AtmosField - Wave

Opening

Eight of us play in a semi-circle, and the floor opens out in front of us. The circle is the whole room. We are just the part of it holding instruments.

There is no instructor at the front. No steps to learn, no partner to find, no way to do it wrong. Some people dance hard for two hours. Some people lie down for most of it. Both are the practice.

Nothing is programmed and nothing repeats. We are reading the floor the same way you are reading the music.

The shape of the afternoon

It moves through five movements and takes about two hours.

It begins flowing, in long lines and easy curves. Nothing is asked of you yet. It sharpens into staccato, where the beat becomes definite and your body finds its edges. It breaks open into chaos, where you stop steering and whatever has been held gets to leave. It settles into lyrical, light and playful, which is the part that makes people laugh. And it comes to rest in stillness, where the sound thins out until it is almost only breath, and most of the floor is on the floor.

You do not have to know any of this to walk in the door.

What to expect

• Shoes off at the door. Wear whatever lets you move, and bring water.
• Conversation happens outside the dance space, not on the floor. That is what makes it safe to be strange out there.
• Eyes stay soft and mostly to yourself. No partnering unless it is offered and welcomed.
• No alcohol, nothing else. The room gets you there.
• Arrive on time if you can, because the wave builds. Leave whenever you need to, no explanation owed.
• Seventy year olds and teenagers on the same floor. Chairs at the edge. Lying down counts as dancing.

Sliding scale

Pick the one that fits your situation. No one is asked to explain their choice.

• Supported $15
• Standard $22
• Supporter $30, which covers your spot and helps hold one open for someone else.

[60] spots.

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Reserve a spot

FAQ

I have never done anything like this. Will I feel out of place?
Most people spend the first twenty minutes deciding whether they are going to be embarrassed, and then the music goes somewhere and they forget to keep deciding. There is nothing to get right.

Do I need to be a good dancer?
No. There is no technique here and nobody is watching. Walking, swaying, and lying still all count.

Can I come on my own?
Most people do.

Is this a 5Rhythms class?
No. We play in the lineage of the moving meditation Gabrielle Roth built, and the five movements come from that tradition, but this is not a class and nobody is teaching. We play it, and the room finds it.

What if I need to leave early?
Leave. You do not owe anyone an explanation.

Is the space accessible?
[Answer once the venue is confirmed.]

Can I bring my kids?
[Your call. Worth deciding before this goes live, since it comes up.]

Fine print

Tickets are not required at the door but they hold your spot, and rooms have been filling. If the sliding scale is still a barrier, write to us at [email] and we will find a way.