. Dance to share. Dance your gift.

We welcome you.

December Kids Dance!

2009-12-03T09:19:00.001-05:00

December 4th!

New update - Katherine Williams will be teaching a mini ballet lesson of the Nutcracker dances!

Channel your (or your child channel) inner Mouse King or Clara and come dance the magic of The Nutcracker with your children. Don't forget your camera to capture the fun!

The evening starts at 7. At 8 we will have circle and song time during the Dance Friday warm-up from 8 to 8:30.

Families are welcome to stay and dance until midnight to music played. This week's DJ's are Robin W., for warm-up and 1st set and Mario (aka DJ Mantra Ji) T.

Yes, Virginia, there will be a Dance on Christmas Day!

2009-12-03T09:16:00.002-05:00

Yes, you read that correctly; we are holding Dance Friday on December 25.

It will be a special celebration, sharing warmth and love. Stay tuned - we might have some extra special fun, too, for the evening!

GratiDANCE

2009-11-24T12:55:00.000-05:00

Join us this Friday, November 27th for a special Thanksgiving Weekend dance.

Bring your family (or get away from them!), work off any regretted food indulgences, or simply dance your thanks!

Hrana & Dave are in town from New Paltz, NY, and are spinning 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, plus a special late-night set (midnight - 1am) from Tim P.

Anara will be facilitating.

Halloween! Kids' Dance, too!

2009-10-22T01:31:00.003-04:00

IT’S HALLOWEEN AT DANCE FRIDAY

---OOOOH!

Friday, October 30, 2009

DJs: Tim, Cary, Robert Facilitator: Mareba

Bring your Jack O’lantern, (LED or flashlight inside would be very nice, no candles or other flames allowed, sorry.) and other Halloweeny decorations and treats.

Dance Friday Trivia: 4 years ago, Steve Carter brought eight Jack O’lanterns to the party!

This is also a great day to introduce those friends of yours to the dance who have been a bit timid to come - people tend to loosen up when going incognito.

Oh, and don’t forget your costumes....

SEE YOU DANCING!

Kids’ Dance starts at 7pm with a costume parade!

Dance Friday begins at 8pm, and runs throut ‘til the bewitching hour of midnight!

Parking notice!

2009-10-21T19:26:00.002-04:00

Parking notice!

/BTC%20Parking%2010-09.pdf

Our parking places have changed!

You may open the pdf file to view with Acrobat Adobe Reader.

Annual Community Meeting

2009-10-04T12:38:00.004-04:00

Dance Friday Annual Community Meeting

October 18, 2009
Guy Minnik’s house
6 Arthur Rd., Arlington MA

The always-yummy potluck will start at 5:30.

The meeting will start PROMPTLY at 6:30pm.
All are invited to be part of our decision-making process, especially those new to the dance! (You have the freshest opinions and we love and need your energy!)

Debbie Steiner Hayes is our meeting facilitator, so the meeting will be tightly run with a guaranteed generous sprinkling of humor included.

If you have suggested an agenda item, you must be at the meeting to present it. The two-week time period for submitting agenda items has passed.

If you are not familiar with the consensus process find it on our website or
be prepared to follow it at the meeting.

Proposed AGENDA
1. Review and approve previous meeting’s minutes (should be read in advance of meeting)

2. Agenda items and times, review, accept

3. Assign roles (timekeeper, vibes sweeper, scribe)

4. Short intro to consensus process (see CT Butler’s "On Conflict & Consensus)

5. Committee Reports-Review members and contact info Report on activity since last meeting, Sign up new committee members allow those who have lost interest to step down.

6. Recruitment of new committee members.

7. Elect new officers: LC members 3 needed, Current Leadership council (Nina Grimaldi Robert Cormier, Rose Ward, terms up 2009; David Cymbala, Christine Royer on till 2010)

8. Review finances and budget

9. Dance Weekend. Only the first Saturday open of: March 6, April 3 or May 1: which date hire restaurant or not adds a lot to expense.

10. Review 2010 calendar for special events.

11. Proposals

12. Wrap up, review, close

Proposals 2009

1. DJ reimbursement: Amazon Gift certificates for djs as option. Out of town DJs how do we honor them? 6 months for turn in of receipts 3 months not long enough.

2. Live music for first half in December on 18th or 25.

3. Allow a budget to honor musicians within our community.

4. Kids’ Dance event Sept 25th how did it go? Did we get a volunteer willing to head up future early starts? (Kids event went great next scheduled for 10/30/09)

5. Christmas Night is Friday Dec 25th 2009 - to dance or not to dance?

6. Extend lease to 2011

7. Many times over the past several years there have been many times that the dancers who attend DF have shopportunities. Those who sell their wares at DF need to give back. Propose to have in place a policy for those who sell things to tithe a percentage back to the dance.

Dance Camp 2009

2009-06-29T23:22:00.002-04:00

Dance New England Summer Camp 2009

DNE will be at Camp Robin Hood

August 14 - 25th, in Freedom, NH!

This yearly community dance retreat has been going since 1980

DNE summer camp offers a wide variety of classes including contact, African dance and drum, yoga, partner dance, music, healing arts, theater, and so much more!

We enjoy nightly barefoot boogies, Salsa Rueda for teens and adults, contact jams, drum circles, and other nightly surprises.

People of all ages are welcome!

Besides our full days of classes, swimming at the waterfront, eating delicious vegetarian food, hanging out with friends, and of course, dancing,

We have a certified and fun childcare program for kids 0-12 daily, so parents can take classes, as well as programming for our teen and young adult community.

Camp is very affordable for individuals and for family vacationing! We operate on a sliding scale for camp fees, based on registrants' income.

All classes, amazing vegetarian food and lodging are included. There are cabins that we share or if you bring your own tent you may choose to tent in the designated spaces. We are happy to report that in this camp there are lots of community showers and bathrooms for all!

For more information on DNE, our history and Mission Statement, please go to dne.org

This year in our attempt to save paper and expense, we are hoping that folks register (and pay) on line:

For this years schedule of classes, activities, programming and information or the various ways to register.

Camp 2009 home page

You can also find there a printable PDF registration form.

To contact our registrar Samantha for additional questions: registrar at dne dot org

DNE Weekend Update

2009-04-20T15:20:00.001-04:00

Michael Hayes will be teaching his fun and friendly Yoga for Buddha Bodies class on Sunday.

There will be no DNE Community Meeting.

DNE Weekend

2009-03-27T22:17:00.000-04:00

The Dance Friday Community invites you to the
Dance New England Weekend May 1-3, 2009
Friday, May 1st Dance Friday

Brookline Tai Chi Center, 1615 Beacon St., Brookline

8:00-midnight DJs Robin WIlliams will kick off our weekend (Not the furry Comedian the one with soul funk, world, folk and dance toys to share). Nina Coil will finish off the evening and she guarantees to grab you by the heart and soul and keep you on the dance floor until you beg for mercy. Nick Linsky wIll be our host.

Saturday, May 2nd
Morning Workshops: Vernissage Restaurant 1627 Beacon St, Brookline
10-10:30 Registration: Opening Circle: Tea and coffee
10:45-11:45: Theatre Improv - Dev Luthra
10:45-11:45: Nia - Barbara Niles
12-1: Intimacy - Brynn Bishop
noon-1pm Argentine Tango Miles
Lunch: 1:00-2:30
Afternoon Workshops at Brookline Tai Chi Center
2:30-4: Journey Dance - Suzy Spivey
2:30-4: Open Level Contact The Collaborative Gesture - Olivier Besson
4:15-5:45: Partnering - Danny Trenner & Gregory Sanon
4:15-5:45: African Dance - Wyoma
Dinner: 6:00-7:30 Off-Campus in Washington Sq Brookline.

6:30-7:30: Dance Setup* Brookline Tai Chi Center 1615 Beacon St Brookline
7:30-1am: Saturday Evening Dance & Boogie
Brookline Tai Chi Center
7:30-8:30 Salsa Rueda - Danny Trenner
8:30-1:00am DJ'd Dance - Astrid Lewis, Chad Lewis, and David Sheppard; Mareba Jos will be our hostess.

Sunday, May 3d
Brookline Tai Chi Center, 1615 Beacon St., Brookline
11 -1 Brunch & Community Meeting
1:15- 2:45: Roth 5 Rhythms® Margaux Medicine Dancer
1:15- 2:45: Tai Yoga Partner Massage Technique - Joanna Roper and Cecile Raynor.
3 -4:30: Poi - Leslie Woodworth
3 -4:30: Awakening the Spine - Neige Christenson

For more information, email Robin Williams at robin-w@comcast.net.
Please register as soon as possible! Fill out the form below and send registration to: John Voss, 91 Beals St. #2, Brookline Ma. 02446 Make check out to: Movement Collective postmarked before 4-24-09: $69, full weekend.

At the door: $85 If you are unable to attend community meeting on Sunday please consider donating an additional $5 to assist those who will be doing the work to put on Summer camp. Sunday Only at door $35. Dance Friday, not included in registration fee: $8-12. Saturday night dance only, sliding scale adults $12-$16, teens $6-12. Meeting free, Individual classes if there is room: $15/60min class; $25/90min. class. Lunch $12

If you are planning on bringing children they are welcome to attend most classes with you. (Please check with the teacher to find out if the class is appropriate for all ages.) Or contact Donna Lomp at donnatori@rcn.com who will assist you in hiring a sitter to watch your child while you are in class. The parents cooperative will consult with parents and children and pick a field trip destination: Science museum, aquarium? Cost per child for a sitter during daytime workshops will be $4 per hour paid directly to the sitter. The parents cooperative will have a sitter at each evenings dance. Each family is to pay $5 directly to the sitter for each evening dance you attend.

Name___________________________________________ Phone ________________________

Email _________________________________________________________________________

Address _______________________________________________________________________

I can help set up Saturday evening for the dance: ________

I need a place to stay overnight ________. I can offer a place to stay overnight_________

I am attending the Sunday meeting________

Be sure to join us at Brookline Tai Chi Center, 1615 Beacon Street, on June 5th, 2009, for our one year anniversary in Brookline and 33 years as a community-led dance celebration, 8-midnight.

Theatre Improv - Speak, listen, act, react. When? Now? Yes! Too late? Jump! Jump? Again! Go! Stop! Sit. Stand. Notice. Breathe. Look. Look again! Its me. Its you! Its them! Its us! Breathe. Dev Luthra trained as an actor at the East 15 Acting School, London, England, and at Shakespeare and Company in Lenox, MA.. He has taught acting, directing, movement and improvisation to students from middle school to college age. He is Artistic Director of And Still We Rise Productions.

Thai Yoga Massage with Cécile Raynor and Joanna Roper - An Ancient Healing Art created by the Buddha's physician, it is a therapy that is both dynamic and relaxing. The practitioner guides the receiver through a series of Yoga postures while palming and thumbing along the body's energy lines. Cécile Raynor is a certified Movement practitioner. She has been practicing in Brookline for 15 years.

Awakening the Spine - A fluid and enlivened spine supports both vigorous and delicate connection to our partner. We will focus on this marvelous central axis. Neige Christenson: improvisational dancer, still inspired by Contact after 25 years.

The Dance of Intimacy - We all want to be loved, understood and accepted as we are. Through the vehicles of movement, breath, energy, eye gazing, authentic dialog and deep listening, we will experience deeper connection. Brynn Bishop is a dancer, Tantric Educator and Intimacy Coach. She assists women, men and couples in increasing their capacity for intimacy and pleasure.

The Collaborative Gesture - (Open Level / Contact Improvisation) Contact improv is a compassionate dance of reciprocity. Through the practice of following and leading one another, we eventually join forces and evolve the dance into a simultaneous collaborative gesture. Olivier Besson is on faculty in the dance division of the Boston Conservatory. He continues to run the Movement Improv Jams with Live Music in Cambridge.

Salsa Rueda with Danny Trenner and Gregory Sanon - Get started on the basics of salsa in a fun and relaxed environment. We will work on the FUNdamentals and yet we promise it will not be all work no play! The basic as well as turn variations and passes ought to get you moving and looking good in no time flat! Come with a partner or solo, all ages are welcome to show off what you have learned. They are also teaching Partnering, lessons in leading and following.

Traditional West African Dance - Learn dances of welcome, harvest, and initiation from Africa, the Caribbean and Brazil from a master instructor. Wyoma will guide you in a celebration of life. No prior dance experience required. Come move your body with passion and joy! Wyoma has worked in the U.S. and internationally as a choreographer and teacher for over 30 years. She is also a mind-body consultant who works with individuals and groups utilizing dance therapy, for aligning body and spirit through breath and movement.

NIA with Barbara Niles - Nia is an expressive body-mind movement and lifestyle practice, embracing fitness and health. It offers both traditional fitness benefits (cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, strength, balance, endurance) and more esoteric benefits (concentration, playfulness, self-discovery, creativity, healing).

Journey Dance with Suzy Spivey - Experience this high-energy movement process—release, shake loose, let go to freedom. Access your inner power, aliveness, and passionate heart. Burst forth with energy, expand freely into space, vibrate with joy and celebrate your life! Rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit in ritual and prayer dance to create the life you want. Access your inner desires and manifest your dreams! No dance experience needed!

Argentine Tango with Miles - Argentine Tango has been thrilling dancers for more than 100 years. Tango is loved by dancers and audiences for its beauty, passion, drama and excitement. Learning to dance tango socially is based on improvisational movement and respecting both your partner and the other dancers on the floor. The essence of Argentine tango is about life and, especially, about the relationship between a man and a woman.

Poi with Leslie Woodworth - Poi spinning originated with the Māori people of New Zealand. From its beginnings Poi had the purpose of enhancing dance and rhythm. The Poi dance was originally used by the Māori women for keeping their hands flexible for weaving, and by the men for strength and coordination required during battle.

5 Rhythms® with Margaux Medicine Dancer The 5 Rhythms are states of beings. Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, Stillness. They will take you anywhere you yearn to go. All you need to do is move until you are moved. The Roth 5 Rhythms dance you into a poet of sensation. They are continuum's of earth energy, the clarity of fire and the heartbeat, the spontaneously eruptions of water waves breaking in rhythm on shores and landscapes of our inner and outer self. They are the deep, divine pools of stillness that only come from knowing the rush of blood pumping through our veins, while the human scatteredness and monkey mind is carried to calm and completion. For more info about Margaux Medicine Dancer, Certified Roth 5 Rhythms teacher, www.dancingoutloud.com

Community Meeting

2009-03-25T23:30:00.000-04:00

It's Springtime again! Do you know what that means? Yes, all the greenery returning, the flowers bursting forth and aromas wafting on the breezes.

It also means it's time for the Spring Community Meeting for Dance Friday!

If you've attended Dance Friday, you are a member, and welcome to participate.

DANCE FRIDAY COMMUNITY MEETING

WHEN: SUNDAY APRIL 5, 2009

WHERE: THE HOME OF GUY MINNICK
6 Arthur Road
Arlington, MA

POTLUCK DINNER : 5:30 MEETING: 6:45 sharp

The community meeting is where all decisions are made by community members. If you have attended Dance Friday, you are a member. This is your chance for your views, opinions, advise, etc. to be heard. Our meetings are run by the Formal Consensus Process which will be explained before discussion of the agenda items.

This meeting will hear reports from Committee Members including a budget review from Treasury, discuss Special Events, review Safety Policy and consider agenda items. You may see or add to the meeting agenda items available at the door check table at Dance Friday two weeks before the meeting.

AGENDA ITEMS:

Publicity - Revisit committments from Oct meeting get new promises made - "by when" dates!!!

Lighted Signage: brainstorm how to get it done before our birthday bash!)

June 5 Dance Friday first year at BTC birthday bash -
Organize a to-do list and get committments for help.
(VERY IMPORTANT - organize advance publicity about the event with local papers, posters around town, at colleges etc.
Post-event publicity - an article in the Brookline Chronicle perhaps?

General PR
Writing Letters: Thank you "Letter to to the editor" to any publication that gives us press.

DJ promotion: discuss and revise the public descriptions of the music at Dance Friday. Create and implement a marketing campaign focusing on our great DJ's and their specific music preferences. Specifically, highlight and celebrate them by including on our website our DJ's photos and the music genre(s) that each will be spinning each night. The internet changes publicity. Your visibility goes up the more times you change things on the web, so djs more than welcome to write puff piece about outstanding dj skills then alter it every other day or as the whim takes them all publicity is good publicity.

Website & communications: Check-in about timely data entry and website updates:
1)Status of data entry of new dancers for invites to join our DF Announce and Discussion groups. Who is doing it? How often?
2) Updating Facilitator Lists and DJ lists.
These often have last minute changes. Who is responsible for last minute updates to the website? Is is a chain of responsibility? DJ’s to Debbie to Aileen and David for example?

Shoes Policy: floor care and safety of tootsies. Signage needed.

Tithing: Dancers who attend DF have shopportunites. Should those who sell their wares at DF need to give back?
Propose a policy for those who sell things to tithe a percentage back to the dance.

NEW Equipment Purchase revisit budget item: Buy which equipment? Budget money needed for new mixer and cd player. Purchase of mixer urgent! Pioneer additional $2400 needed vs. Denon additional $500 needed.

Rental: BTC Director requested that we pay $50 more a month. effective when?
Possible rental of upstairs office at BTC additional $25 per night.

Supplies person: Nick is it now? Does that person have a term of service? Is more help needed?

Pre pay cards: have folks who need to pre pay buy blue cards and turn them in as needed.

DNE WEEKEND: report, etc.
Any other special events what others do we want to do? Like a fun(d)raiser dance for Camp?

DF In The Boston Globe

2009-01-13T14:52:00.009-05:00

We got on the home page of boston.com on January 13, 2009!

The permalink is here:
http://www.boston.com/thingstodo/gallery/12dancefriday/

A wonderful, joyful presentation of our dance.

Many, many thanks go to all who came and shared their ecstasy at the dance, to Erik Jacobs the photographer from The Boston Globe who beautifully captured our bliss, to the DJs who shared music for us to move and groove to, to the set up and take down people, to the Leadership Council, to all of us.

We are awesome!

DF In The News!

2009-01-06T08:21:00.004-05:00

We've hit the media radar, it seems, in our move to Brookline. We're excited to have such a wonderful influx of new members and energy!

Please enjoy this latest article, by Richard Thompson, of the City Weekly section of The Boston Globe.

Moved to shake up their lives
To relieve stress and meet folks, group gets out on dance floor

By Richard Thompson
Globe Correspondent / January 4, 2009

On any given Friday night, Steve Carter counts on being able to "shake out the tensions" of a long work week with a couple hours of improvisational dancing.

"I'm making up moves and I'm interacting with people intuitively," Carter, a 50-year-old massage therapist from Malden, said recently. "Sometimes it's just me in the middle of the floor, and I'm not dancing with anybody, it's just me and the universe."

Whether it be overcoming the daily grind or connecting with a community of other like-minded people, that same strategy has been catching on in Brookline for the past six months, when a long-established, weekly free-dance gathering relocated to Washington Square after being held mostly in Watertown for three decades.

Please click the link for the rest of the article.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/01/04/moved_to_shake_up_their_lives/

Come to our Costumed Halloween Dance Party!

2008-10-27T22:45:00.004-04:00

8pm-Midnight Friday, Oct 31st.

Come early to help decorate (7:30pm) - bring pumpkins, spooky lights, bats, witches, spiders, etc.

No flames please!

Mareba will facilitate a "Day of the Dead" middle - bring photos or mementos of loved ones who have crossed over.

But most of all don't forget your costume - be outrageous, be yourself, let your fantasies fly!

Community Meeting

2008-09-20T10:55:00.006-04:00

Sunday October 5

Potluck dinner begins 5:30 Meeting begins 6:30

Guy M's House
6 Arthur Rd., Arlington, MA

Map link

All who dance at Dance Friday are members and can join and are welcome to these meetings! New dancers - we'd love to have your input and these meetings are a great way to get to know people in the community.

Volunteer-run means WE do the work. When we get involved, we reap rewards that are far greater than our energy output!

Agenda Proposal:

Infrastructure:

Are we STAYING at BTCC? Our 6 month lease is almost up. Do we negotiate the longer contract?

LC Elections: two positions open - Guy M. and Aileen G.-P. terms expiring; not continuing. Two candidates nominated: Christine R. and David C. Selection to be done in David's absence, as he can not attend meeting. If you have particular questions for these candidates, please communicate them to current LC members.

Treasurers Report

Publicity: reaching out in Brookline and to the local schools

Logo: any ideas?

Volunteerism:

Set up/take down crews: We need a better organizational structure. How can we improve? What model can we use?

Getting our setup streamlined: We need a few people to commit to a few hours of help to fix the cables and lights for easier setup.

Doorchecks: Do we need two at a time for safety?

General:

Foyer: making the entry to Dance Friday more inviting. Can we spend money on nice lamps etc??

Orthodox Jews who can't handle money on Friday but who want to dance: How to help them prepay?

Shoes on the dance floor: safety issue, creating rules/guidelines.

Future meeting location: vary location for accessibility.

Deadline September 20th to get your agenda items included. We are required to have agendas posted two weeks before the meeting, which they have been at the Dance. All meetings are open.

If you would like to propose something, you need to attend to present it.

DF in the TAB

2008-08-14T11:17:00.004-04:00

Friday, August 8th, Neal Simpson, reporter from the Brookline TAB, and Ed Wozniak, photographer, came to Dance Friday to do a story on Dance Friday.

Neal said he hasn't had that much fun at work in ages. I can't agree with him more; I can't imagine a better gig.

Today, the article is published. Thank you, Neal and Ed, for painting a picture of us that's so close to how we are.

An excerpt from the full article:

After three decades, freestyle dancing finds new home in Brookline
By Neal Simpson/Staff writer
Wed Aug 13, 2008, 03:20 PM EDT

Brookline -

To the uninitiated, it looks like a high school dance has been taken over by its rowdy, underdressed chaperones.

In the dim, neon light of a cavernous dance hall, two dozen barefooted adults are twisting, bopping and stomping to the reverberating beat of synthesized music. Some spin and duck with the confidence of a trained performer; others seem to be moving to a beat only they can hear.

“This is an internal experience,” said Robin Williams, the disc jockey for the evening. “You don’t do it with a concern about what you look like.”

For three decades, this tribe of freestyle dancers has gathered every week in rented churches and gymnasiums for an alcohol-free volunteer-run dance party known as Dance Friday.

Since June, the group has called Brookline home.

This not your average club scene. Instead of collared shirts or leggy dresses, the dancers this evening are sporting pajama bottoms, cut-off shorts and workout pants. The goal here is not to pick up a date, but as Williams puts it, “dance until you can’t stand up.”

“You know when you go to Dance Friday that the focus is dance,” she said. “You will dance or you will have nothing to do. There is no drinking, there is no talking, there’s no shoes.”

“It’s a dance for dancers.”

Please visit the TAB for the full article here.

Summer Kid Sitter

2008-07-18T00:17:00.002-04:00

After a meeting of the Dancing Parents Cooperative with Anna, the sitter, we have decided to switch to an on-call basis for the summer, and then have her come every week in the fall.

So, if you are a parent and you want to bring your kids this summer and have them supervised by the sitter, you'll need to please email at least 2 days in advance to either Nira Voss niravossATverizonDOTnet or Donna at donnatoriATrcnDOTcom so she will bring Anna to sit for you.

Sitting fees are $5 per family; if you can afford more, please pay more, as we want to keep a sitter. She just gets what the parents pay, plus any tips.

July 4th IndepenDANCE Celebration!

2008-06-24T11:19:00.002-04:00

We’re starting the dance late, at 10:00, and going until 1:30am.

You don’t have to miss the dance because of the holiday. If you’d like, you can catch a fireworks show, then come join us in celebration of the States’ birthday!

Dance in air-conditioned glee!

Three DJs will be offering us music to move and groove to: Andrew D, Mark L, and Alkemi.

Boston DNE Weekend

2008-05-13T16:16:00.008-04:00

Come help us celebrate our journey of change: after thirty years in Watertown we will be saying farewell to this suburb and moving to the more urban Brookline.

Saturday May 31st, the DNE evening Dance will be at the Brookline Tai Chi Center, then thereafter Dance Friday will be in this lovely space every week (starting June 6th).

Dance this Journey of change with us at our DNE weekend.

Thank you - see you soon on the dance floor!

The Dance Friday Community invites you to the Dance New England Weekend!

May 30- June 1st, 2008

The Schedule:

Friday, May 30
Dance Friday, May 30- Phillips School, 30 Common St., Watertown, MA
Parking in the 31 Marshall St. lot
8:00-midnight DJ'd Dance: Mark Landry, Alkemi

Saturday, May 31
Workshops: Unitarian Universalist Church, 35 Church St., Watertown
9:00-10:00 Registration; Opening Circle: Tea and coffee available
10:00-noon Contact Improv - Dey Summer
10:00-noon African Dance - Wyoma
10:00-noon Live Action Role Play (LARP) sword-making; ages 10+. Tyler Bigonet and Alex Cook
10:00-5:00 Open Play: Art, Recess and Snack Ben Cunningham
Lunch: 12:15-1:30 Vegetarian lunch: by Tricia Cooper
1:30-3:00 Journey Dance - Suzy Spivey
1:30-3:00 The Power of Two - Olivier Besson
1:30 5:00 LARP Character Development and Melees; 10+.
3:30-5:00 Salsa Rueda - Danny Trenner
3:30-5:00 Nia - Barbara Niles; kids welcome

Dinner: 5:00-7:00 Off-Campus: Watertown Square or Washington Square, in Brookline.

Dance Setup* 5:30-7:00 Brookline Tai Chi Center 1615 Beacon Street in Brookline

Saturday Evening Dance held at the Brookline Tai Chi Center, 1615 Beacon St., Brookline, 7:30-1am
7:30-8:30 Salsa Rueda - Danny Trenner
8:00-midnight Magic Tournament ages 10 and up; Movie and Card Games in kids' room.
8:30-1:00 DJ'd Dance - David Sheppard and Steve Carter

Sunday, June 1
Sunday Morning Phillips School 30 Common St., Watertown
10:00-11:30 Yoga Dancing Rhythms TM - Margaux Medicine Dancer
10:00-5:00 Magic Tournament continues; 10+
10:00-5:00 Outdoor games - Ben Cunningham (younger kids)
11:30 Lunch
12:30-2:30 Community Meeting
2:30-5:00 Dance Church: Grooving with Gratitude – Community-Led

The Descriptions:

Saturday Classes
35 Church St., Watertown
10:00-noon Wyoma- African healing dance:
COME….We will create a safe space together... sharing our healing stories through dance, music, song, and sweat! Learn dances of initiation and celebration from a master instructor. Only experience necessary... is Life (feel free to bring instruments!).

Wyoma is a dance performance artist and facilitator of the African healing dance. She offers a huge creative canvas to explore the human and divine forces of nature through traditional African, Caribbean, Brazilian dance… and improvisation.

10:30-noon Contact Improv- Dey Summer
"Start the weekend by dropping in to your body, the simple sense of your own shifting weight, balance, and movement through the space in relation to the floor and other moving, sensing beings. Contact Improvisation gives the gift of body awareness and sensitivity for your dancing. Some things we might explore are rolling, following through with the flow of the dance, playing with being off-balance, lifting and being lifted...all in the context of sensing from within, maintaining that connection with self that allows a connection with another."

1:30-3:00 Journey Dance - Suzy Spivey
Experience this high-energy movement process—release, shake loose, let go to freedom. Access your inner power, aliveness, and passionate heart. Burst forth with energy, expand freely into space, vibrate with joy and celebrate your life! Rejuvenate body, mind, and spirit in ritual and prayer dance to create the life you want. Access your inner desires and manifest your dreams! All levels are welcome!

Suzy Spivey shares her passion and joy through dance as a Certified Dance Instructor of Journey Dance™, Kripalu Danskinetics™, Shake Your Soul™, Yoga Trance Dance, and Zumba Dance. Committed to helping others live the life of their dreams, Suzy is the Host & Producer of a local access TV show--Daring to Dream™. She also serves others as a Dream Coach and Inspirational Speaker. For more information, visit suzyspivey.com.

1:30-3:00 *The Power of Two* - Olivier Besson
Improvisational partnering is a compassionate dance of reciprocity. How do we surround a dance with space, allowing it to flower in our presence? Through the practice of following and leading one another, we eventually join forces and evolve the traditional duet format into a simultaneous collaborative gesture.

Olivier is on faculty at the dance division of the Boston Conservatory and teaches regularly at Canal Danse (Paris). He has taught and performed in France, Japan, Russia, Taiwan and throughout the US. He continues to run the Movement Improv Jams with Live Music (Cambridge, MA).

3:30-5:00 Salsa Rueda - Daniel Trenner
Rueda (Wheel) is a Cuban partner passing game that gets us started on the basics of Salsa in a fun and relaxed environment. And, we can have multiple circles to accommodate more experienced dancers. So please come; all levels, with or without a partner, teens and adults, and bring dance shoes or socks.

3:30-5:00 Nia - Barbara Niles; kids welcome
Nia offers both traditional fitness benefits (cardiovascular conditioning, flexibility, strength, balance, endurance, and relaxation) and more esoteric benefits (concentration, playfulness, self-discovery, creativity, and healing).

Barbara Niles is an expressive body-mind movement and lifestyle practice, embracing fitness and health.

Sunday Events

30 Common St., Watertown

10:00-11:30 Yoga Dancing Rhythms TM - Margaux Skalecki Medicine Dancer
On the mat, we begin with a luscious warm-up to connect to and awaken our inner and outer landscapes. Off the mat, we step into deeper sensations and explorations of the expressive and divine self as while as the performing artist. All levels are welcome; adults and teens. Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Free Style Movement, Roth 5 Rhythms, and Jazz Dance Combination. Bring yoga mat and dancing shoes/feet and extra layers of clothing.

Margaux Skalecki Medicine Dancer, a master facilitator MFA, RYT, Certified 5 Rhythms teacher, Reiki Master, Medium and Shamanic Agent of Change is also the director of Being Seen Being Heard, a multicultural and intergenerational performance ensemble that she created to build bridges to all ages. For 28 years, Margaux has been offering her workshops as pathways to transformation, divine connection, and making dreams come true. Some of these shape shifting workshops are Dance Your Sacred Journey, Ecstatic Vision Quest, Wild Women Dancing the Art of Dream Change, Sweat Your Prayers and Star Dance Rising. For more info please see dancingoutloud.com

12:30-2:30 Community Meeting, with lunch break.
All are encouraged to attend!

Topic for discussion: This is our year of not living dangerously… wearing clothing at DNE summer camp 2008. Creative approaches to non-nudity, how DNE can turn lemons into lemonade.

The DNE community meeting is open and free for anyone, If you have registered for the weekend or not. DNE is a special non- profit organization: our community meetings are a great place to get a taste of DNE governance and how we operate! Both locally and for DNE Summer camp!

3:00-5:00 Dance Church Grooving with Gratitude - Community-Led
Join us for our last event in Watertown after 30 years Dance Friday is moving on. Come move with us. Exploring sacred, transcendent music, letting it take us on our individual and collective journeys and find inner peace, Come raise your spirits, shake your soul, and give thanks!

Our New Home

2008-05-13T12:12:00.004-04:00

As you ought to have seen the news about our upcoming move already, to Brookline, and the special Saturday Night Dance Party we had to celebrate it, I wanted to share with you a few photos of that even in our New Home.

We are all just so excited about our transition, that we are moving to Brookline!

As a reminder, beginning June 6, 2008, we will be dancing every Friday in the wonderful space in the Brookline Tai Chi Center, 1615 Beacon St., Brookline MA.

Turnout was good, music and dance were brilliant.

We hope you are as excited as we are about this news.

Enjoy a few photos of the May 3 dance.

Honoring the life of Dale DeSharone

2008-05-05T13:12:00.005-04:00

May 9, 2008

The Dance Friday Community invites and welcomes you to remember, honor, and celebrate our dancing friend Dale DeSharone. It was to be his 52nd birthday May 13.

Robyn Vogel will facilitate a special memorial Middle, with our shared stories - and, especially in honor of how he didn't like long middles to sit through - movement in celebration and tribute of Dale's life.

Please bring photos, food, love, poems, and your dancing souls, to share in this evening for Dale. We will have a book to add to, both impromptu and prepared.

David Hero, aka DJ Davoid, will be spinning warm-up and first set, and Mario Taddeo will be spinning second and third sets, selected for celebrating Dale's life, choosing the kinds of music that Dale loved to dance to with us.

May 3 - Saturday Night Dance Party!

2008-05-02T11:21:00.001-04:00

Come one come all to the first Dance Friday event in our future Brookline home!

This Saturday, Dance Friday Presents a Special
~~~Saturday Night Dance Party~~~

WE ARE MOVING!!!
Brookline Tai Chi Center, May 3, 2008, 8pm - midnight
1615 Beacon Street, Brookline, MA.
$10 suggested admission
Under 12 free when accompanied by adult

Come celebrate our new space with us!

Music by DJ Alkemi, spinning copious fresh tracks and purely grooval bizness... lighting effects by "The Guy"

Most folks dance barefoot, however, if you need to wear shoes, we request you wear soft-soled dance or indoor shoes only.
Please help us protect the beautiful wood floor and the feet of the barefoot dancers!

(The first official Friday dance is June 6. We will continue dancing in our current location every Friday through May 30th; 30 Common St., Watertown. See website for details. dancefriday.org )

Accessible by T: Opposite Washington Square T stop on C branch
of the Green Line. Bus routes 65, 66, 51 and 86. Check the MBTA schedules
and maps at: www.mbta.com

Detailed Brookline Tai Chi directions are available at:
www.BrooklineTaiChi.com

Parking is available on Beacon Street and surrounding streets.
Meters are free after 6:00pm.

We Are Moving!!!

2008-04-22T19:37:00.002-04:00

Yes, Dance Friday is moving!

After a long and exhaustive (and exhausting) search for a new home, we’ve found and are moving to ~
1615 Beacon St, Brookline
in the Brookline Tai Chi Center.

Our first Friday dance in the new location will be June 6.

We will be having a Saturday Night Dance Party May 3, 2008; come celebrate with us! We are so very excited

On May 31, as part of the Boston DNE Weekend, we’ll be dancing there.

Check out and celebrate with us our fabulous new home for the dance! We are MOVING in JUNE! (Our first official Friday night dance is June 6.)

Accessible by subway: Green Line, C, Washington Square stop, diagonally across the intersection. Accessible by busses: 65, 66, 51 and 86. Check the MBTA Schedules and maps at: mbta.com
Detailed Brookline Tai Chi directions are available at: BrooklineTaiChi.com
Parking is available on Beacon Street and surrounding streets.
Meters are free after 6:00pm, until 2am. Unfortunately, this space is not handicap accessible.

More details to come. Watch for them on dancefriday.org, or even better, sign up on the website for all our Announcement and Discussions email lists!