Online Event:
Families Dance Together

This online class took place from July 9-August 27, 2021.

All levels and ages welcome. We are happy to offer this class free of charge.

Experience the joy of creating simple dances from the comfort of your home in this intergenerational 45-minute movement class, designed for movers of all ages to enjoy together. From kids to adults, we invite you to get your whole household moving! Led by artists of Dance Exchange – Elizabeth Johnson Levine, Thomas Tyger Moore, Corina Dalzell, Juliana Pongutá Forero, and Judith Bauer.

No special preparation needed; simply register, gather your movers, click the Zoom class link, and start dancing. We encourage you to find a safe, open space to move in and make sure to modify any movement as needed.

Taking place at Jacob’s Pillow since 2001, Families Dance Together is an annual, treasured movement program led by Artist Jeff Bliss, in collaboration with the Becket Arts Center.

Zoom link required to join class; link will be sent to RSVPs by 10:30am Eastern on the day of class or provided on the website after 10:30am the day of class.

To join the class:

• Use the RSVP Now button on this page to begin the registration process.
• Please read the Participant Waiver and Release of Liability during checkout. By clicking the link and joining class, you will be agreeing to the waiver.
• Download Zoom; no account needed.
• Watch your inbox for a personal Zoom link.
• A reliable internet connection is required, as is a device with a camera and speakers such as a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer with a webcam.

For those new to Zoom, here is a brief instructional video. You are not required to create a Zoom account for this event.

Accessibility: Auto Captioning will be provided through REV, displaying captions in real-time with limited lag. Transcriptions available.  Please contact us at community@jacobspillow.org or at 413.243.9919 x 166 for additional accessibility questions and we will do our best to accommodate you. We welcome your feedback.

Please scroll down for event dates and times, or visit our Calendar for all upcoming events.

About Elizabeth Johnson
Elizabeth Johnson (“EJ,” she/her/hers) is a choreographer, dancer, and educator focused on socially engaged dance practices. Johnson connects communities through choreography—promoting civic dialogue and designing participatory creative experiences. Her interests include work with youth and elders, embodied science learning, and leadership development through the arts.

Johnson first worked with founder Celeste Miller in Curriculum in Motion^Ⓡ in the early 2000’s and has since held arts integration as a key pillar of her work through positions in Science Choreography at Wesleyan University, Socially Engaged Practice at Arizona State University, Hubbard Street Dance’s Community Programs, and the Arts Integration Mentorship project at Columbia College Chicago.

Johnson has been connected to Dance Exchange since 1998 and is currently Associate Artistic Director and Director of Partnerships. She leads Dance Exchange’s partnership with Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion^Ⓡ and is co-director of A body, home (commissioned by Arizona State University) and Of Equal Place: Isotopes in Motion (commissioned by Michigan State University).

About Dance Exchange
Dance Exchange collaborates across generations, disciplines, and communities to channel the power of dancemaking as a means for dialogue, a source of critical reflection, and a creative engine for thought and action.  Founded in 1976 by Liz Lerman and under the artistic direction of Cassie Meador since 2011, Dance Exchange is a non-profit dance organization based in Takoma Park, Maryland. The work we cultivate and steward today grows from a legacy and commitment to intergenerational and community exchange, art-making at the intersection of social relevance and community participation, and moving as a way to notice our world and noticing as way to move our world. Learn more at danceexchange.org.

About Jeff Bliss
Jeff Bliss has been exploring, learning, and teaching movement and Contact Improvisation (CI) for many years. Bliss began performing contemporary dance with Betty Jones in Hawaii and then performed with Liz Lerman/Dance Exchange for eight years. While working with the Dance Exchange Jeff was the Dancer in Residence for six years at the National Children’s Hospital in Washington, DC. He has taught CI and Improvisation at Movement Research and Smith College in the U.S., as well as in Europe, Japan, Hong Kong, and Argentina. Bliss has performed at Naropa University of Colorado, Bates Dance Festival in Maine, and at the CI 36 festival. In addition to his career in dance, Bliss serves as the Development Director of the Northampton Community Arts Trust. He has led Families Dance Together at Jacob’s Pillow for 15 years.