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Some Background on DNE Summer Camp

Dance New England (DNE) is a creative collective of individuals who love to dance, as well as a consortium of cooperatively-run, not-for-profit freestyle barefoot dances in the New England area. DNE consists of member dances in Boston and Northampton, New Paltz and New York City. DNE members are also actively involved in creating and running other freestyle barefoot, cooperative dances. DNE events include our annual summer camp and a few weekends throughout the year hosted and produced by our member dances. The DNE Summer Camp is the culmination of all that we do as a group, and an embodiment of everything that DNE is about: dancing, friends, food, and community. This will be our 20th summer camp! Campers work together to create nightly community dances, healthy vegetarian food, great programs for teens' and children, and many more unofficial activities that pop up through volunteer energy. In exploring the connection of creativity and community, we emphasize acceptance of and respect for the differences among individuals and cultures, non-violence, creative conflict resolution, and living in harmony with our environment. We value freedom of expression within a context of safety. Dance camp is planned and operated by our members through participation on various committees, from hiring teachers to sound and lights. Members participate in this process by joining committees and by attending community meetings at each DNE event. The community meeting held during summer camp serves as our annual meeting; everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend! About Community Service... The essence of Dance New England is collective work and personal responsibility. Our community depends on the effort of every member to create summer camp. Coming to camp means being ready to work as well as play. There is a welcome place for your effort and initiative in DNE, both at camp and year round. Please take the time to find it. Community Service - is that portion of the time we devote to sharing the daily work necessary to keep our meals prepared, our camp clean, and our costs down. If all goes well, each of us work only 2 three-hour shifts per 7 days at camp. Weekenders will do 1 shift during their stay. Even campers in the work-exchange program must do community service shifts. Community service shifts will be assigned during the at-camp registration process. Call Laurie Rothfeld at 781-393-4204 or thefeld@aol.com with questions. This Summer Camp Evening Activities - Freestyle barefoot boogies happen almost every night. Other evenings offer a live music concert with dancing, a drum council, a contact jam, men's and women's circles, sweat lodges, and a festival of home-grown talent. Family Groups - With camp as big and as busy as it is, family groups provide a time and place to slow down and establish personal connections. Family groups are small groups that meet for an hour each day for sharing, support, laughing, singing, massage and a great time together! For many people family group has been one of their warmest experiences of camp. On the Registration Form you may choose a family group based on a special interest or you can be assigned at random. Both adults and teens can make selections; campers 12 and under will be assigned to the same family group as their parent or guardian. Facilities and Food - Share a cabin with other campers, or bring your tent. A DNE tradition is creating beautiful cabin space with old friends and making new friends from camp-mates. A few cabins are set aside for all women, all men, or women with children only. Cabin space is limited, and fills up on a first-come, first-served basis; circling "cabin" on your registration form does not reserve you a bed. There is also lakeside and hilltop field space at the site for tenting, which affords more privacy. Hot showers and toilet facilities are readily available for all. The Dining Hall is the heart of camp. We eat, chat, dance, sing, play chess and lounge on the wrap around porch overlooking the lake and in the generous hall itself. Three delicious, vegetarian meals and snacks are provided daily. Both dairy and non-dairy choices available. All campers, supervised by professional cooks, participate in the joyful preparation of our wonderful food. Waterfront - Bring your bathing suit! Camp Mataponi is located on a cove in the northwest corner of Sebago, a large, busy lake. Our waterfront offers floating docks, a sandy beach, shallow swim and play areas, canoes and kayaks, a waterslide and a view of our long-distance-swim island. DNE Olympics, a popular and fun event, is held weekly, and we hold a full children's waterfront program. If you wish to serve on the waterfront staff or have other questions, contact Jim Cowles at (860) 633-8850, or (203) 686-3397 or email jccomp@aol.com. Camp Store and Fee-For-Service - If you wish to sell your products or provide a professional service (bodywork, for example) on a fee-for-service basis you must indicate this on your registration form. Store space allocations are on a first-come, first-served basis, and space is very limited. Our 10% tithe on goods or services creates the DNE scholarship fund for next summer's camp. For information contact Davio Danielson at ccgdavio@aol.com. The Wellness Center - The purpose of the Wellness Center is to provide a space where all of us can attend to our own healthcare needs. In this spirit of self-responsibility, we ask that you bring the supplies and remedies you would normally use to treat yourself and your family. The Wellness Center will stock emergency items and provide a clean, quiet space as a retreat for individuals who are ill and as a place where minor injuries can be treated. A healthcare practitioner will be available for part of each day for assistance with minor illness and injury. For medical services beyond what our Wellness Center can provide, a health center and a hospital are nearby. Those who have serious and/or chronic health problems must use their own judgment when determining whether or not to attend camp, with the knowledge that we cannot guarantee that medical personnel (or space in the Wellness Center) will be available. If you are interested in working as a healthcare provider at camp (for compensation) or if you have items to donate or lend, please contact Susan Arnsten-Russell at (607) 277-0770 or sarnsten@aol.com. Programs for Young People - Children, teens, young people and old - all are members of Dance New England. One of the great things about dance camp is that whole families come to camp -- together. During the week days, our youngest members are with their own camp counselors, while the adults attend classes. A full day program, from approximately 9:00 a.m. to 5:45 pm, is offered for all children 12 years old and younger during the week. Baby sitting services will be available during classes on the weekend for whose families who request it in advance. The young peoples' community includes lovely cabins dedicated to each age group clustered in a shady spot within walking distance of the beach. Each age group is staffed by qualified and creative teachers who take full advantage of our camps' resources. The youngest children (Infants to two-year olds and 3 to 5 year olds) explore and play in a safe and supportive environment. Young people (aged 6-12 years old) engage in sports and games, create in the arts and crafts studio, enjoy dance, drama or drumming class and swim. Teens (13-17) work with the teen staff to design classes and activities of special interest. Teens also have the opportunity to work with the younger children, as well as participating in a mentoring program, learning and working with sound and lights, the kitchen, waterfront and other areas of camp organization. All children 17 and under attending camp must be registered in the children's program by an accompanying parent or guardian. This is a legal requirement of the State of Maine. After registering, you will receive an information letter with your child's specific program and a to-bring list. Work Exchange/Scholarship - Work exchange positions at the pay rate of $8 per hour are available for teens (13-17) and adults who need financial assistance to attend camp. Partial scholarships are also available, but are limited. A combination of scholarship and work exchange is generally required. The amount of work exchange and scholarship granted is determined by the scholarship committee. If you are requesting scholarship, send a letter with details explaining your need, and include a copy of both sides of your Registration Form. Mail to the Scholarship Committee at the address below. Funds will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Scholarship funds may be depleted after the July 12th postmark date. Your registration fee will be due in full prior to camp. Send your letter and registration form to: Scholarship Committee, c/o Beth Garner, 25 St. John's Place #3, Brooklyn, NY 11217-3243. Call Beth at 718-857-5152 regarding approval of your work-exchange or scholarship request. Come Early: Help Us Set Up • Stay Late: Help Us Take Down - Transform Camp Mataponi from a kids' camp to our two-week dance community…and back again. Setting up camp or taking it down leaves you with a terrific feeling of accomplishment, and the sense that camp is "yours" and you are a part of camp. Set Up: Signing up in advance for Set Up is mandatory; you may not be allowed in early otherwise. Contact Beth Garner at 718-857-5152 or garnerbm@kl.com to volunteer and make arrangements. Take Down: If you are looking for a way to ease the transition back to "real life", may we recommend our camp special: a Take-Down Party. Hang on at camp a little while longer to restore Camp Mataponi to its pre-DNE state, and bid a long, loving and leisurely good-bye to our summer home. Contact Dev Luthra to volunteer: 617-738-0975 or Dev_Luthra@brookline.mec.edu. Key Volunteer Positions remain open for this summer's camp. Contact a CCG member to learn more or to volunteer.

Camp Contacts and Key Volunteers

Function	Person	Email	Phone
Camp     Coordinating                   Group	Davio Danielson	Ccgdavio@aol.com	413-634-0321
	Carolyn Fuller	Fuller@mit.edu	617-576-1620
	Mary Loan	Loanm@hotmail.com	617-489-6061
	Myra Romain	Myrajrom@tiac.net	508-693-7332
Leadership         Council                 Liaisons	Dev Luthra	Dev_luthra@brookline.mec.edu	617-738-0975
	David Sharpe	Dsharpe@javanet.com	413-549-4495
Camp Coordinator	Keith Winston	campcoordinator@dne.org	301-651-2124
Childcare	Amy Brown	amyanded@world.std.com	617-629-3528
Registrar	Steve LeBlanc	Registrar@dne.org	207-688-4890
Set-Up	Beth Garner	Garnerbm@kl.com	718-857-5152
Work Exchange	Beth Garner	Garnerbm@kl.com	718-857-5152

Printed registration materials are being mailed out via U.S. Mail.
To be added to our mailing list, send your name and address to fuller@mit.edu.