Meet New Pulse Staff Members

Posted on October 25, 2022December 12, 2022 by Gillian Ebersole

Berkshire Pulse has new staff members! You might recognize their faces around our studios.

Joining the team this fall are our new Administrator Shannon Nulf, and Marketing/PR & Curriculum Coordinator Gillian Ebersole. Check out our staff page to learn more.

Vote for Pulse

It’s time for the Rural Intelligence Readers’ Choice Awards!

Berkshire Pulse is nominated in multiple categories, including Best Nonprofit, and our Artistic Director, Bettina Montano, is nominated in the category of Person Who’s Contributed Most to the Region.

Help us win by visiting RuralIntelligence.com/ReadersChoice to cast your vote! Voting runs until November 14, and you can cast nominations every day. For voting instructions, visit the homepage of our website.

VOTE FOR PULSE

Upcoming Workshops

OPEN LEVEL HIP HOP WORKSHOP
with Dashawn Davis

📅 Friday, October 28
🕓 4 to 6pm

Open to all levels; ages 12+

AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT
with Paula Josa-Jones

📅 Sunday, October 30
🕐 1 to 4:30pm

Open to all levels; ages 18+

AFRICAN DANCE WORKSHOP
with Nkoula Badila

📅 Wednesday, November 9

🕠 5:45 to 7:15pm

Open to all levels; ages 11+

Super Journal is Back

Move, Draw, and Write to Boost Your Best Self

Created by Elizabeth Heller, ERYT-200, Super Journal is a FREE mindfulness, movement, and journaling class for teachers and parents to provide them with an opportunity recover from stress and learn wellness tools.

Sessions start November 3 at libraries near you!

LEARN MORE

Take a peek inside our studios!

Posted on October 11, 2022December 12, 2022 by Gillian Ebersole

Taekwondo with the Martial Arts Institute of the Berkshires began their fall classes in our studios this week. The space feels alive with movement and breath from our Youth Performing Arts Program and Community Classes.

Don’t miss the upcoming opportunities in this post – we hope to move with you soon!

Groove with Dashawn Davis

Open Level Hip Hop Workshop

Mark your calendars for Friday, October 28!

Pulse is hosting the first of our monthly workshops in Hip Hop and Street Style dance. Join Dashawn Davis from 4 to 6pm. Open to all levels; ages 14+.

Dance with Luana

Latin Dance Shines

at Simon’s Rock

Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:15pm beginning October 25
Ages 16+

Take an in-depth course on Salsa and Samba at Simon’s Rock. In this class, you’ll learn to identify rhythms, develop movement from Salsa and Samba steps, and progress into a choreography true to the original rhythm.

Can’t get enough? Luana’s Zumba class at Pulse starts Tuesday, October 25, at 1pm! Register for Zumba here.

Practice Authentic Movement

with Paula Josa-Jones

October 30 at 1pm
Ages 18+

Authentic Movement is a meditative, intuitive, improvisational movement. In this workshop, you will practice listening and attunement; slowing and opening to a deeper sensing of body and psyche. Give yourself the gift of this somatic and meditative experience!

Move with us for FREE this October!

Posted on September 26, 2022December 12, 2022 by Gillian Ebersole

Things are picking up at Pulse this fall! With our Youth Program and Community Classes in full swing, we are excited to share some special opportunities with you.

Scroll to read more about October events (including some FREE chances to dance with us).

FREE Events in the Housatonic Park

HOUSATONIC PARTY IN THE PARK
129 Front St, Housatonic
Saturday October 1 from 11am to 3pm

Come learn more about Pulse’s fall programming, try out East Coast Swing Dance, and visit other local vendors at this FREE block party. We’ll be selling SoCo ice cream as a fundraiser, so stop by to get a scoop!

PARTY WITH US

AFRICAN DANCE WORKSHOP
With Nkoula Badila
Wednesday October 5 from 5:45 to 6:54pm

Learn different Traditional dances of Ancestral Africa, accompanied by live percussion in this outdoor FREE workshop.

This opportunity is made possible by the South Berkshire County Fund Better Together.

TAKE A FREE DANCE CLASS

FREE Events for Housatonic Residents

COMMUNITY BOXING GYM

at the Housy Dome

Beginning October 3rd, this special program brings Genève Brossard of Berkshire Boxing to the Housy Dome on Mondays and Fridays from 4 to 6pm. This program is open to anyone from 8th grade to adults, with priority going to youth registrants.

FREE for Housatonic and Great Barrington Youth!

TRY OUT BOXING

YOGA

with Erin Naylor

Whether this is your first or 200th class, you’ll feel right at home here! Join us on Wednesdays from 6-7pm, and bring a mat, blocks, strap and anything else you like to use when taking a yoga class.

FREE for Housatonic Residents!

TAKE A YOGA CLASS

Classes Starting in October

DANCE FOR BOYS

Thursdays from 3:45 to 5pm
Starting October 6
Ages 10-14

Here’s a chance to jump, turn and soar! This class introduces boys, and male identifying persons, to the athletic and artistic skills required in dance training.

CREATIVE DANCE

Wednesdays from 3:45 to 4:30pm
Starting October 19
Ages 4-7

This class inspires the joy of movement and imagination through a playful and guided approach to improvisation, shape, rhythm, balance, flow, and locomotor skills.

Join us for our first week of classes!

Posted on September 12, 2022December 12, 2022 by Gillian Ebersole

Classes for our fall session are officially in full swing!

It’s not too late to sign up for our Youth Program classes—and drop in to try one of our Community Classes for movers of all ages and levels.

BROWSE CLASSES

Welcome to our New Teaching Artists

Sing with Wendy Welch

Tap with Molly Welch

Authentic Movement Workshops

Authentic Movement is a meditative, intuitive, improvisational movement practice. This fall, we are hosting a series of workshops for both experienced movers and those who are new to this practice.

Join Paula Josa-Jones for the first workshop on September 18!

Don’t Miss SIX Pulse Teaching Artists Perform

September 23 at 7:30pm
The Foundry West Stockbridge

This show brings together Berkshire-based dancers and performers – Veronica Bone, Gillian Ebersole, Molly Hess, Fern Katz, Shannon Nulf, and Fiona Scruggs– all with works answering the question “What are you celebrating?” What emerges is a series of works focused on resilience, perseverance, and triumph.

This event supports local artists and venues and is a part of ArtWeek Berkshires.

BUY TICKETS

Summer Starts Now!

Posted on June 8, 2022June 8, 2022 by Jordyn Cormier

Yes, we know summer technically starts June 21st. But with so many fun events going on this weekend—like Jacob’s Pillow Community Day—along with the start of our summer session on Monday, we can’t help but feel that a fantastic summer is already ramping up!

By the looks of it, it’s going to be a summer season for the books…

Join Us This Saturday at Jacob’s Pillow Community Day

Come out to Jacob’s Pillow this Saturday for a FREE family-friendly day of performances, fun activities, and workshops!

Enjoy a showing of beautiful outdoor performances by Pulse students from Modern 3, Contemporary 4, and the Young Choreographers Initiative. There will also be performances by Pulse teaching artists Gillian Ebersole, Fern Katz, and Andres Ramirez (Funk Box Dance Studio).

All-level workshops will be available throughout the day, including classes led by Pulse teaching artists Luana Dias David and Madeline Despres-Chen. It’s not to be missed!

LEARN MORE HERE

Summer Classes Start Monday

This session kicks off with a lineup of special guest teachers…

Contemporary – 6-7:15pm on Mondays

6/13, 6/20 & 6/27 with Sayer Mansfield

Ballet – 10-11:30am on Saturdays

6/18 with Sophie Alpern

6/25 with Moscelyne ParkeHarrison

Contemporary – 11:45-1:45pm on Saturdays

6/18 & 6/25 with Moscelyne ParkeHarrison

And lastly, a very special thank you… to all who attended our Moving Life Stories Celebration last week. Thank you for making it an unforgettable evening of dance, food, sharing, and community! We look forward to seeing you again in the fall.

Let’s Swing!

Posted on March 9, 2022March 8, 2022 by Jordyn Cormier

Get your jitterbug on in our new ballroom dance class, Intro to East Coast Swing!

Led by Alex Bloomstein, this class is designed for people who have never taken a partnering ballroom class before. The class will introduce the participants to ballroom partnering and basic East Coast Swing steps. The goal is to give participants the confidence to step out onto a dance floor with a partner, relax, and have fun dancing.

Classes start March 18th, and full six week participation is strongly recommended. Students should sign up with a partner (contact us if you’d like to take this class but don’t have a partner and we will pair you with one).

Ballroom Dance: Intro to East Coast Swing

Open level, ages 16+

Fridays, 6-7pm

March 18 – April 29

NEW: Creative Dance for Ages 4-6

with Sara Kiesel

Ages 4-6

Mondays, 3:45-4:45pm

April 4 – May 23

In addition to our Saturday classes with Erin, we’re adding a new session of Creative Dance on Monday afternoons! Led by Sara Kiesel, this class encourages the joy of movement and imagination through a playful and guided approach to shape, rhythm, balance, flow, and locomotor skills. Lively music, stories, and imagery are key elements of this class.

Learn more and sign your little one up here.

Upcoming Workshop: Broadway Jazz

with Ilana Ransom Toeplitz

Open level, ages 16+

Fridays, 6-7pm

March 18 – April 29

Ilana Ransom-Toeplitz’s Broadway Jazz Workshop is just around the corner—and it’s sure to be a fun, laughs, good time!

This one day workshop focuses on jazz style, technique, interpretation, and quality—with exclusive access to a “behind the scenes” look at what it’s like to work on Broadway. Designed to support students with all levels of experience, Ilana emphasizes work ethic, commitment, individuality and focuses on bringing the best out of each student.

The workshop is just around the corner—on April 2nd. Learn more and save your spot here!

Summer Intensive Registration Now Is Open!

Check out our ballet, contemporary, hip hop, Dance Discovery, and Rhythm Alive programs—it is shaping up to be a phenomenal summer already!

Take a Workshop with Christal Brown!

Posted on February 2, 2022February 1, 2022 by Jordyn Cormier

We are excited to announce that we’re hosting a new workshop series in partnership with Bard College at Simon’s Rock. Throughout the spring, guest teaching artists will lead special and wide-ranging one-day workshops for students and community members. These workshops are open to all levels, ages 14+, and will take place in the beautiful Beckerman dance studio at the Daniel Arts Center.

First up is Christal Brown’s Choreography Workshop on Saturday, February 19th! (Space is limited, so sign up soon!)

Be sure to keep your eye out for more to come in this special series throughout the spring.

Contemporary Dance + Choreography Workshop

with Christal Brown

Saturday, February 19 at Simon’s Rock
All levels, ages 14+

$40 for full day
($20 for current Pulse students, Free for YCI students)

Workshop Schedule:
10:30 am: Welcome
10:45 am-12:45 pm: Technique Class
12:45 pm-1:30 pm: Lunch
1:30 pm-3:30 pm: Choreography Workshop
3:30 pm-4:30 pm: Open discussion about working in the industry, Q&A

CHRISTAL BROWN is the Founder of INSPIRIT, Project: BECOMING, the creator of the Liquid Strength training module for dance an Associate Professor of Dance at Middlebury College and the CVO of Steps and Stages Coaching, LLC. Brown received a BFA in Dance and a minor in Business from UNCG and her MFA in New Media Art and Technology from LIU. Brown is a native of Kinston, North Carolina, where she remembers cleaning up on Saturday mornings as a child to the music of the Chi-Lites, Marvin Gaye, and Shirley Caesar. These rituals innately produced a strong desire in her to make all work melodic, sensual, meaningful and set to music. The melodies in her body are melancholic and brought to life through the music; seen rather than heard through her choreography. Learn more about Christal at christalbrown.com.

(Photo credit: Jhsu Media)