CALENDAR OF EVENTS
CALENDAR
Gathered Ground: Ritual, Community and Earth - Reflection on Immanence
Join us for a special presentation by artist Karen Dolmanisth.
AN OPEN INVITATION FOR REFLECTION ON IMMANENCE
Within her continually evolving sculptural environment in the Art Center’s main upper gallery, Karen Dolmanisth offers an afternoon closing ceremony in collaboration with keyboard musician David Bartley. Situated in the Berkshire Hills, this monthlong, site-sensitive installation has invited visitors to slow down and experience its poetic spatial language of form, material, transformation, and changing autumn light.
Through deep listening and contemplative, ceremonial movement, Dolmanisth enters an improvised call-and-response dialogue with Bartley’s music. Her movement meditation explores relationships among Self, soul, psyche, and the attentive body; between inner awareness and the surrounding world. Gathered autumn leaves, berries, branches, and pine needles, local and regional waters, sand, and coastal seashells become participants in this unfolding exchange, alongside her hand-built, wood-fired and earthen pit-fired ceramic vessels, open spheres, and lunar orbs.
The performance invites shared reflection on immanence—the presence of the sacred within matter, within ourselves, and within the living relationships through which we encounter the world.
Gathered Ground: Ritual, Community and Earth - Closing Reception
Join us for a special presentation by artist Karen Dolmanisth as we close her immersive installation in our upstairs gallery.
AN OPEN INVITATION FOR REFLECTION ON TEA, RELATIONSHIP, MEMORY AND PRESENCE
For Sunday’s closing celebration, Karen Dolmanisth invites the community into a participatory performance centered on tea as a meeting place of water, the plant world, memory, and human relationship. Within her evolving sculptural environment, the simple acts of preparing, offering, and drinking tea become occasions for contemplative attention—a pause in which personal and ancestral associations may emerge.
Participants are welcome to bring written reflections or poetry inspired by tea: its preparation and plant sources; family traditions and cultural lineages; remembered conversations with loved ones; moments of solitude; or the sensory intimacy of a cup, a teapot, honey, lemon, or warmed milk. Reflections on tea’s medicinal associations, rituals, and ceremonies are also welcome. These writings may be offered as contributions to Dolmanisth’s continuing artistic exploration in the seasons ahead.
One or two participants will be invited to sit with the artist at the center of the installation, sharing tea and whatever memories, dreams, or present-moment reflections arise. Through conversation, silence, and attentive listening, this intimate encounter opens onto the threads of connection that move between Self and others, nature and nurture, ancestry and the present. Tea becomes both material and poetic medium: an invitation to receive, remember, and be together.
Tai-Chi Chih with Sara Rotenberg
Tai Chi Chih is a gentle moving meditation consisting of nineteen graceful movements and one stationary pose that promotes balance, relaxation, and the circular flow of vital Ki energy. Accessible to all ages and fitness levels, this healing art requires no special equipment nor prior experience.
After teaching English in Japan for three years, Sara and her husband found their forever home in Becket. Over the next 17 years, Sara’s holistic wellness journey has led her to discover many healing philosophies, practices and skills including Tai Chi Chih. She is passionate about growing and using food as medicine, rollerblading, hiking, and living responsibly on our planet Earth.
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Beginner Yoga with Maggie Murphy
This beginner class series will focus on foundations of yoga and the knowledge to build your own practice. These classes offer a safe and welcoming environment for all.
“Maggie is a registered yoga teacher trained in vinyasa and restorative yoga. She received her certification from Bold Coast Yoga School in Maine. Her educational influence emphasizes the importance of anatomy and doing what’s best for your own body. She is a new resident of Becket and is excited to give back to her community!”
This is a great way to unwind and re-center during the mid-week!
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Mexican Day of the Dead Workshop
Instructed by Elizabeth Shrader
Participants will make sugar skulls using prepared paste and molds, then decorate them with colored icing, foil and jewels. Participants may also fold tissue paper flower garlands and learn about the ephemeral art of papel picado.
Join us for this fun and educational workshop! Learn about the Mexican synchronistic holiday of Día de Los Muertos (Day of the Dead), when ancient Aztec beliefs about honoring the dead combine with Catholic traditions about the veil between here and the hereafter.
Participants will have the opportunity to use their art to curate a community ofrenda, or altar, to honor those we have lost in years past. The altar will remain up at the Becket Arts Center through November 2nd to allow people to add to the display, with additional sugar skulls, photos of departed friends, family and pets, and mementos of what they enjoyed in life.
Other optional activity: Composing “calavera” poems, satirical or humorous odes to the dead (Best for adults)
About the Instructor Elizabeth Shrader: “I lived in Mexico for many years and have a deep reverence for this special holiday. I’ve made hundreds of sugar skulls and love sharing this folk art with others. When I relocated to the heart of DC’s Latino community, I organized these kinds of workshops for my neighborhood.”
No experience necessary, although participants can prepare by watching the animated film “Coco.”
Drop in or stay for the whole workshop! Refreshments and hot cocoa will be offered.
All Materials Provided ~ Ages 5 & Up.
Adult Price: $10.00 Youth Ages 5 - 17: FREE!
Pre-Registration Recommended Walk-Ins Welcome!
An Evening Conversation with Dar Williams
Join us for an evening of music and conversation with singer-songwriter Dar Williams, author of What I Found In A Thousand Towns. The evening will feature a 25-30 minute song-and-story presentation by Dar Williams based on her book about building social capital in communities, followed by local community leaders who describe their experience with community building. The evening will wrap up with 20-30 minutes of thoughts and questions from audience members.
Tai-Chi Chih with Sara Rotenberg
Tai Chi Chih is a gentle moving meditation consisting of nineteen graceful movements and one stationary pose that promotes balance, relaxation, and the circular flow of vital Ki energy. Accessible to all ages and fitness levels, this healing art requires no special equipment nor prior experience.
After teaching English in Japan for three years, Sara and her husband found their forever home in Becket. Over the next 17 years, Sara’s holistic wellness journey has led her to discover many healing philosophies, practices and skills including Tai Chi Chih. She is passionate about growing and using food as medicine, rollerblading, hiking, and living responsibly on our planet Earth.
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Beginner Yoga with Maggie Murphy
This beginner class series will focus on foundations of yoga and the knowledge to build your own practice. These classes offer a safe and welcoming environment for all.
“Maggie is a registered yoga teacher trained in vinyasa and restorative yoga. She received her certification from Bold Coast Yoga School in Maine. Her educational influence emphasizes the
importance of anatomy and doing what’s best for your own body. She is a new resident of Becket and is excited to give back to her community!”
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Tai-Chi Chih with Sara Rotenberg
Tai Chi Chih is a gentle moving meditation consisting of nineteen graceful movements and one stationary pose that promotes balance, relaxation, and the circular flow of vital Ki energy. Accessible to all ages and fitness levels, this healing art requires no special equipment nor prior experience.
After teaching English in Japan for three years, Sara and her husband found their forever home in Becket. Over the next 17 years, Sara’s holistic wellness journey has led her to discover many healing philosophies, practices and skills including Tai Chi Chih. She is passionate about growing and using food as medicine, rollerblading, hiking, and living responsibly on our planet Earth.
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Beginner Yoga with Maggie Murphy
This beginner class series will focus on foundations of yoga and the knowledge to build your own practice. These classes offer a safe and welcoming environment for all.
“Maggie is a registered yoga teacher trained in vinyasa and restorative yoga. She received her certification from Bold Coast Yoga School in Maine. Her educational influence emphasizes the
importance of anatomy and doing what’s best for your own body. She is a new resident of Becket and is excited to give back to her community!”
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Theater Event on Becket Day
The Becket Arts Center will be hosting a theater event. More details to come!
Becket Day is a day to celebrate our unique small town where local and outside communities are invited to patronize all the businesses and places Becket has to offer.
Zentangle Workshop Series with Delsie Dunn
The Zentangle Method is an easy-to learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.
Delsie has been a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) since 2014 and has been teaching on and off since then, sharing this delightful methodology at our local libraries, community centers, private parties, and more.
Join us for three weekly classes on 11/8, 11/15 & 11/22.
The Introduction to the Zentangle Method (required for all following classes) is held on November 8th (all materials included): learn the history of Zentangle ®, discuss the elements of a tile, play with a few tangles, shade a bit and appreciate our art.
In classes two and three, participants will experience different materials and tools to use while they practice and explore this methodology. Each exercise is sure to delight as they discover that anyone can make beautiful and unique pieces of art which are created one stroke at a time!
Everyone will end up with a different piece of art based on their unique spin on the tangle patterns. We will display them in a mosaic format so we can appreciate them as a group.
Please Note: The introduction class is required for all following classes (at any time in the past or via class #1)
The Zentangle Method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Maria is an amazing calligrapher and Rick was a practicing monk. They created this meditative art form to empower anyone, without any artistic experience, to learn to generate beautiful art by drawing structured patterns.
There are a limited number of spots. We strongly encourage early registration to secure your spot!
Fee per Class: $45 Member Fee per class: $40 Card to Culture Fee per class: $35 Youth(Grades 9-12): $15 Materials Fee
Sign up for all three sessions, and you'll receive a free gift!
Community Music Circle
Do you love to make music with friends? We do too! Join us at the new Community Music Circle at, 6-8 pm on Tuesdays, November 10, 17, and 24.
All styles and abilities are welcome — bring your instrument, your voice and your willingness to play.
Piano players are welcome to try out the Center’s acquisition of a Yamaha Avant Grand piano. We also have a guitar available for anyone to play. If you are a singer and want an accompanist, we encourage you to bring music or let us know ahead of time. If you just want to come and listen, that’s ok too!
The Music Circles will be hosted by Ed Rejuney and assisted by Paula Langton. We’re eager to encourage and support you in any way we can!
See you there!
A recent transplant to the Berkshires, Ed Rejuney has been making music all his life. He grew up in Washington DC playing piano and singing in choruses, and has been lucky enough to perform all over the world, from Wales to China to Australia. A co-founder of Open Piano at the Saloon in Duke Ellington’s old neighborhood in DC, he has also formed a jazz quartet, played chamber music, and played in the rock and roll house band with the Berkshire Concert Choir. He’s very excited to be part of the Becket Art Center’s new Community Music Circle. He lives in Becket with his lovely wife Elizabeth Shrader and their dog Phoebe.
Tai-Chi Chih with Sara Rotenberg
Tai Chi Chih is a gentle moving meditation consisting of nineteen graceful movements and one stationary pose that promotes balance, relaxation, and the circular flow of vital Ki energy. Accessible to all ages and fitness levels, this healing art requires no special equipment nor prior experience.
After teaching English in Japan for three years, Sara and her husband found their forever home in Becket. Over the next 17 years, Sara’s holistic wellness journey has led her to discover many healing philosophies, practices and skills including Tai Chi Chih. She is passionate about growing and using food as medicine, rollerblading, hiking, and living responsibly on our planet Earth.
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Beginner Yoga with Maggie Murphy
This beginner class series will focus on foundations of yoga and the knowledge to build your own practice. These classes offer a safe and welcoming environment for all.
“Maggie is a registered yoga teacher trained in vinyasa and restorative yoga. She received her certification from Bold Coast Yoga School in Maine. Her educational influence emphasizes the
importance of anatomy and doing what’s best for your own body. She is a new resident of Becket and is excited to give back to her community!”
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Holiday Marketplace
Visit our Holiday Marketplace! Support local makers this season. Vendor list coming soon!
Zentangle Workshop Series with Delsie Dunn
The Zentangle Method is an easy-to learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.
Delsie has been a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) since 2014 and has been teaching on and off since then, sharing this delightful methodology at our local libraries, community centers, private parties, and more.
Join us for three weekly classes on 11/8, 11/15 & 11/22.
The Introduction to the Zentangle Method (required for all following classes) is held on November 8th (all materials included): learn the history of Zentangle ®, discuss the elements of a tile, play with a few tangles, shade a bit and appreciate our art.
In classes two and three, participants will experience different materials and tools to use while they practice and explore this methodology. Each exercise is sure to delight as they discover that anyone can make beautiful and unique pieces of art which are created one stroke at a time!
Everyone will end up with a different piece of art based on their unique spin on the tangle patterns. We will display them in a mosaic format so we can appreciate them as a group.
Please Note: The introduction class is required for all following classes (at any time in the past or via class #1)
The Zentangle Method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Maria is an amazing calligrapher and Rick was a practicing monk. They created this meditative art form to empower anyone, without any artistic experience, to learn to generate beautiful art by drawing structured patterns.
There are a limited number of spots. We strongly encourage early registration to secure your spot!
Fee per Class: $45 Member Fee per class: $40 Card to Culture Fee per class: $35 Youth(Grades 9-12): $15 Materials Fee
Sign up for all three sessions, and you'll receive a free gift!
Community Music Circle
Do you love to make music with friends? We do too! Join us at the new Community Music Circle, 6-8 pm on Tuesdays, November 10, 17, and 24.
All styles and abilities are welcome — bring your instrument, your voice and your willingness to play.
Piano players are welcome to try out the Center’s acquisition of a Yamaha Avant Grand piano. We also have a guitar available for anyone to play. If you are a singer and want an accompanist, we encourage you to bring music or let us know ahead of time. If you just want to come and listen, that’s ok too!
The Music Circles will be hosted by Ed Rejuney and assisted by Paula Langton. We’re eager to encourage and support you in any way we can!
See you there!
A recent transplant to the Berkshires, Ed Rejuney has been making music all his life. He grew up in Washington DC playing piano and singing in choruses, and has been lucky enough to perform all over the world, from Wales to China to Australia. A co-founder of Open Piano at the Saloon in Duke Ellington’s old neighborhood in DC, he has also formed a jazz quartet, played chamber music, and played in the rock and roll house band with the Berkshire Concert Choir. He’s very excited to be part of the Becket Art Center’s new Community Music Circle. He lives in Becket with his lovely wife Elizabeth Shrader and their dog Phoebe.
Tai-Chi Chih with Sara Rotenberg
Tai Chi Chih is a gentle moving meditation consisting of nineteen graceful movements and one stationary pose that promotes balance, relaxation, and the circular flow of vital Ki energy. Accessible to all ages and fitness levels, this healing art requires no special equipment nor prior experience.
After teaching English in Japan for three years, Sara and her husband found their forever home in Becket. Over the next 17 years, Sara’s holistic wellness journey has led her to discover many healing philosophies, practices and skills including Tai Chi Chih. She is passionate about growing and using food as medicine, rollerblading, hiking, and living responsibly on our planet Earth.
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Beginner Yoga with Maggie Murphy
This beginner class series will focus on foundations of yoga and the knowledge to build your own practice. These classes offer a safe and welcoming environment for all.
“Maggie is a registered yoga teacher trained in vinyasa and restorative yoga. She received her certification from Bold Coast Yoga School in Maine. Her educational influence emphasizes the
importance of anatomy and doing what’s best for your own body. She is a new resident of Becket and is excited to give back to her community!”
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Cabaret Evening with Lara Tupper, Benny Kohn, and Bobby Sweet
Lara Tupper Trio: Cabaret Evening with Lara Tupper (vocals), Ben Kohn (piano) and special guest Bobby
Sweet (guitar/harmonies)
Lara Tupper and Ben Kohn present spirited interpretations of songs from the American Songbook and
musical theater with special guest Bobby Sweet. Together, Lara, Benny and Bobby present an evening of stories and
show tunes designed to inspire and invigorate.
Tickets: $15 Member Ticket: $10
Zentangle Workshop Series with Delsie Dunn
The Zentangle Method is an easy-to learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns.
Delsie has been a Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) since 2014 and has been teaching on and off since then, sharing this delightful methodology at our local libraries, community centers, private parties, and more.
Join us for three weekly classes on 11/8, 11/15 & 11/22.
The Introduction to the Zentangle Method (required for all following classes) is held on November 8th (all materials included): learn the history of Zentangle ®, discuss the elements of a tile, play with a few tangles, shade a bit and appreciate our art.
In classes two and three, participants will experience different materials and tools to use while they practice and explore this methodology. Each exercise is sure to delight as they discover that anyone can make beautiful and unique pieces of art which are created one stroke at a time!
Everyone will end up with a different piece of art based on their unique spin on the tangle patterns. We will display them in a mosaic format so we can appreciate them as a group.
Please Note: The introduction class is required for all following classes (at any time in the past or via class #1)
The Zentangle Method was created by Rick Roberts and Maria Thomas. Maria is an amazing calligrapher and Rick was a practicing monk. They created this meditative art form to empower anyone, without any artistic experience, to learn to generate beautiful art by drawing structured patterns.
There are a limited number of spots. We strongly encourage early registration to secure your spot!
Fee per Class: $45 Member Fee per class: $40 Card to Culture Fee per class: $35 Youth(Grades 9-12): $15 Materials Fee
Sign up for all three sessions, and you'll receive a free gift!
Community Music Circle
Do you love to make music with friends? We do too! Join us at the new Community Music Circle, 6-8 pm on Tuesdays, November 10, 17, and 24.
All styles and abilities are welcome — bring your instrument, your voice and your willingness to play.
Piano players are welcome to try out the Center’s acquisition of a Yamaha Avant Grand piano. We also have a guitar available for anyone to play. If you are a singer and want an accompanist, we encourage you to bring music or let us know ahead of time. If you just want to come and listen, that’s ok too!
The Music Circles will be hosted by Ed Rejuney and assisted by Paula Langton. We’re eager to encourage and support you in any way we can!
See you there!
A recent transplant to the Berkshires, Ed Rejuney has been making music all his life. He grew up in Washington DC playing piano and singing in choruses, and has been lucky enough to perform all over the world, from Wales to China to Australia. A co-founder of Open Piano at the Saloon in Duke Ellington’s old neighborhood in DC, he has also formed a jazz quartet, played chamber music, and played in the rock and roll house band with the Berkshire Concert Choir. He’s very excited to be part of the Becket Art Center’s new Community Music Circle. He lives in Becket with his lovely wife Elizabeth Shrader and their dog Phoebe.
Tai-Chi Chih with Sara Rotenberg
Tai Chi Chih is a gentle moving meditation consisting of nineteen graceful movements and one stationary pose that promotes balance, relaxation, and the circular flow of vital Ki energy. Accessible to all ages and fitness levels, this healing art requires no special equipment nor prior experience.
After teaching English in Japan for three years, Sara and her husband found their forever home in Becket. Over the next 17 years, Sara’s holistic wellness journey has led her to discover many healing philosophies, practices and skills including Tai Chi Chih. She is passionate about growing and using food as medicine, rollerblading, hiking, and living responsibly on our planet Earth.
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Beginner Yoga with Maggie Murphy
This beginner class series will focus on foundations of yoga and the knowledge to build your own practice. These classes offer a safe and welcoming environment for all.
“Maggie is a registered yoga teacher trained in vinyasa and restorative yoga. She received her certification from Bold Coast Yoga School in Maine. Her educational influence emphasizes the
importance of anatomy and doing what’s best for your own body. She is a new resident of Becket and is excited to give back to her community!”
Weekly on Wednesdays
Class Fee: $15 Member Fee: $10 Card To Culture Member Fee: $5
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Holiday Wreath Making
Holiday Wreath Making, a family friendly event!
Embrace a cherished holiday tradition with the whole family. This festive workshop invites you to get creative and craft your own beautiful wreath to welcome the winter season. We'll provide all the natural materials and guidance you need to make a unique decoration for your home. It's a perfect way to spend a morning together and get into the holiday spirit. Materials are provided but bring along any favorite adornments and clippers if you have them. SPACE IS LIMITED, $10 Material Fee.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
The Winter Solstice In Story And song
Traditional stories and songs of the Winter Solstice come to life in this dramatic performance with award-winning storyteller Diane Edgecomb accompanied by composer and multi-instrumentalist Tom Megan.
Celebrate the Winter Solstice with ancient tales of light, evergreen myths, and entertaining seasonal stories surrounded by traditional and original music and song. Award-winning storyteller Diane Edgecomb brings to life tales of the longest nights from cultures around the world. The hauntingly beautiful Baldur and the Mistletoe from Scandinavia, humorous English Wassail traditions and the Tanzanian folktale of how the animal kingdom brought light and life during the darkest times. Diane’s rich adaptations and fully embodied performance offers a fascinating look at the humorous and moving stories that accompany the time of the longest nights. Multi-instrumentalist, song-writer and award-winning composer for the musical stage Tom Megan creates the musical weave. Songs evocative of the season and lovely instrumental melodies round out the event. Sink into the enchanting stories behind our winter holiday traditions brought to life by this masterful duo.
Ticket Price: $15 Member Ticket Price: $10 Youth Ticket Price: $5
Bios: Diane Edgecomb is one of America’s leading storytellers, winner of the ORACLE award for Storytelling Excellence in the Northeast, the National Circle of Excellence award and five Storytelling World awards. A transformational teller with a rich background in the theatre arts, Diane’s dynamic storytelling embraces elements of theatre, movement and song bringing each piece vividly to life. A featured teller on NPR and winner of a Year’s Best Performance award for her theater work in Boston, Diane’s storytelling has toured throughout the US and internationally for over thirty years including the Edinburgh Fringe where her performances received five star reviews. “A storyteller in the grand tradition, Edgecomb is a virtuoso of the spoken word and an entire cast rolled into one.”- Publisher’s Weekly
Tom Megan: A composer and playwright as well as a musician, Tom has written the score for many of Diane’s storytelling performances. He accompanies the performance of Solstice tales using a combination of piano, synthesizer, guitar and accordion. He has written several full-length musicals and is a winner of numerous awards for the musical stage including the prestigious Richard Rodgers award. “Tom stands out as a most exciting and innovative composer/lyricist well versed in both contemporary pop styles and more experimental song forms. Moreover, and perhaps more importantly, he has his own voice.” – Martin Charnin, Broadway Director, Producer, Lyricist: Annie, I Remember Mama
Links to promotional Video:
Other Videos of Winter Solstice stories:
Evergreen/Holly and Ivy:
Seven Fathers a traditional tale from Norway:
Holiday Sing Along
Get ready to sing your heart out! Join us for our beloved annual Holiday Singalong. We'll provide the songbooks, and you can bring your voice, your instrument, or just your holiday cheer. It's a wonderful event of carols and camaraderie for the whole family.
Potluck - finger food if you can.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Evening Book Club with Lara Tupper
Join author, Lara Tupper as she leads a community discussion around Dar Williams' book, What I Found in a Thousand Towns.
Free
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Check in at Becket Arts Center, class held at Parish Hall.
A Reading of: THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING By Joan Didion A play based on her memoir
BECKET ARTS CENTER AT THE DREAM AWAY LODGE
THE YEAR OF MAGICAL THINKING
By Joan Didion
A play based on her memoir
“I warned you…You don’t want to think it could happen to you. That’s why I’m here.”
—Joan Didion
Spare, exact, and quietly gripping, The Year of Magical Thinking confronts the strange logic of grief and the limits of reason when life changes in an instant.
In this intimate reading, Paula Langton takes on Joan Didion’s extraordinary meditation on love, loss, memory, marriage, and the mind’s refusal to accept what it cannot change.
Sunday, October 11 • 3 PM
The Back Shed (“Doodle-Doo”) at The Dreamaway Lodge
A brief conversation with Paula follows the reading.
Suggested admission: $10–$20, benefiting Becket Arts Center. Seating is Limited - Get Your Tickets!
This project was conceived and made possible by the collective efforts of The Becket Arts Center Theatre Team: Ken Cheeseman, Jim Petosa, Deb Rivel, and Paula Langton.
Come for the play. Stay for the conversation. Make an afternoon of it
Basic Watercolor Painting with Suzanne Gammon
Connecting Community Through the Arts
Image Credit: Suzanne Gammon
Join us for this 5-week series. Led by local artist and instructor Suzanne Gammon, this workshop strips away the intimidation of the medium and replaces it with experimentation, laughter, and community. Surrounded by the historic charm and creative energy of the Becket Arts Center, you will learn to embrace the fluid, luminous nature of watercolor in a completely judgment-free zone. Spaces are limited to ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention and guidance.
Cost includes all materials but feel free to bring your own.
Class Fee…………………..$40
Member Tiered Pricing…….$35/$30
Card To Culture Member…..$25
Please register below or call the office at (413) 623-6635 to secure your spot.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Check in at Becket Arts Center, class held at Parish Hall.
Basic Watercolor Painting with Suzanne Gammon
Connecting Community Through the Arts
Image Credit: Suzanne Gammon
Join us for this 5-week series. Led by local artist and instructor Suzanne Gammon, this workshop strips away the intimidation of the medium and replaces it with experimentation, laughter, and community. Surrounded by the historic charm and creative energy of the Becket Arts Center, you will learn to embrace the fluid, luminous nature of watercolor in a completely judgment-free zone. Spaces are limited to ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention and guidance.
Cost includes all materials but feel free to bring your own.
Class Fee…………………..$40
Member Tiered Pricing…….$35/$30
Card To Culture Member…..$25
Please register below or call the office at (413) 623-6635 to secure your spot.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register here or pay in person.
Check in at Becket Arts Center, class held at Parish Hall.
Gathered Ground: Ritual, Community, and Earth Opening Reception
In our Upstairs Gallery, Karen Dolmanisth will install a large-scale, site-specific sculptural environment, designed to evolve over the course of the exhibition through participatory rituals and public engagement. The installation will be activated through a series of interdisciplinary performances incorporating movement, sound, and live ritual—drawing from the artist’s longstanding integration of dance, poetry, and spiritual practice within sculptural spaces.
CANCELLED - Fall Family Fun Festival
DUE TO THE INCOMING STORM, this event is canceled for tomorrow. The committee has worked so hard to put together an amazing parade, talented local musicians, activities for kids and families, and more. We hope to reschedule for October. Thank you for the community support!
Basic Watercolor Painting with Suzanne Gammon
Connecting Community Through the Arts
Image Credit: Suzanne Gammon
Join us for this 5-week series. Led by local artist and instructor Suzanne Gammon, this workshop strips away the intimidation of the medium and replaces it with experimentation, laughter, and community. Surrounded by the historic charm and creative energy of the Becket Arts Center, you will learn to embrace the fluid, luminous nature of watercolor in a completely judgment-free zone. Spaces are limited to ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention and guidance.
Cost includes all materials but feel free to bring your own.
Class Fee…………………..$40
Member Tiered Pricing…….$35/$30
Card To Culture Member…..$25
Please register below or call the office at (413) 623-6635 to secure your spot.
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register and pay in person.
Check in at Becket Arts Center, class held at Parish Hall.
Coloring Class with Diane Pearl
Please Join us For This Fun and Relaxing Workshop!
Instructed By: Diane Pearl
Diane is offering an opportunity to have an introductory class to her world of her drawings and coloring, using black and white prints of her works as a basis.
Come join her as she leads us in a meditative and creative exercise that brings us back to our earlier days when we first experienced coloring books. The curvilinear lines and contours are suggestions…you are given 3 prints to explore your possibilities, your colors, your own inner imagination. (You can also just turn them over for your designs). There is enough repetition in the design and flowing lines that following the contours can loosen your hand and comfortably be relaxing to you.
Diane will be bringing Prismacolor Premium pencils. She will also bring prints on Watercolor paper to optionally paint with watercolors. (or bring your own favorite pens, pencils or watercolors)
Workshop Fee………………….$30
Member Tiered Pricing Fee…...$20
Card To Culture Member Fee….$15
Youth (9-12 Grade)……………..Free
Basic Watercolor Painting with Suzanne Gammon
Connecting Community Through the Arts
Image Credit: Suzanne Gammon
Join us for this 5-week series. Led by local artist and instructor Suzanne Gammon, this workshop strips away the intimidation of the medium and replaces it with experimentation, laughter, and community. Surrounded by the historic charm and creative energy of the Becket Arts Center, you will learn to embrace the fluid, luminous nature of watercolor in a completely judgment-free zone. Spaces are limited to ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention and guidance.
Cost includes all materials but feel free to bring your own.
Class Fee…………………..$40
Member Tiered Pricing…….$35/$30
Card To Culture Member…..$25
Please register below or call the office at (413) 623-6635 to secure your spot.
Improvisational CIrcle Singing
Improvisational Circle Singing with Nick Atlas: Learn to create spontaneous, a cappella music and soundscapes via a variety of accessible techniques, exercises, and simple music theory to free your voice, expand your mind, and open your heart. Open to singers of all levels.
Nick has been exploring vocal improvisation since 2011, having trained with Bobby McFerrin (Circle songs) and Rhiannon (Vocal River), among others. A skilled experiential educator and the Chair of Transpersonal Psychology at Atlantic University, he has led singing workshops for over a decade and routinely incorporates the lessons of improvisation into his work and life.
Suggested Donation $10 - $20 per class Registration Recommended Walk-Ins Welcome!
W.I.P. Wednesday - The Steamer Trunk
A family kitchen. A Russian immigrant father who longs to be recognized as an American writer. A fourteen-year-old daughter fascinated by the maps lining an old steamer trunk. A mother who has learned, through experience, that safety and belonging can never be taken for granted.
Judith Kerman’s The Steamer Trunk, inspired by Lydia Rosner’s memoir The Russian Writer’s Daughter: Stories of Growing Up American, unfolds in postwar New York, as the shadow of the Cold War begins to reach into ordinary family life. Friendships become suspect. Political affiliations acquire new consequences. The question of where one belongs becomes more complicated than anyone expected.
Set in the late 1940s, the play nonetheless lands with an unsettling immediacy. Its world is specific, its characters deeply human, and its questions about home, citizenship, identity and belonging are strikingly close to questions we’re living with today.
The September 16 reading falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, with Sukkot approaching. During Sukkot, we leave the security of our permanent homes and build a temporary dwelling, opening ourselves to the idea that home may be less about walls than about what, and whom, we carry with us. It is a fitting moment to encounter this play.
Works in Progress Wednesday is about being in the room while a play is becoming. The actors bring the words to life; the playwright hears the work through new voices; and the audience becomes part of the process simply by listening closely. What resonates, what surprises, what catches us off guard and what leaves us wanting more can help illuminate the road ahead.
Come spend an evening with The Steamer Trunk at this particular moment in its journey.
Plein Air in Becket
Plein Air in Becket
In collaboration with the Guild of Berkshire Artists
Join our Berkshire Plein Air group to paint, draw and photograph at an outside location in Becket. (Actual Location TBD)
Open to artists of all levels. Work till noon, then optionally join us for lunch (bring a lunch) and critique providing positive suggestions. Bring your oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastel, drawing, photography or digital painting equipment.
Third Wednesdays, once a month from 10am - 1pm with a break for lunch
$10 / Person - Free for Members of the Becket Arts Center & Members of the Guild of Berkshire Artists
Sign up by 6:30 pm the night before. Weather and regulations permitting
Author Talk with Bob Reiss
Bob Reiss' talk focuses on his new anti-AI noir novel "The Impossible Detective."
Bob Reiss's fiction has been called "Sparkling and fast paced" (Washington Post), "Gripping...fast paced...riveting" (Publishers Weekly), "Makes You Think" (Good Morning America), "Dead On!" (People), "Splendid. Great Writing. Great Suspense. Great Action. Wonderful Reading. (Los Angles Times), "Thrilling, ultra hip and completely engrossing" (Mademoiselle), "Crackerjack!" (Kirkus Reviews."
Basic Watercolor Painting with Suzanne Gammon
Connecting Community Through the Arts
Image Credit: Suzanne Gammon
Join us for this 5-week series. Led by local artist and instructor Suzanne Gammon, this workshop strips away the intimidation of the medium and replaces it with experimentation, laughter, and community. Surrounded by the historic charm and creative energy of the Becket Arts Center, you will learn to embrace the fluid, luminous nature of watercolor in a completely judgment-free zone. Spaces are limited to ensure everyone gets plenty of individual attention and guidance.
Cost includes all materials but feel free to bring your own.
Class Fee…………………..$40
Member Tiered Pricing…….$35/$30
Card To Culture Member…..$25
Please register below or call the office at (413) 623-6635 to secure your spot.
Improvisational Circle Singing
Improvisational Circle Singing with Nick Atlas: Learn to create spontaneous, a cappella music and soundscapes via a variety of accessible techniques, exercises, and simple music theory to free your voice, expand your mind, and open your heart. Open to singers of all levels.
Nick has been exploring vocal improvisation since 2011, having trained with Bobby McFerrin (Circle songs) and Rhiannon (Vocal River), among others. A skilled experiential educator and the Chair of Transpersonal Psychology at Atlantic University, he has led singing workshops for over a decade and routinely incorporates the lessons of improvisation into his work and life.
Suggested Donation $10 - $20 per class Registration Recommended Walk-Ins Welcome!
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register and pay in person.
Open Studio DriveAbout
Drive along scenic Hilltown roads to meet artists at their studios and at the historic Becket Arts Center during the 2026 DriveAbout.
Saturday and Sunday September 5th and 6th 11-3pm.
Art Lounge - Gathered Ground: Ritual, Community, and Earth Opening Reception
These intimate pieces reflect ongoing studio research and serve as visual and material studies for the upstairs installation.
Open Studio DriveAbout
Drive along scenic Hilltown roads to meet artists at their studios and at the historic Becket Arts Center during the 2026 Drive About.
This community-focused event gives art lovers and visitors the unique opportunity to meet local artists directly inside their personal working studios, as well as view featured works at the historic Becket Arts Center.
Saturday and Sunday September 5th and 6th 11-3pm.
Understanding Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is the most honored work of Western Classical music around the world. It has represented freedom and democracy throughout the ages. Professor Yudkin will tell this story with slides, videos, and musical examples.
Admission: $10 Member Price: $5
Presented by Jeremy Yudkin.
Jeremy Yudkin is Professor of Music and Director of the Center for Beethoven Research at Boston University. He received his BA and MA from Cambridge University and his PhD from Stanford University. He has taught as a Visiting Professor at Harvard and for many years at Oxford University. He is the recipient of fellowships from the Whiting Foundation Fellowship, the Center for the Humanities, the Camargo Foundation, Williams College, and the National Endowment for the Humanities.
At Boston University he teaches classes on Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Bartok, Schubert, the history of opera, Renaissance and Medieval Music, rock music, nineteenth-century American music, jazz history, Bob Dylan, Miles Davis, and the Beatles – to name only a few. He is the author of TEN books, two of which have been awarded prizes. He has given talks all across America as well as in Italy, Germany, France, England, Israel, and Russia. And in the Berkshires he is famous for his pre-concert Tanglewood Talks, which are sponsored by the Lenox Library and are free to all comers. They are held in the Lenox Town Hall every Friday and Sunday. He has run this series every summer consecutively for forty-four years! The Tanglewood Talks are on Friday afternoons and Sunday mornings throughout the summer.
Improvisational Circle Singing
Improvisational Circle Singing with Nick Atlas: Learn to create spontaneous, a cappella music and soundscapes via a variety of accessible techniques, exercises, and simple music theory to free your voice, expand your mind, and open your heart. Open to singers of all levels.
Nick has been exploring vocal improvisation since 2011, having trained with Bobby McFerrin (Circle songs) and Rhiannon (Vocal River), among others. A skilled experiential educator and the Chair of Transpersonal Psychology at Atlantic University, he has led singing workshops for over a decade and routinely incorporates the lessons of improvisation into his work and life.
Suggested Donation $10 - $20 per class Registration Recommended Walk-Ins Welcome!
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register and pay in person.
The Other Dance Concert In Becket
Discover the Art of Dance at the Becket Arts Center with an Inspiring Evening of Dance and Community
Join us for a showcase of local and regional dance artists: Debra Wanner & Jack Magai, Pele Bauch, Aviva Geismar, Jess Ames, and Louise Heit. Each artist will present a short new work offering a mix of themes and styles. Also welcome poet, Benjamin Gantche.
Whether you are a longtime dance enthusiast or just looking for an inspiring evening out in the Berkshires, this performance offers something for everyone.
General Admission: $20
Member Price: $15
Card To Culture Price: $10
Photo: (top left )Debra Wanner & Jack Magai - "Pearl" (top right) Louise Heit: Entanglement: Steven's Stuff (bottom right) Aviva Geismar - "Words, Words, Words" (bottom left) Pele Bauch - “Ka Wai Ola / the living waters”
BIOS
Ka Wai Ola/the living waters
Pele Bauch is a choreographer who often weaves together dance, theater, and installation design. With modern dance as her base, Bauch’s experimental work draws from her studies in oli (Hawaiian chant) and hula. She has been “weekending” in Becket since early childhood when her parents bought land to camp on. Bauch’s work has been selected for presentation at many New York venues, La MaMa, Chocolate Factory, Movement Research at the Judson Church, Women in Motion, and more. She was honored to be selected for the inaugural Wehiwehi cohort of Native Hawaiian performing artists, 2025, and the Western Arts Alliance Native Launchpad, 2023. She has received residencies from the Brooklyn Arts Exchange, The Joyce Theater Foundation, and Dance Theater Workshop. Funders include the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Brooklyn Arts Council and Harkness Foundation for Dance. Pele resides in her hometown, New York City, on the unceded land of the Lenape people.
Entanglement: Steven’s Stuff
Louise Heit (Dance Artist/choreographer) previous work seen in NYC at GreenSpace, Center for Performance Research, Union Street Studio, Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, 92Y/Fridays at Noon, streets and gardens of NYC and at the Laban Centre for Movement and Dance in London. Louise performed with Adaptors Movement Theater (Bessie Award-winning), Pink Inc., toured internationally - performing puppetry with Marquis Studios. She holds a BFA: NYU - dance and experimental theater, MA: Laban Centre, London and is a Certified Movement Analyst, NYC. Currently she teaches at the Becket Arts Center and through Together in Dance in NYC. She has received several awards from the Brooklyn Arts Council to lead creative aging modern dance classes for older adults. Many thanks to Jess- friend and duet partner for her patience and artistry to allow this piece to evolve, Gary Meister - collaborator for the sound design, friends, family and children; Molly and Marty, for their loving support.
Jess Ames (dancer) is thrilled to be performing in her fourth piece choreographed by Louise Heit. She danced with Risa Jaroslow and Dancers for two years; Kriota Willberg’s Dura Mater for 10 years; performed in Mercy with Meredith Monk at BAM; in several works by Elizabeth Keen, and more. Jess studies (and loves!) ballet with Kelly Slough and Elisa Clark. She works as a freelance ASL Interpreter, and will be interpreting the musical “Girl, Interrupted” this summer at the Public Theater. She ran her first marathon in Rehoboth Beach last Dec. She thanks her wife Barb for her immense love and support.
Gary Meister is a sound designer, composer & music producer who’s worked extensively in film, TV, podcasts, theater & dance. His credits include Joe’s Violin (Oscar Nom.), In The Dark (Pulitzer Prize), The New Yorker Presents (Amazon), Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, Queer Eye For The Straight Guy, Sesame Street, Fork In The Road, Death Row Stories (CNN), and additional projects for HBO, Showtime, Amazon, NBC, CBS, TED, VH1, MTV, etc. He’s also a member of the Balinese gamelan ensemble Dharma Swara, with whom he’s played sold-out shows at NY Philharmonic and Central Park’s Summerstage.
Words, Words, Words
Aviva Geismar is a New York City-based dancer, dance educator, choreographer and artistic director of Drastic Action, a contemporary dance company. For more than 30 years she has been creating a body of theatrical dances, rooted in full-bodied physicality and an interest in social justice. Her dances have been performed in many prominent venues throughout the US and Germany including the Millenium Stage at The Kennedy Center, Inside/Out at Jacob’s Pillow, Dance Theater Workshop and Haus der Berliner Festspiele. From 2006-2010 she led “Dancing to Connect,” an intercultural performance and education project, developed in collaboration with Battery Dance company which brought Drastic Action to numerous cities across Germany. “Dis/Location (Fort Tryon)” explored the immigrant experience in Washington Heights. “Dis Place” investigated geographic and cultural displacement in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Rooted in the rise of anti-democratic leaders, “Just Stand By” explored the factors leading to bystander society versus upstander culture. Aviva is a Professor and Coordinator of the Dance Program at Queensborough Community College/CUNY. Thank you to Louise and the Becket Arts Center.
Pearl
Jack Magai has written, choreographed and directed performances intended to increase audiences’ awareness of their surroundings. Recently his day job as an arborist has led him to study the evolution of attitudes about nature and has steered his artistic work towards settings in post-industrial sites. He studied dance and literature at Bennington College.
Debra Wanner creates interdisciplinary, inquisitive, imagistic works about notions of being. Her work has been presented in the US and abroad. She has taught dance, improvisation, The Feldenkrais Method® and early childhood movement at colleges, schools, and movement centers. Debra has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and New York Foundation for the Arts. She has danced with numerous choreographers, including Aviva Geismar, was a founding member of Stephanie Skura and Company, as well as in Skura’s Two Huts and Surreptitious Preparations for an Impossible Total Act. Recently, Debra performed at A Galère of Poetic Autopsies at the Park Theater, with Teresa Smith at The Arts Society of Kingston, and in Choreography on The Edge, with Jack Magai. An audience member once said of Debra’s work, “I felt nauseous, sad, exhilarated, comforted, and impassioned. I believed everything you told me-even your lies.” Debra lives and works in Catskill, New York.
Debrawannerdance.comFeldenkraisinsights.com
Jack and Debra would like to thank Joan Finkelstein, Alan Kifferstein and The Wheelhouse Studio, Joe Lowery, Thomas McManus, Jimmy Garver, members of the Contemplative Dance Practice, and Louise Heit and the Becket Arts Center.
Kate Hamilton is a sculptor based in the mid-Hudson Valley. Her practice explores the architecture, experience and nature of garments. The scale of her work ranges from palm-sized to room-sized. Hamilton’s kinetic sculpture has been installed in museums, galleries and alternative spaces (including aloft at the Albany International Airport and underground in the Widow Jane Mine, Rosendale, NY). Her costumes, sets and sculptures have been installed in art performances, festivals, operas, and concerts in various places including New York, Berlin, Canada, and Zurich. Currently, her work is installed at The RE Institute, in Millerton NY.
@katehamilton42
Benjamin Gantcher is the author of The Coronation of the Ghost, Snow Farmer, and Strings of Math and Custom
Yoga With Rima Sala
Get ready to unwind, stretch, and strengthen your body in this all-levels yoga class. We'll move mindfully through a series of poses, connecting our breath to each movement. You'll build heat, increase flexibility, and improve your balance, all while finding a sense of calm and focus.
This class is perfect for both beginners and experienced yogis looking to deepen their practice. Modifications will be offered to ensure everyone feels comfortable and challenged. Leave feeling refreshed, centered, and ready to take on your week.
$15 Fee / Members: $5-$10. Register and pay in person.