September 7, 2000 (SF Chronicle)
MOVERS AND SHAKERS/Dancers cut loose with an alternative to the
  attitude-heavy nightclub
Lisa Hix, Chronicle Staff Writer

   In a dim San Francisco dance studio, the floor is alive with hip-
switching steps -- salsa, cha-cha- cha, meringue and several made up on
the spot. Two women twirl arm in arm, flaunting a huge gauzy scarf. A
young man and woman roll against each other on the floor. Fringe flies as
a man, wearing shirt and pants designed for maximum effect, bounces and
spins.
   And a Sunday night at Barefoot Boogie would not be complete without a few
intricate tangos, interpretive motions, modern-dance contortions, kicks
and dips. This weekly event is just one of several freestyle dances in the
Bay Area with no limits and few rules. And those generally are: Lose your
shoes, respect the others and don't drink or smoke. But these dances do
more than provide offbeat fun -- they give folks absolute freedom to
express themselves without being ridiculed or objectified.
   Dance Freedom, the first dance of its kind, began in Cambridge, Mass., in
1968. Dance Jam in Berkeley sprang to life in 1980, and Barefoot Boogie
and Dance Spirit in San Rafael followed in the '80s. Although freestyle
dances are common on the coasts, they've even spread to places such as
Tucson, Ariz., and Decatur, Ga.
   While many of the dancers have been involved with boogies since their
early days, this type of event at tracts people in their 20s as well.
Berkeley's Dance Jam has gotten so popular from word of mouth in the past
two years, topping 180 people, that it's had to expand into a second
studio. Barefoot Boogie also packs its studio.
   The freedom and safety can be addictive. For devotees, these "boogies"
provide a therapeutic level of stress relief, a place to reach a state of
spiritual ecstasy and a supporting community of friends.
   Each dancer seems to cut loose like someone home alone who's put on his or
her favorite album at top volume and broken into a carefree frenzy
complete with faux-gymnastics and lip-synching drama. Though it's fun,
regulars say, the experience goes beyond that.
   Christina Tuccillo, founder of the Dance Jam collective, says the dance
events are nothing like nightclubs, where people are more guarded, copping
attitudes and downing beers. At the boogies, participants have permission
to do whatever they want -- they can watch, dance by themselves, dance
with others. And they don't have to dress up.
   "You can do weird stuff you can't do anywhere else," says Tuccillo, who's
been going to boogies for 17 years. "It's play time. You can let
boundaries down."
   Howard Cushnir, 39, a Mill Valley writer, says he doesn't go to clubs
because he finds them stifling. He prefers the more open Dance Jam
atmosphere.
   "This is a place where everyone is welcome," he says, "where all body
types are accepted, a place to come and move as if no one's watching."
RESPECTING BOUNDARIES
   Even though there is a lot of physical contact at the boogies, dancers'
sexual boundaries are respected. One form of dance is called Contact
Improvisation, which uses touch and weight. To see people roll against one
another might be jarring for a newcomer. Then again, it might be
appealing.
   Kenny Schachat, an organizer for both Barefoot Boogie and Dance Jam, has
seen a whole range of reactions from first-timers.
   "Some people just stand there with their mouths open for their first six
years," Schachat says. "Other people come in and say, `This is what I've
been looking for my entire life.' They've been looking for that juicy
human touch. Their faces light up, and within minutes they're involved in
a six-way human puddle.
   "People say this changed their lives. Others come in and say, `Oh my God!
It's a human snake pit!' But they can slowly open up to the sense of
acceptance."
   A lot of the boogie regulars can really move. Some are performers, and
many have taken dance classes. But that's no reason to be timid, says
Schachat, who's been dancing for 15 years.
   "We have people from every walk of life, from computer geeks to artists,"
he says. "You need no kind of dance training. You can be a klutz and come
here and have fun."
   Though some people come to boogies for kicks and go straight home
afterward, many people develop deeper connections. Tuccillo says many
regulars date one another and some get married. At Dance Jam's meeting
circle, a time when everyone sits and listens to announcements, people can
speak their minds. Some share birthdays and graduations and other big life
events.
   For people who go three to four times a week, "it is their social life,"
Tuccillo says. "It's their exercise, it's their prayers, it's their
connection. It's a way of life." She says boogies provide many of the same
things churches do, such as worship and community, an antidote to big-city
aloofness and isolation.
   Declan Banfield, a Dance Jam organizer, is wary of the church comparison.
"We don't want to institutionalize anything," he says. "People are free to
create their own experiences."
   But Barefoot Boogie has been inspirational for Elizabeth Pauker, a
40-year-old Berkeley massage therapist, who calls the dances "the glue
that held me together."
   "It's a place for us to come and get love, with people accepting you for
whoever you are," Pauker says. "People have come and gone, but it's always
there."
   Dance Spirit director Sabrina Page manages to create a templelike
environment for her dancers in the aerobics room of a fitness center, of
all places. The dark room at Nautilus of Marin is lit with colored bulbs,
Christmas lights and candles. An altar holds figurines of Buddha and
Shiva, as well as rocks, flowers and crystals.
   Getting involved with Dance Spirit 12 years ago, Page went through what
she calls "a process of loosening."
   "I really blossomed, in my creativity, in my whole being," she says.
"That's why I do this. I want to offer that to other people."
   The music at boogies is spun to create a mind-opening experience, with
styles, ranging from hip-hop, funk and techno to rock and traditional
music, from all over the world. `A JOURNEY OF FEELINGS'
   "It's a journey of feelings," says Schachat, who's a DJ for Dance Jam and
Barefoot Boogie. "It can go from a gospel fervor down to stillness and
into sadness. I'm not consciously trying to provide therapy. But I'm
comfortable with a lot of feelings, so I don't shy away from anything."
   And letting out those emotions is perfectly acceptable. Sometimes, people
will start crying once they begin moving.
   "When you're dancing and someone comes up and hugs you, it's hard to hold
it in," says Tuccillo, who's a DJ at Dance Jam and Barefoot Boogie.
   The dancers, who are often in their 30s and 40s, move with a youthful
exuberance.
   "We have lawyers, doctors and engineers who come," Tuccillo says, "but
they're not stuck in that box because they're getting to go out and play."

   EXPRESS YOURSELF
   Boogie dances are just one of many forms of free-expression activities for
adults. Whether your inner self wants to drum, paint or play childhood
games, there are classes and activities around the Bay Area that offer
artistic or unusual means of stress relief:
   -- Drum circles: A drum circle gathers around 2 p.m. every Saturday and
Sunday in lower Sproul Plaza at UC Berkeley. Professionals, dabblers and
beginners alike join in to create a unified rhythm, and the groove carries
on well into the evening. Passers-by often stop to watch and dance. In San
Francisco, a similar type of drum circle happens on Hippie Hill in Golden
Gate Park's Sharon Meadow. Drummers and dancers show up around 1:30 p.m.
on Saturday and Sunday for a day full of jamming.
   -- Play time: "Recess! Playnight for Grown-Ups" is a monthly event held at
Fort Mason in San Francisco, where adults get together to have G-rated
fun, from mixer and storytelling games to tag and ball games. Every month
is a different mix. It's open to anyone over 21 and limited to 30 people.
The next "Recess!" is 7:30 to 10 p.m. Sept. 23. Cost: $15. To enroll, call
Sue Walden at (415) 885-5678.
   -- Singing: Anyone can join Ellen Robinson's Anything Goes Choruses vocal
groups, which offer instruction on everything from jazz and a cappella
songs to show tunes and rock. Every year, the choirs in the East Bay and
San Francisco put on shows with props and choreography. A beginners' class
is at 5 p.m. Thursdays and an advanced class follows at 6:10 p.m. at the
San Francisco Community Music Center, 544 Capp St., San Francisco. Cost:
$192 for 12 weeks. A class for both beginners and advanced singers is 7:30
p.m. Wednesdays at Beacon School, 2101 Livingston St., Oakland. Cost: $9
to try, then $11-$15 per session. Call (510) 482-9520.
   -- Creative Exercises: "Soul Play" in Lafayette, led by psychotherapist
Rahima Warren, lets participants explore their inner worlds through
movement, writing, painting, collage, sculpture, sand play and other art
forms. Classes are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost is $95 for four
sessions. Women-only workshops take place 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 7 and
Dec. 2. Cost: $45. Call to preregister at (925) 295-1224.
   -- Art: "Painting From the Wild Heart" in Oakland encourages participants
to paint from their intuitive self, without thinking about what the
finished work will look like. Weekly classes are 6:30-9:30 p.m. Mondays,
10 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays. Cost: $25 to try one class, then
$85 per month. One-day workshops are also available. Call (510) 839-2434.
   -- Improv: "Full Spectrum Improvisation," with Joya Cory, teaches students
to explore emotions through improvisational theater. Classes cover
expressive movement and voice, theater games, storytelling, acting
technique and taming the inner critic. Beginner/intermediate classes take
place 7 to 10 p.m. Mondays starting next Sept. 11 at Marin Theatre
Company, 397 Miller Ave., Mill Valley. Cost: $300 for 10 weeks. One-day
workshops are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 15 and Dec. 3 in San Anselmo. Cost
$70. Classes in San Francisco and San Anselmo are continuing. Call (415)
564-4115.
   --Lisa Hix

   DANCE

   BAREFOOT BOOGIE: 7:30-11:30 p.m. Sundays and 8:15-11:15 p.m. Wednesdays at
Rhythm and Motion Dance Center, 1133 Mission St., San Francisco. $8
Sundays, $7 Wednesdays, kids free. (415) 905-6413.

   DANCE HOME: 8-11 p.m. first and third Saturdays of the month at Wischemann
Hall, 460 Eddie Lane, Sebastopol. $8-$10, $3 for ages 10-16, kids under 10
free. (707) 824-9621.

   DANCE JAM: 8:30 p.m.-midnight Fridays at Western Sky Dance Studio, Eighth
Street Studios, 2525 Eighth St., Berkeley. $5 before 9 p.m., $6 after, $3
kids. (510) 548-6485.

   DANCE SPIRIT: 8 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays upstairs in the
Nautilus of Marin building, 1001 Fourth St., San Rafael. $10. Adults only.
(415) 453-1613.

   DO YOUR OWN DANCE: 8:15-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Dance Visions Studio at
north of entrance of Cubberley Community Center, 400 Middlefield Road,
Palo Alto. $5, kids free. (650) 566-8960.

   FAIRFAX DANCE JAM: 8:30 p.m.-midnight third and fourth Saturdays of the
month. $5 before 9 p.m., $6 after, kids free. Laughing Mama Studio, 12 E.
School St., Fairfax. (415) 459-8969.

   PLAYGROUND: 9:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Thursdays at 7th Heaven Body Awareness
Center, 2820 Seventh St., Berkeley. Includes trampolines, massage balls,
art installations and various healing arts. Cost $7. Adults only. Call at
(510) 595-5580.

   E-mail Lisa Hix at lhix@sfchronicle.com.
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Copyright 2000 SF Chronicle