photo by Josh Wisley

Tell us about it!

We have collected hundreds of mind-blowing testimonials from Recess since the first event in May of 2007.  If you have one that would like to add, please email us and we will add it to this page. Did Recess change your life? Opene your eyes? Transformed you in ways you did not even expect? We want to hear about it!
Recess has been so entirely full of love and healing for me — I absolutely needed it. My life has been feeling so overwhelming and scary, but this weekend reshaped my perspective and I'm ready to change the habits in my life that keep me from growing.
​— Rose Ellis (CA) after Northwest Recess 2016
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I didn't think it could get much better until I saw the location for the Sunday evening dance. A small clearing on a tall hill in the rolling terrain of Roseburg, your 30 minute walk from the road was rewarded with an impressive panoramic view. Add in dancers, surrounded by tall grass, and the sun just setting over the nearby ridge, and you have one of the most memorable dances ever. I received the high compliment of being given the closing set at this unique spot. Apparently blessed by the DJ gods, I picked all the right music on the spot to mix the most popular set of the whole weekend. I think the high point was at the beginning, though, when I played the theme to The Boondock Saints, and watched some 80 dancers jumping and running and skipping through the fields and all moving together as one great big community. The song ended with everyone joining in a massive group hug. It actually brought tears to my eyes.
— Andrew Smith, on the first Northwest Recess (2010)
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I've finally had the chance to let my experiences at the Northwest Recess Massive settle. I spent a full ten days at the quarry, building the event, camping, swimming, taking classes, dancing until sunrise, meeting incredible people, deepening my existing relationships, and growing as a human being. I broke through a creative block in my dancing, let go of self-criticism, and felt loved and accepted by this beautiful community. My time at the Massive this year was one of the most transformative periods of my life so far, and for that I'm incredibly grateful. Thank you to everyone who was a part of my experience. You inspire me.
— Gina Longo (San Louis Obispo, CA) about Northwest Massive 2014
I learned so much about myself this weekend and how the atmosphere created there made it possible. This is only my second recess (the first was Massive) and since I started going, I have found myself able to open up and share parts of myself I hadn't shown before or see parts that I myself had never seen before. I hope this discovery never stops and every Recess I attend will fill me with a sense of wonder and contentment and happiness. I love everybody.
— Shawna Klein (Orange County, CA) about Aspen Recess 2013

Publications About Recess