Emergance & Space
with Artists-in-Residence,
Moti Zemmelman & Taina Lyons
Venue: Masonic Hall, Cambridge
Skip some details and get right to registration
Community & Connection, Courage & Consciousness:
Through jams, warmups, and skill-building sessions, we’ll explore how to cultivate presence together—tracking sensation, meeting the unknown, and staying in relationship as things shift.
Moti & Taina say:
"During this May Jam, we’re excited to infuse a practice we call Questions & Dancers - where dancing is a space for real-time inquiry. We'll be inviting moments where we ask, “What are you discovering?" and listening, sensing, and sometimes speaking from within the experience, letting curiosity shape the dance.
Whether playing with lifts, falling, or subtle listening, our hope is that this jam offers a supportive field for both deep play and honest exploration - where each of us can follow what feels alive, and be met in it.”
Join locals and out-of-towners, new dancers and old friends.
Celebrate the 33rd annual May Jam
SCHEDULE:
Friday - Welcome Jam
Doors open ..................................7:15pm
Registration, open dancing .....7:15-10pm
Out of the space .........................10:30pm
Saturday - All-day Jamming
Doors open ...................................9:30am
Registration and arrivals......9:30-10:00am
Circle and group warmup.............10:00am
All day jamming .............11:00am-5:30pm
Lunch (approx.) ....................1:00-2:30pm
Out of the space ............................6:00pm
Saturday Pot-luck Party ...6:45-10:30pm
Bring something to share (including grillables)
For jam participants (Location: TBA)
Sunday - All Day Jamming
Doors open ....................................10:00am
Arrivals and warmups ..........10:00-10:30am
All day Jamming.................10:30am-4:30pm
Lunch .......................................1:00-2:00pm
Closing .....................................4:30-5:00pm
Clean-up, out of the space........5:00-6:00pm
LUNCHES AT THE MAY JAM:
Please eat breakfast before you arrive.
This year we are trying something new. Arsenal Catering, whose kitchen resides in the Masonic Hall will be providing our lunches Saturday and Sunday. CIB will provide snacks and of course Iggie's Bread has been donated.
Let's see how it turns out.
REGISTRATION:
Register soon and catch the Early-Bird pricing.
Sliding scale pricing, financial aid, and work exchange: With the goal of making May Jam available to a broad range of economic situations, we offer sliding scale pricing, financial aid, and work exchange (see below).
Please pay the highest level for your economics. Help keep our prices low for all.
Online Registration is for the Full Jam ONLY: That is, the full three days of the event. We don't offer partial jams online.
It is possible to attend any part of May Jam, a la carte. Simply arrive and pay at the door, for a modest additonal cost.
EARLY-BIRD pricing for whole event:
-> If you register on-line BEFORE April 30th
$155 - Regular rate - Should be most of us.
$125 - Reduced rate - For hard economic situations
(Financial aid is also available. See below)
$175 - Well-employed rate - Professionals, please
$205 - Supporting the arts rate.
♦ On line registration opens soon. ♦
WALK-INS are welcome to all or any parts of May Jam
Simply arrive and pay at the door. Friday night, full days, half days, combos.
Whole Jam, WALK-IN pricing:
$175 - Regular rate - Should be most of us
$135 - Reduced rate - For hard economic situations
(Financial aid is also available. See below)
$195 - Well-employed rate - Professionals, please
$225 - Supporting the arts rate.
Partial Jam, walk-in prices (does not include lunches):
Friday night - $15 (sliding scale $10-30)
Full-day: Saturday or Sunday - $85
(sliding scale, $70-110)
Half-day: Saturday or Sunday - $45
(sliding scale, $35-55)
Financial Aid Fund: Available for those in severe economic situations.
To Apply: If the lowest level of our sliding scale is too expensive for you, we offer a limited number of applicants $45 off their fee on a first-come-first-served basis. Apply on the registration form.
To Contribute: If you have even a little extra, please contribute to the Pay-it Forward, Financial Aid Fund as you register. Contribute when you register online.
Work Exchange:
We all pitch in to help these events run smoothly, but we need some dedicated helpers who we know we can count on. You will be reimbursed for your hours after the event. Fill in the Work Exchange section on the registration form, if interested. You will be contacted by the WEX coordinator.
wex@contactimprovboston.com
OUT-OF-TOWNERS:
You are welcome - come one, come all! We can help you with housing here in the homes of local dancers. Please register early and indicate you need housing; we'll work it out for you. Covid testing may be required by some of our host household. This will be worked out by the housing coordinator.
Questions about housing? Email: housing@ContactImprovBoston.com
If you are coming from outside the US: We are aware of the challenges and possible expenses of dollar exchange and border crossing at this time. Because of this, we encourage people coming from outside the US to select the reduced rate and accept the financial aid option. We can also offer a further fee reduction for those with challenging financial situations because of dollar exchange discrepancy.
Contact the registrar to enable this lower fee because of dollar exchange.
Also Note: If you cancel due to concerns regarding the USA boarder, or if you cannot arrive due to an issue crossing the border, your full fee will be refunded.
LOCATION:
Cambridge Masonic Hall, 1950 Mass. Ave, Cambridge, MA (Porter Square)
Public transport: Right across the street from the Porter Sq stop on the MBTA Red Line.
By car: Park on far side of the lot behind 2067 Mass Ave (across the street, north 3 blocks)
From north on Mass Av, turn left on Russel Street and enter the parking lot from there.
Map link: T stop and where to park: http://maps.google.com
HEALTH/COVID CONSIDERATIONS:
Please be mindful of your activities particularly in the week before the workshop and do a covid test in the 24 hours before the workshop, if possible.
Do not attend if... you tested positive for Covid in the last 24hrs (even without symptoms), or if you are feeling sick in any way (even with a negative Covid test), or if you have been in contact with somebody with obvious Covid symptoms in the last 48 hrs.
You must notify the registrar in order to receive a refund.
Contact Improv Boston does not require participants to wear masks at the event venue. Please respect this optional choice of each dancer.
ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE BIO:
© John FicsherMoti Zemelman, newly based in Brattleboro, VT, has facilitated Contact Improv, somatic practices, and consent-based work for over 30 years across the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico, Israel, and Europe. He has taught and served on the board at Earthdance Retreat Center, where he co-organized the Touch&Play Festival for six years. He was also featured in Sanford Lewis’ CI documentary An Intimate Dance.
His teaching weaves together practices such as Nonviolent Communication, Authentic Movement, The Work of Byron Katie, and "The Wheel of Consent". Moti’s work emphasizes embodied presence, self-awareness, and compassionate, non-judgmental exploration, offering inclusive spaces for people of all backgrounds and experience levels.
Taina Lyons is a holistic mental health counselor, somatic ritualist, Contact Improv teacher, mother, and social-emotional educator. As a facilitator, Taina is part playful mischievous elf, part intuitive guide, part group mama. Taina provides guidance that supports safety, expression, repair and reflection for her students.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
•If CIB finds it necessary to cancel the event for any reason, we will refund the entire registration fee of all registered participants.
•If a registered participant withdraws from an event for any reason by midnight, Friday, one week before the event, we will refund their full registration fee.
•If a registered participant withdraws closer to the event for health (or Covid exposure) reasons and notifies the registrar, a full refund will be issued.
• If a registered participant withdraws closer to the event for border crossing reasons and notifies the registrar, a full refund will be issued.
•If a registered participant withdraws closer to the event date than Friday, one week before the event, for non-health, and non-border crossing related reasons or does not notify us, no refund will be issued. Also applies to no-show.
•We will consider hardship situations for refunds before and during the event. Please notify the registrar.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Email the registrar: registrations@ContactImprovBoston.com
HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US FOR MAY JAM 2026