DJ July
DJ Root - began thrilling dancefloors at Oberlin College as he studied ethnomusicology, dance, and religions. He spins regularly for exultant crowds of barefoot freestyle dancers in New York, Boston, Montreal, and his hometown of Northampton, MA. A global traveler, teacher, and performer, Root leads jubilant Sunday Mornings at Dance Spirit, honoring music and movement from many of the world's spiritual traditions. Find out more at his website:
DJ July
Our goal is to maintain a beautiful, safe, and respectful space where folks can access Spirit through dancing.
We draw from a variety of inspiring music from the world's spiritual traditions as well as modern popular music. We create a container which encourages participants to have thier own experience through dance while still feeling connected to the rest of the group. At times we will lead a dance or improvise a ritual. We often work with a theme (shining the light, finding joy in sparseness, forgiveness, new beginnings) which enables a focused yet open connection to inner work and outward expression. We gather at some point to share with each other. At this point we have a circle of regular participants who feel safe sharing deeply with each other.
Brother Antonio Brother Antonio - is a spirit-guided improvisational musician who has been exploring sound as a tool for healing, awakening, and transformation for over 20 years. Antonio’s path has felt divinely guided, and he humbly continues to answer the call to be used as a vessel to transmit the healing energy of spirit through the universal vibrations of sound. A more extensive bio can be found at: www.SoundingSpirit.com
DJ Root
Pundit Prakashji - lives in Florence, MA and has been a DJ and organizer for Dance Spirit since Fall 2006. Prakash has been dancing since 1970 and meditating since 1971 and loves to bring together music and spiritual inspiration from around the world to Dance Spirit. He is a dancer with the Dance Generators in Northampton, an Intergenerational dance company, and organizes performances of dancers and musicians and more in nursing homes and assited living centers in Western MA. For more information about Prakash visit: www.prakashlaufer.com
DJ Wheeler 
Pundit Prakashji
Rabbi L-San Roshi
Rabbi L-San Roshi - lives in Amherst, MA.
Jon & Lisa - live in Orange and Gloucester, MA. They have been active drummers, and community pillars of support, at the monthly Drum and Dance in South Amherst for many years. We are grateful to them for their continued live drumming at Dance Spirit, even though they are living further away!
Dance Spirit Considerations
We strive to create an atmosphere where many folks can access Spirit by dancing. We honor both authentic self-expression and important personal boundaries, acknowledging varying comfort levels for each individual. With patience, we aspire to dance together through a variety of mental, emotional, and spiritual states, honoring individual spontaneity, style, and flavor. We ask all dancers to keep these considerations in mind.
1. Please help us create a safe space for everyone.
Cultivating an attitude of trust and an openness can take lifetimes or a split second. We hope to align ourselves more and more with trusting in Divine Timing. We can accept painful or uncomfortable experiences, though we do not seek them, believing that they will guide us closer to our natural state of trusting, loving, and knowing that we are safe.
2. Please be aware of how you are connecting with others.
Dance Spirit is structured to channel individual and group energies. When we increase our awareness of individual energy, we can dance together as a group with more authenticity and more responsibility. When we expand our awareness, we notice our connections with others, how others are connecting around us, and the energetic possibilities of the group. Then we can shift our focus to larger and larger levels, ultimately connecting with All That Is.
3. Please make supportive & enlivening choices.
We are free to change the ways we move, think, act, feel, and know. We encourage and respect self-care, self-regulation, and self-knowing. We ask all who choose to join the dance to develop more self-awareness, awareness of how we affect each other, and awareness of this list of considerations. We respect those who choose to leave the dance, and would benefit from hearing their experience. To help maintain a safe and sacred container for dancing, we ask all who choose to join the dance:
• to refrain from substance-based intoxication, violence, harassment, verbal abuse, or destructive behavior of any kind.
• to embody more oxygen-based intoxication, compassion, acceptance, verbal support, and constructive behaviors of all kinds.
4. Please help us welcome dancers of all ages in our community.
We ask parents to help children to use "inside voices" during quieter times. We invite dancers to interact with children respectfully, playfully, and loudly during louder times. We ask everyone to dance with awareness when children are present. While we encourage a community mindset toward children, we recognize parents as ultimately responsible for their children.
5. Please respect the physical space we have been given.
We are grateful to have the use of such a large, centrally located studio. We make efforts to maintain good relations with our neighbors and the owners of the building and the studio, and we appreciate everyone's help in maintaining the quality of the built environment. We ask everyone to refrain from any behavior that could endanger physical integrity.
6. Please be considerate when using dance accessories.
Hoops, fans, poi, and other accessories can make harsh noises when dropped. Please use accessories mostly during louder times, and infrequently during quieter times. When using accessories that take up more physical space, please be aware of how this affects the energy of the group.
7. Please leave street shoes at the door.
To help create a safe space for dancing, we encourage bare feet for all. When using soft-soled footwear, please increase your awareness of others.
8. Please leave conversations at the door.
To help create sacred space for dancing, we encourage a non-verbal space. This can include spontaneous sounds, short and simple greetings, and vocalizations. We ask that conversations and dialogues be taken out of the dance space into the foyer or changing areas.
9. Please have integrity around money.
We are grateful to everyone who helps us financially. We strive to maintain transparency with our finances, and appreciate the trust that enables us to simply leave a donation basket at the door. While we encourage everyone to contribute at each dance, we trust that those who cannot contribute one time, will contribute (perhaps more generously) the next time. We encourage the circular energy of generosity.
Yang Considerations
• Don't assume that others want to dance with you. Some people may respond to your advances and dance with you when they'd actually prefer to be left alone.
• Pay attention to body language and non-verbal cues. Observing eye-contact, facial expressions, body language and body position will help you negotiate interactions.
• To avoid confusion, ask directly: "Would you like to dance?" If the answer is "no," don't take it personally. Embrace it as an opportunity to cultivate trust. Perhaps in the future you can ask again when that person is more receptive.
• If you want the freedom of remaining non-verbal, then realize that others may want the same freedom to refrain from setting a verbal boundary with you that may be awkward or cause tension.
• Moving slowly helps cultivate trust. Dance by yourself at first, then later try inviting a variety of partners to dance slowly with you. This helps those who have declined your invitations in the past to trust you more, and perhaps accept your future invitations.
• Timing is crucial when touching acquaintances or strangers. Always ask before touching, massaging, or attempting Contact Improvisation. Be aware of others around you.
• Try letting go of attachments. You don't really need to dance with any particular person. There is plenty of time. While remaining true to yourself, try embracing slightly uncomfortable situations. Slowing down, dancing alone, and being quiet can be magically powerful and transformative.
Yin Considerations
• Don't assume that others can read your mind. If you're not dancing, sit or lay close to a wall. The clearer you are with your non-verbal cues, the easier it is for everyone.
• If someone misses your non-verbal cues, experience the delight of setting a verbal boundary. When you have the courage to express yourself verbally, even though it may be awkward or cause tension, your clarity helps everyone.
• If you want the freedom of remaining non-verbal, then realize that others may want the same freedom of not having to risk rejection when they ask you to dance.
• An action you experience as an aggressive or unwanted advance may possibly be someone's playful or communal attempt to interact with you.
• If you need support, you can share your concerns with one of the Temple Keepers, facilitators, or organizers on duty. In some cases, they can intercede on your behalf.
• If you'd like to give feedback or make requests anonymously, you can write a note to one of the organizers on duty, and leave it with the clipboard near the donation basket.
• Accidental contact is natural, so don't take it personally.
• Try practicing accepting what comes. While remaining true to yourself, try embracing slightly uncomfortable situations. Being loud, expressive, and interacting with group energy can be magically powerful and transformative.