Month: June 2023

What’s New at Pulse

Posted on by Gillian Ebersole

Our summer session is in full swing! We’re so excited for our Dance Discovery program to begin next week. Plus, our Community Classes with new and continuing class and workshop options for all ages and levels of experience.

Next Tuesday, June 27, join the Feel Into Your Wholeness Workshop Series with Madeline Despres-Chen, Registered Somatic Movement Therapist & Educator. Madeline will guide you through a gentle somatic yoga experience to connect with your heart and lungs, followed by a therapeutic expressive arts process. The workshop will conclude with a facilitation of guided movement to support your fluid nature and deepen your mind-body-spirit connection.

World Percussion & African Dance

with Angel Lau & Nkoula Badila

A group of dancers in an African Dance Class. They are moving and a drummer plays while looking on.

Starting next Monday, June 26, join Nkoula Badila and Angel Lau for back-to-back community classes.

World Percussion 
Open Level and Intergenerational, for ages 8-adult
📅 Mondays, June 26-July 17
🕓 4-4:45pm

The world of percussion is so vast and exciting! In this course, you will learn the basics of how to play any percussion instrument, learning different rhythms from all over the globe with a focus on Afro-Cuban and Brazilian percussion.

SIGN UP

African Dance 

Open Level, for ages 14-adult
📅 Mondays, June 26-July 17
🕓 5-6pm

This class will focus on a combination of Central West African + Contemporary dances, getting in touch with your own rhythm and flexibility, and finding a strong foundation in the relationship between the drum and the dance.

SIGN UP

Save the Date: Spirits of Chesterwood

Spirits of Chesterwood is an intergenerational dance project created by 6 local choreographers in the Pulse community. This will be performed as a part of Chesterwoods’ Arts Alive series on Thursday, July 27, with shows at 4pm and 6pm.

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Upcoming Performance This Week

Two dancers lay on their stomachs behind a row of assorted stuffed animals and toys. A third person holding a guitar kneels next to them.

why are you all still here

📅 Friday, June 23
🕢 7:30pm
📍 The Foundry, 2 Harris St, West Stockbridge

Pulse Teaching Artists Gillian Ebersole, Shannon Nulf, and Benjamin Court perform this Friday at The Foundry in West Stockbridge! Set to a soundscape of ambient blues music, their show why are you all still here explores the connection between knick knacks and nostalgia through movement and poetry, inspired by the items that stick with us, persisting even after every iteration of spring cleaning.

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Thank YOU for making our Spring Celebration a success!

Posted on by Gillian Ebersole

Thank you to all of our community members, teaching artists, families, and dancers who made our 2023 Spring Celebration a huge success! 

On May 27 & 28, our dancers performed in two sold-out shows at the Daniel Arts Center at Simon’s Rock. 100% of the proceeds from these performances will benefit our Tuition Assistance program.

We are so grateful to our generous sponsors for making this year’s performance celebration possible:

Alander Construction
Berkshire Mountain Bakery
Indian Mountain School
Jacob’s Pillow
Nature Works Organic Land Care Inc
Gail Belmuth
Joan & Peter Coombs
Alan & Benès Glackman
Claudia & Joe Gold
Bruce Humes/Tall Tree Productions
Diane Pearlman & Jeff Diamond

Join us this Saturday at the upcoming Housatonic Party in the Park! Come learn more about Pulse’s summer programming and join an African Dance and Drumming class. 

Music & Storytelling (ages 4-6)

with Jeffrey Howard

📅 Mondays, July 3 to Aug 21
🕞 3:45-4:45pm

Using basic percussion instruments like shaky eggs, djembes, and the ukulele, this class will engage young children in music! Activities include: using rhythm to say your name in syllables; using the sounds of the instruments to cook a recipe; and acting out animals using sound and motions.

Plus, the class incorporates books like “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “How Things Work in Busytown,” teaching young musicians to augment the stories and scenes using the sound from their instruments and the motion of their bodies.

SIGN UP TODAY

Pride Ballet Workshop

📅 Saturday, June 17
🕤 9:30 to 11:30am

Set to pop tunes of queer greats, this workshop gives beginning and experienced dancers a chance to take up space, play with weight and momentum, and reframe their experience with ballet as one of joy.

This class centers queer folks but all are welcome! Dress in whatever way supports your identity and range of motion; rainbows encouraged. 🌈

*All proceeds from this class will be donated to the Elizabeth Freeman Center, an organization that offers hope, help, and healing to all experiencing or affected by domestic and sexual violence through free, accessible, and confidential services in Berkshire County.

CELEBRATE PRIDE

Summer Intensive Highlight

👟HIP HOP & STREET STYLE INTENSIVE (Ages 12 to adult)

Introducing our Teaching Artists: Isaiah (Critical) Artis, Ben Court, Dashawn Davis, Miriam Piilonen, Andres Ramirez, and Peter (P-Boogie) Reynolds Jr. Read their bios here.

📅 Monday to Friday, July 31 – August 4
🕘 9am – 3pm

All levels, two groups: ages 12-14 and 15 to adult

Join these teaching artists to learn foundational movements and techniques of hip hop and street style dance, alongside discussions about the cultural meaning and significance of these dance forms.

The program will create an encouraging space to try out what you learn and most importantly show off your unique style and personality while freestyling in daily cyphers.

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Berkshire Pulse