RECESS PRODUCTIONS
  • About Recess
    • Our Mission + Values
    • FAQ and First Timer's Survival Guide
    • Working With Recess: What To Expect
    • Our Braver Spaces Policy
    • Recess Organizer Team Relationship Agreements
    • Attendee Demographics
    • Where Does My Ticket Money Go?
    • Recess Public Documents >
      • Recess Productions LLC Operating Agreement
      • Values Governing Recess Accountability Processes
      • Recess Sexual Assault Response Protocol
      • Recess On-Site Accountability Support Document for People Who Have Caused Hurt
      • Public Statement and Q&A
  • Mailing List
  • Past Recess Events
    • Post-Recess Events >
      • Lake Powell Houseboat Party
    • Recess 2022
    • Recess 2018 Events >
      • Northwest Recess 2018: Bellingham, WA (August 16th-19th)
      • Tinto de Recess: Northern Spain June 22-25
      • Recess Community Campout: CA, May 25th - 27th
    • Recess 2017 Events >
      • Northwest Recess 2017: Bellingham, WA (August 10-13)
      • Aspen Recess 2017: Recess's 10 Year Anniversary! Boulder, CO (August 3-6)
      • Recess Teen Unschooling Program: Colorado, (July 30th - Aug 7th)
      • Shakori Hills Recess 2017: Durham, NC (July 20-23)
      • Tinto de Recess: Southern Spain June 22-25
      • Old World Recess 2017: Austria June 29-July 3
      • Adventure Fest * Valencia Blues&Fusion Exchange 2017
      • Wild Forests Recess: Scranton, PA (May 19-21)
      • Cascadia Creek 2017: Olympia, WA (April 7-9)
      • Global House Party 2017 Racial Justice Fundraiser! (March 25: Worldwide)
      • Gender Bender 2017: Gig Harbor, WA (Jan. 27-29) >
        • Gender Bender 2017 Workshop Schedule + Instructor Bios
    • Recess 2016 Events >
      • High Sierra Recess Massive: Yosemite National Park, CA (Sept 12-18) >
        • High Sierra Massive: Yosemite Registration Page
      • Northwest Recess: Bellingham, WA (August 18th -22st) >
        • Northwest Recess Registration Page
      • Old World Recess: Near Milano, Italy (June 9th - 13th , 2015) >
        • Old World Recess Registration
      • European Blues Experience (EBX) May 26th - 30th: Spain
      • European Gender Bender (May 20th - 22nd), Northern Spain >
        • Spanish Gender Bender Registration Page
      • Cali Creek: Mendocino, CA (April 29th - May 2nd) >
        • 2016 Cali Creek Registration Page
      • New Orleans Clandestino Recess: New Orleans, LA April 15th - 17th
      • Global House Party 2016 >
        • Facebook Event Page (2016)
        • Host and DJ Info
      • Appalachia Recess (April 8th - 11th, Asheville, NC) >
        • NC Appalacia Recess Registration Page
      • Gender Bender Action Camp (April 6th - 8th, Asheville, NC) >
        • Action Camp Registration
    • Recess 2015 Events + Earlier
  • Contact Us
  • Testimonials
  • Make A Donation

What is a Recess?

A Recess event is a break from constraints: a recess from traditional obligations, a recess from the uninspiring, a recess from constraints (in music, movement, convention, expression), a recess from the creative-voids of the everyday. We've called it Alt (short for Alternative) because that's what we are, that's the music we prefer, that's the experience we strive to create—something outside of the ordinary.  Many of us are blues dancers and a part of the larger blues community. We dance with the creative brilliance of blues dance and other styles of partnered connection, technique, and musicality; sometimes to blues music. . . and often to something else.  We believe in an inclusive and expansive idea of what the our community "is" and what it can become. 

We believe in dance as a living, breathing, evolving cultural movement: borne out of the time-honored traditions of the past and inspired by the sounds, movements, styles, rhythms, and progressive social revelations of the present. We are a community of students and teachers, of lovers and fighters, of wonderers and wanderers, of magicians and healers. We are a community of dancers. We are the Recess Family.
Mission: Recess strives to create participatory arts and dance events for the purpose of enriching and strengthening our community around our core values: Radical Inclusion, Liberatory Politics, Localism, Empowerment, Building Networks of Community Support, and Expression.

Radically Inclusive Pricing: Sliding Scale and Need Blind 

All Recess events are need blind. We are committed to making sure no one is excluded from our community due to finances. If you want to come, but feel held back by your financial situation, fill out a scholarship application so that we can work together to make sure you are able to join us.

Co-Created Events

Recess events are run by a value driven team, but they are also run and produced by you! At (most) Recess events, everyone who registers will work a volunteer shift during the event. You will get to choose where you plug in: working in the kitchen, building a structure, 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.

Participants consistently tell us that their volunteer shift was a highlight of the event. You’ll get to hang out with people you may never have otherwise met, and most importantly you'll be helping to actively create your community.

Be Respectful and Expect Respect

Recess believes in the creation of safe spaces and community empowerment. We welcome everyone into our community regardless of race, gender, sexuality, class, age, ability, or any other metric of discrimination. We also hold consent and the creation of consent culture as an important project in our community. We encourage everyone to take initiative in respecting, setting, discussing, and defending boundaries. Let's work together to create the community we all deserve.

Role Fluid Partner Dancing

At Recess we strive to challenge, encourage, and empower social dancers to step outside their traditional roles on the dance floor. We seek to introduce tools, ideas, and cultural norms that empower choice of dance role and personal expression over assignment.

Skills Proliferation

We recognize that our current economic system not only protects a monopoly on space and resources, but also access to training and skills. An important social project of Recess is to help skill proliferation in our community, whether that be cooking, building, team leading, creative endeavors or otherwise.

Accessibility

We acknowledge that the venues we utilize are not accessible to all bodies. At our events we will do our best to adapt the limitations of the venue to the needs of the people who would like to attend.  We post accessibility information for each event on the event website.  If you don’t see the information you need, please help us understand the things that would limit your access to an event and we will try to help.   We will have a venue accessibility statement detailing the accessibility of each event as well as choose one annual event striving to meet increased accessibility goals.

​Recess Is Our Art

By coming to a Recess you are opting in to a unique participatory artistic experience. If our artistic creation at certain times is not for you, we encourage you to step out or seek support in making changes that you need for yourself.

​Re-Invisioning Work

We believe that serving community and ourselves through our labor is worthy of celebration. We strive to create plug-in/volunteer experiences that make giving our labor and celebration inseparable. 

Space Priority to Survivors

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.

​Diversity in Leadership

We actively seek to promote diversity in leadership. Recess utilizes affirmative action for the purpose of diversifying leadership in our community.​

 Additional Documents Illustrating Recess's Values Around Sexual Assault and Restorative Justice Principles

Values Governing Recess Accountability Processes
Recess Sexual Assault Response Protocol

​Recess' On-Site Accountability Support Document for People Who Have Caused Hurt
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  • About Recess
    • Our Mission + Values
    • FAQ and First Timer's Survival Guide
    • Working With Recess: What To Expect
    • Our Braver Spaces Policy
    • Recess Organizer Team Relationship Agreements
    • Attendee Demographics
    • Where Does My Ticket Money Go?
    • Recess Public Documents >
      • Recess Productions LLC Operating Agreement
      • Values Governing Recess Accountability Processes
      • Recess Sexual Assault Response Protocol
      • Recess On-Site Accountability Support Document for People Who Have Caused Hurt
      • Public Statement and Q&A
  • Mailing List
  • Past Recess Events
    • Post-Recess Events >
      • Lake Powell Houseboat Party
    • Recess 2022
    • Recess 2018 Events >
      • Northwest Recess 2018: Bellingham, WA (August 16th-19th)
      • Tinto de Recess: Northern Spain June 22-25
      • Recess Community Campout: CA, May 25th - 27th
    • Recess 2017 Events >
      • Northwest Recess 2017: Bellingham, WA (August 10-13)
      • Aspen Recess 2017: Recess's 10 Year Anniversary! Boulder, CO (August 3-6)
      • Recess Teen Unschooling Program: Colorado, (July 30th - Aug 7th)
      • Shakori Hills Recess 2017: Durham, NC (July 20-23)
      • Tinto de Recess: Southern Spain June 22-25
      • Old World Recess 2017: Austria June 29-July 3
      • Adventure Fest * Valencia Blues&Fusion Exchange 2017
      • Wild Forests Recess: Scranton, PA (May 19-21)
      • Cascadia Creek 2017: Olympia, WA (April 7-9)
      • Global House Party 2017 Racial Justice Fundraiser! (March 25: Worldwide)
      • Gender Bender 2017: Gig Harbor, WA (Jan. 27-29) >
        • Gender Bender 2017 Workshop Schedule + Instructor Bios
    • Recess 2016 Events >
      • High Sierra Recess Massive: Yosemite National Park, CA (Sept 12-18) >
        • High Sierra Massive: Yosemite Registration Page
      • Northwest Recess: Bellingham, WA (August 18th -22st) >
        • Northwest Recess Registration Page
      • Old World Recess: Near Milano, Italy (June 9th - 13th , 2015) >
        • Old World Recess Registration
      • European Blues Experience (EBX) May 26th - 30th: Spain
      • European Gender Bender (May 20th - 22nd), Northern Spain >
        • Spanish Gender Bender Registration Page
      • Cali Creek: Mendocino, CA (April 29th - May 2nd) >
        • 2016 Cali Creek Registration Page
      • New Orleans Clandestino Recess: New Orleans, LA April 15th - 17th
      • Global House Party 2016 >
        • Facebook Event Page (2016)
        • Host and DJ Info
      • Appalachia Recess (April 8th - 11th, Asheville, NC) >
        • NC Appalacia Recess Registration Page
      • Gender Bender Action Camp (April 6th - 8th, Asheville, NC) >
        • Action Camp Registration
    • Recess 2015 Events + Earlier
  • Contact Us
  • Testimonials
  • Make A Donation