Dance Jam – Every Friday Night – Berkeley Ecstatic Dance

Dance Jam Berkeley :: Ecstatic Dance Friday Nights
YOU ARE INVITED!
You’ve found Berkeley’s longest running “barefoot / freestyle / ecstatic” dance! Grooving every week since 1976 with a long line of various community leaders carrying the torch. There’s no steps to learn, no dress code to adhere to, just freedom to move and play in the sound!
OUR MISSION:
Dance Jam is the place where you are welcome to get in the groove and move as you choose. We come together every Friday night to create a warm and inviting space where you are free to stretch out, loosen up, and release the realities of the week with somatic expression and community connection. We strive to create an atmosphere where you’ll feel comfortable and accepted, regardless of age, culture, gender, or persuasion. We believe in a diverse appreciation of music, and in providing high fidelity sound at healthy volume levels. Our goal is to offer a social environment where you are free to connect and be playful with others, while having your personal boundaries respected in whatever manner you choose at all times. We feel that the generations have a lot to offer each other, and that dance and movement are consciousness raising ways to communicate.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Every conscious dance environment is unique, here are some of the details about our space and what we offer.
A spirited mix of musical genres ranging from quiet classical and solo instrumental to upbeat electronic dance music and high-energy world beat. The best in dance music from the 60’s and 70’s to the present day.
Our dance is held in a spacious 2500 sq ft studio with a polished & sprung bamboo floor.
There is a comfortable chill/lounge area to the rear of the dance floor.
Filtered drinking water is provided in the lobby.
Music starts slow and quiet for stretching and yoga, builds to an ecstatic-style peak, and then flows into calmer territory later in the evening, depending on the energy on the floor.
Some of our dancers do Contact Improv, either vertically or on the floor.
Sound is at a level so that earplugs aren’t needed. (but are provided)
SOME BASIC PARAMETERS:
We cater to folks of all ages, and trust that our participants are good citizens on the dance floor. Here are a few guidelines that support everyone in having a great experience.
Street shoes are not allowed on the bamboo floor. Leather-soled dance shoes or studio fitness footwear required for physical reasons are welcome, please check in with door staff.
Loud conversations, (the kind where you need to stop dancing), are better had in the lobby or the chill area.
Please avoid wearing perfume, cologne, or other scents that are found in personal-care products and laundry detergents.
Awareness for physical boundaries is a must. Invitations for contact or partner dance are welcomed and encouraged, however the desire for solo movement and expression must be respected at all times.
THE DETAILS:
Dance Jam is every Friday night from 8:30 to 11:30pm
2525 8th St. (at Dwight) West Berkeley
$15 drop in at the door.
$10 students and seniors
First-time attendees are FREE.
Return dancers who bring someone for the first time: both of you are FREE
We offer scholarships and an ambassador program.