The PAI Experience

• The Intensive: The PAI program includes a one-week intensive retreat which culminates in a final performance. The week will include opening and closing circles, movement practices, sound bath, set building, art making, rehearsals, visits from guest artists, an elder council, an ancestor ceremony, an off-site nature immersion activity, shared meals and (of course) our final performance. It is a very full week. Past participants have described it as Art and Yoga summer camp for adults (but with a much more experimental art performance at the end.) Participants can invite their friends and family to attend the final performance on Saturday, May 30th at 7:00.

• Yoga & Meditation: PAI is grounded in the believe that freedom of movement is our birthright. We live in a world that expects certain bodies to move in certain ways. We work to unravel this "scripted" movement, embracing greater freedom, authenticity and embodiment. During PAI, we will greet each day with a gentle, yoga and meditatin practice designed to build awareness. Grounded in Kripalu Yoga (a yoga of compassion and self-observation) morning sessions will combine guided movement, breath practice and meditation. No prior experience with yoga or meditation is necessary. 

• The Joy of Making: You don’t need to be an "artist" to help us bring this world to life for our PAI performance. We’ll be working together on set pieces, props, costumes, music, video projections, etc. If you have any technical or creative skills (carpentry, writing, sewing, music) we may enlist your help with specific aspects of the performance.

• Artists & Collaborators: You’ll be working alongside a hand-picked team of artists, healers and other collaborators who specialize in the intersection of poetry, performance, and community-building. These guest artist are sages, visionaries, dream-weavers and wisdom holders in their respective fields. Our guest artists will play a variety of roles during PAI, enriching the performance with their poetry or choreography, deepening our process with their wisdom and helping the leadership hold space for our collective unfolding. We are thrilled to be working with a stunning group of creatives and guides. See a full list HERE. 

• Nourishment from the Neighborhood: We believe in supporting our local community, so our meals are catered by a different immigrant-owned restaurant each day. In the wake of the ICE invasion of MN, we stand with our immigrant neighbors and want to support their businesses. You’ll be well-fed with nourishing, thoughtful food, and we are happy to accommodate any dietary restrictions.

• Intergenerational Connections: Outside of family relationships, most of us have very few opportunities to connect with people of different generations in a meaningful, authentic ways without hierarchy. PAI is a place for us to work together toward a common goal - putting on a performance. We embrace age diversity and believe that connecting accross this difference helps us slow down, expand, be present and more compassionate. Honoring Elder wisdom is central to the PAI philosophy. 

• Portfolio-Building for Artists: For those looking to grow in the visual or performing arts, this experience offers meaningful, real-life training and experience. You’ll gain hands-on experience beign part of a fully developed theater production. You will work with fiber art and wet clay and have the opportunity to build a rich addition to your professional portfolio.

• On & Off-Stages Roles: There is no pressure to be center-stage. All are welcome to be part fo the final performance. However, we also need prop builders, stage hands, and ushers just as much as performers. We’ll help you find a role—onstage or off—that feels rewarding and challenging for you.

• Transformational Experience: Our facilitators are experienced retreat leaders, guides and teaching artists. Our goal is to ensure you feel cared for and held throughout the entire journey. The work we do during PAI can be deeply transformational and sometimes cathartic. If you are working through a big transition in your life, craving deeper connection, yearning for greater meaning in a chaotic world, PAI is a great place to bring these questions and inquiries. We will invite you to offer your burdens to the larger, animate world and lean into the support of the community. But no one will be pushed. We embrace a worldview heald by many  traditional culture - that transforming individual traumas, griefs and disturbances are the responsability of the community and that natural forces and the web of collective entanglement that holds us all is our best source of healing. 

Monday 5/25

6:30 - 8:00pm Opening Circle

Tuesday 5/26

9:00 - 10:00 Yoga/Meditation

10:00 -12:30 Morning Session

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch

1:30 - 3:45 Table read 

4:00 - 5:00 Sound Bath 

Wednesday 5/27

9:00 - 10:00 Yoga/Meditation

10:15 - 12:30 Council of Elders

12:30 - 1:30 Lunch

1:30 - 2:30 Ancestor ceremony

2:45 - 5:30 Rehearsal

Thursday 5/28

9:00 - 10:00 Yoga/Meditation

10:15 - 1:45 Off-site Nature Immersion 

1:45 - 5:30 Set-building, Wet Clay activities

Friday 5/29 - Tech day

9:00 - 5:00 Set building, (participants come for 3-hour blocks)

12:30 Lunch 

Saturday 5/30 - Performance Day

2:30 - 3:00 Yoga/Meditation

3:00 - 4:30 Run-through

4:30 - 5:15 Group meal 

6:30 Doors open

6:40 Pre-show begins

7:00 Show begins

8:45 Q & A

Sunday 5/31 - Strike

11:00 - 12:30 Closing circle 

12:30 - 6:00 Strike

1:00-2:00 Lunch 

Monday 6/1 - Possible Cast Party in the evening TBD 

PAI is funded, in part, by an Art Experiences Grant from the MN State Arts Board. Without this funding, a week-long experience like this would typically cost $1500 - $2000. We are thrilled to be able to keep costs low so that PAI can remain accessible to all. One meal per day is included with the cost of your retreat so your participation fee covers the cost of your catered meals. 

We have a sliding fee scale:

$75 - $175 Cost for individuals on a tight budget or members of underrepresented groups.

$175 - $275 Cost for those with a moderate income or other sources of financial support.

$275 - $500 Cost for those who want to cover their own participation fee and support another.

*You determine your own amount. We won't ask for proof of income.

If you have questions or concerns about the cost, please contact summerjhb@gmail.com