Welcome to Recess! We are so glad you are here. Here are a few details that will help you dive right in.
Plugging Into Recess
Recess events are not run by some huge production company; they are run and produced by you! Every single person who registers will work at least one volunteer shift during the event. You will get to choose where you plug in: working in the kitchen, building one of our structures, helping folks register and find their way around, creating an enchanted ambiance for the dances, supporting all our hard-working volunteers…whatever you decide, you’ll be helping to make the Recess magic happen. The Recesses have required volunteering for years, and many participants tell us that their volunteer shift was a highlight of their experience. You’ll get to hang out with people you may never have otherwise met, and most importantly you'll have an opportunity to spend time in genuine service to your community. You will have the opportunity to opt-in to a volunteer shift and crew of your choosing at Brunch and Dinner announcements.
What to Bring
- Essentials. Sun screen, bug spray, and clothes to be in the sun during the day and to stay warm dancing outside on chilly evenings.
- Snacks. If you buy meal shares we will feed you three meals a day plus snacks, (with vegetarian, vegan, gluten free, and meat options). If you have other allergies or dietary restrictions (email recessfood@gmail.com to give us a heads up in advance), it's probably a good idea to bring some of your own food regardless of whether you buy meal shares.
- Your own cup or mug. Coffee, coffee, coffee, plus a bit of tea and water. Enough said.
- Clothes to be screen printed. We will be offering custom-prints on any clothes you choose to bring. Clothing must be dropped off for screen printing on Friday and/or Saturday morning and will be available for pick-up Sunday afternoon. The inks will be black and white, so bring clothes that will show those colors well. Also keep in mind that textured fabric and seams are hard to print on and often produce less-than-ideal outcomes.
- Multiple Types of Shoes to dance in: We'll be dancing on all types of surfaces, from hardwood floors, to concrete, to packed dirt and grass, to and our mobile martial-arts foam floor. Know that the only shoes allowed on our USA-event mobile foam dance floor are flat-bottomed canvas soled shoes, otherwise socks and bare feet. Think Toms and equivalent.
Daily Schedule: All Heavy On the "Ish"
Dancing Nightly: 9pm to when we stop. With venue changes and transitions.
Daily Meals: Late morning brunch, evening dinner, midnight late night snack. More exact times below.
Daily Announcements of Events, Workshops, Skill-Shares, etc: During Brunch and Dinner, many will be posted on the Recess Community Board.
Rest of the Day: The afternoons are often filled with skill-shares, discussions, basking in the sun, swimming and indulging in lazing around before a long night of dancing. Recess Massive and The Gender Bender have a more focussed workshop schedule.
All-Hands Cleanup, Sunday Before Dinner: Just before Dinner on Sunday, everyone will pitch in to help clean-up the site, pack the bus, and tidy up our collective mess collectively. Many hands make light, short, and fun work!
Daily Meals: Late morning brunch, evening dinner, midnight late night snack. More exact times below.
Daily Announcements of Events, Workshops, Skill-Shares, etc: During Brunch and Dinner, many will be posted on the Recess Community Board.
Rest of the Day: The afternoons are often filled with skill-shares, discussions, basking in the sun, swimming and indulging in lazing around before a long night of dancing. Recess Massive and The Gender Bender have a more focussed workshop schedule.
All-Hands Cleanup, Sunday Before Dinner: Just before Dinner on Sunday, everyone will pitch in to help clean-up the site, pack the bus, and tidy up our collective mess collectively. Many hands make light, short, and fun work!
More General Info
- Accessibility Statements: Every event has on its specific event page an accessibility statement. It describes what services are available at each event. If you need more information than is provided on the event-specific website, you can email us at RecessInformation@gmail.com with more specific questions or requests for specific assistance or needs on site.
- How to Get To Recess: Recess tends to be not on the way to anything. Every event has a rideshare board and FB event page associated with it. In the week-or-so leading up to the event, the entire community coming to the event will be posting in these two spaces looking for rides and riders. Don't be shy, join in the posting and requesting! Its just how we do it.
- First Timers Produce Fridays: At Recess First-Timers produce Fridays, everything from helping cook the meals to producing the night's special magic. This production always gets announced and started at Friday Brunch, moves into a first-time recesser to meet-and-greet mixer, then into crewing out to work-with and build relationships with other first-timers. Usually about one-third of every Recess event are first-timers. Yeah, its amazing to us too. So know you are not alone.
- Refund Policy: We provide full refunds for all full event tickets, even after the event happened! We do not provide refunds on food or bed tickets that are requested after Monday, Noon, the week leading up to the event. Email RecessInformation@gmail.com for refund requests.
- Feeling Comfortable: Recess gives space priority to survivors of sexual assault and abuse. If attending a Recess involves sharing space with someone who has transgressed your boundaries and you do not feel safe, we want to know. Email recessinformation@gmail.com. We will do the best we can to make our event an accessible space for you.
- Choice On The Dance Floor: At Recess it is standard to ask "would you like to lead" or "would you like to lead switch," as opposed to "would you like to dance." If you do not already have a well-developed dance relationship with that partner, try and be specific about what type of dance you would like to have, and try not to make assumptions.
- Photography at Recess: Photography is welcome and encouraged at Recess. However, photography is not allowed in any spaces where there are nude bodies or of people whom indicate that they would like to not be photographed. We ask that all photographers ask before taking someones picture, and if requested, agree to take down any posted photo after the fact, without question.
- Safe Questions Box: Every event has a box for anonymous questions, comments, etc. Every question put in the box will be announced publicly to the event. If you have a question, many people probably have the same. If you do not want it to be announced, and you just want to inform us of something, please note this in your comment.
- Animals at Recess: All Recess events and venues welcome service dogs as required by ADA Requirements. Otherwise, each Recess venue has its own requirements on animal attendance. Write us at Recessinformation@gmail.com for specifics.
- Sleeping in Your Car/Caravan: of course you can.
Skillshares!
Skillshares are a celebrated part of Recess. Almost every day there will be time and space for you to lead a session or learn cool things from your friends. Dance class, plant walk, philosophical discussion, massage circle, board game, sing along, you name it. Skill Shares will be announced at meal times and then posted on the Recess Community Board in the central community space on site.
Hired Dance Classes: Recess usually does not promote their hired instructors; however, many Recess events will pay world-class dance instructors to come and teach at Recess. These hired dance classes will be announced at the same time as Skill-Shares.
Hired Dance Classes: Recess usually does not promote their hired instructors; however, many Recess events will pay world-class dance instructors to come and teach at Recess. These hired dance classes will be announced at the same time as Skill-Shares.
What is the Recess food Co-op?
Everyone who wants to eat with us can buy a food share and our kitchen team will pool all the cooperative food funds and volunteer labor to provide totally awesome meals made with the most fresh, local and organic food possible.
Vegan and gluten-free options will be available at every meal.
If you have other crazy allergies or dietary restrictions (email recessfood@gmail.com to give us a heads up in advance), it's probably a good idea to bring some of your own food regardless of whether you buy meal shares.
In addition to your veggie share, you can buy a meat share. Because meat is extremely resource intensive not just to produce, but to buy, refrigerate off grid, and prepare safely, there will be an additional cost for meat shares. One meat share will entitle you to meat with your dinner each day, and with most brunches.
Daily Meal Times: (Did we say heavy on the "ish"?) Late morning brunch (11:00am, ish) , evening dinner (7:30pm ish), midnight late night snack (1:00am ish). Events in Spain will be 90 minutes behind the above schedule, because Spain. Events in the winter months may be moved up an hour.
Vegan and gluten-free options will be available at every meal.
If you have other crazy allergies or dietary restrictions (email recessfood@gmail.com to give us a heads up in advance), it's probably a good idea to bring some of your own food regardless of whether you buy meal shares.
In addition to your veggie share, you can buy a meat share. Because meat is extremely resource intensive not just to produce, but to buy, refrigerate off grid, and prepare safely, there will be an additional cost for meat shares. One meat share will entitle you to meat with your dinner each day, and with most brunches.
Daily Meal Times: (Did we say heavy on the "ish"?) Late morning brunch (11:00am, ish) , evening dinner (7:30pm ish), midnight late night snack (1:00am ish). Events in Spain will be 90 minutes behind the above schedule, because Spain. Events in the winter months may be moved up an hour.
Photo: First Timer's circle at Northwest 2015, Speakeasy Photos