Recess Gender Bender Action Camp
Wednesday, April 6th - Friday April 8th, 2016
At Camp Rockmont, 20 minutes outside Asheville, NC
Find The Event On Facebook
Vision Statement: At the Gender Bender Recess we are working to create safer spaces within our dance community for all peoples, bodies, genders, and sexualities.
The Setting: All meals will be provided and communal. Workshops all day, dancing all night. Prepare for a possibility of chilly weather, beautiful natural mountain setting, hot chocolate around a fire with inspired, deep conversation about real issues.
Curriculum Overview : The curriculum is designed to both inspire and challenge every participant. We will actively be working on the major projects we identify in our own communities, as well as the major projects that we identify in ourselves. This is a place to come and be humble, to learn, and to be a part of something both difficult and very special. We will spend portions of the weekend working on dancing our non-dominant dance role as well as talking about and workshopping some of the hardest hitting issues in the community. The event will have be one cohesive curriculum that all participants will move through together, combining dance, activism, discussion, and play. One of our main goals with this event is to not only help improve skills of people dancing outside of their primary role, but to do the work necessary to create a community that allows people to safely dance outside of their primary role, and as a whole to do the work to improve the overall safety and empowerment of our community.
The Action Camp is scheduled for the days leading up to Recess's East Coast event with the deliberate intention to give space and opportunity for Action Camp participants to practice and carry-out whatever their interest is at the Recess. For example, instructors working towards more inclusive teaching pedagogy will be given space to teach their classes, dancers wanting to enact certain policy, presentation, skit, or poling ideas will have the chance to so, and while still working closely with Action Camp facilitators.
Everyone will be take together through a single curriculum involving the following topics.
The Setting: All meals will be provided and communal. Workshops all day, dancing all night. Prepare for a possibility of chilly weather, beautiful natural mountain setting, hot chocolate around a fire with inspired, deep conversation about real issues.
Curriculum Overview : The curriculum is designed to both inspire and challenge every participant. We will actively be working on the major projects we identify in our own communities, as well as the major projects that we identify in ourselves. This is a place to come and be humble, to learn, and to be a part of something both difficult and very special. We will spend portions of the weekend working on dancing our non-dominant dance role as well as talking about and workshopping some of the hardest hitting issues in the community. The event will have be one cohesive curriculum that all participants will move through together, combining dance, activism, discussion, and play. One of our main goals with this event is to not only help improve skills of people dancing outside of their primary role, but to do the work necessary to create a community that allows people to safely dance outside of their primary role, and as a whole to do the work to improve the overall safety and empowerment of our community.
The Action Camp is scheduled for the days leading up to Recess's East Coast event with the deliberate intention to give space and opportunity for Action Camp participants to practice and carry-out whatever their interest is at the Recess. For example, instructors working towards more inclusive teaching pedagogy will be given space to teach their classes, dancers wanting to enact certain policy, presentation, skit, or poling ideas will have the chance to so, and while still working closely with Action Camp facilitators.
Everyone will be take together through a single curriculum involving the following topics.
- Dance Workshops: Classes covering a variety of topics including: learning your non-dominant role, dancing switch, role fluid partner dancing, and classes addressing how gender is expressed by or projected onto movement.
- Activist Workshops: Interactive workshops and discussions addressing larger cultural and community issues such as gender assumptions, homophobia, sexism, consent, ableism, ageism, and the sexualization of dance to name a few.
- Facilitated Discussions: Focused conversations designed to create constructive and safe spaces to share personal experiences, discuss issues we see in our community, and construct action plans to bring home after the event.
- Action Planning Sessions: Groups divided among action and topic interests will be working together to plan concrete actions to be taken at the Recess that following weekend.
Mini Essential Packing list:
1) Bedding (pillow, sheets or sleeping bag). The event is providing a bed and mattress for everyone; however, participants need to bring their own bedding.
3) Clothes to be screen printed on ("Revolutionize your dance!")
4) Stellar outfit(s) to wear for Thursday night's gender fuck theme. We'll be hosting a gender fuck costume closet—feel free to bring costume donations to help stock it and make someone else look FABULOUS.
5) Warm winter clothes, just in case.
6) Your beautiful, glowy, badass selves.
1) Bedding (pillow, sheets or sleeping bag). The event is providing a bed and mattress for everyone; however, participants need to bring their own bedding.
3) Clothes to be screen printed on ("Revolutionize your dance!")
4) Stellar outfit(s) to wear for Thursday night's gender fuck theme. We'll be hosting a gender fuck costume closet—feel free to bring costume donations to help stock it and make someone else look FABULOUS.
5) Warm winter clothes, just in case.
6) Your beautiful, glowy, badass selves.
The Appalachian Recess Weekend Collaboration and $70 Discount
The Recess Gender Bender Action Camp is collaborating with the Appalachian Recess that following weekend. All participants will be offered space and opportunity to contribute in powerful ways of their choosing to the full weekend production. Additionally, all participants in the Action Camp will be offered $70 off their ticket to the weekend Appalachian Recess event. If you plan to register for both events, be sure to register for the Action Camp on this page, and then use the ticket links on THIS PAGE to register for the Appalachian Recess with your discount.
The Workshops
Trained Facilitators, Dancer, and Activist Instructors:
- Catherine Eisenhauer: Paris, France
- Justin Riley: Portland, OR
- Ely Fair: Olympia, WA
- Aimee Eddins: Denver, CO
- Kate Soule, Olympia, WA
- Privilege Recognition, Mitigation, and Leverage
- Systemic Oppression, how we are affected/involved, what to do in the face of it.
- Consent and Viewer Consent
- Social Hierarchies and Power Dynamics
- How Have Gender Assumptions Affected Us?
- Creating Safer Spaces
- Projecting Our Own Communities
- Being Allies and Being Leaders, and How They are Important
