MAGMA

Dance Performance: fleshwound
2025-11-08 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
fleshwound:
an evening w/ myles kercher & guests
7pm sat, november 8th
$15 admission BUY NOW

Autumn Song Swap
2025-11-09 18:00 - 20:00
BUY TICKETS
Local singer-songwriters Miranda Aisling, Matt Jenson, and Kara Kulpa are coming together at MAGMA to trade songs and stories. Join them on Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 6:00 pm.
Tickets are available on a sliding scale from $10 – 30 both online and at the door, ensuring everyone has access to this community event. All ticket holders receive equal entry, guests are encouraged to support as they are able.
MIRANDA AISLING
Miranda Aisling (ash-lean)’s mission is to reconnect art to daily life, a purpose you can see through her work as an interdisciplinary artist, community organizer, and creative entrepreneur. Using an art degree from Mary Baldwin University focusing on painting, pottery, and piano and an education degree from Lesley University focusing on community art, Miranda is a professional artist and community arts consultant. Her original folk songs blend frank vulnerability with insightful social commentary. A classically trained pianist who shifted from Bach to the Indigo Girls, she brings the lively spirit of a folk festival to her performances, engaging audiences with a mix of sung and spoken storytelling.
MATT JENSON
Growing up in rural New Hampshire (USA) injected Matt with a deep spiritual connection communicated by the simplicity, beauty and truth of nature. As a child he had the opportunity to visit extended family in Boston and with that cultural exposure, he fell in love with the musical styles of the African diaspora: Jazz, Blues, Reggae and Afro-Latin music. Later as a young man with a penchant for seeking the deeper understanding of life, he became extremely interested in the socio-political-economic and psychological-emotional conditions of human-kind. This, combined with his intense creative drive, provides the bedrock for nearly all of Matt’s artistic output as a talented keyboardist, singer, composer, arranger, educator and producer. He has been on the piano faculty at Berklee College of Music (20+ years) and teaches, among various labs and one-on-one piano lessons, an entire class on Bob Marley. He’s been performing regionally with his Latin and Reggae bands (Mix Up Mix Up, Combo Sabroso, the Liquid Revolution, Rebel Tumbao) and touring, composing and recording with the internationally acclaimed reggae-jazz fusion band, Groundation (2018-2022, the One Rock album). His current musical project brings him back to his love of simplicity, beauty and nature with “Unmarked Routes”, an ambient, neoclassical, dub piano with electronics project, soon to be releasing a new album.
KARA KULPA
“Poetic and soulful” and “A riotously fun time” are just a couple of ways folks have described singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Kara Kulpa. Since the release of her initial EP, Any Given Day, in May of 2005, Kulpa has toured the country as a solo act as well as in conjunction with various other acts. She has shared the stage with nationally recognized artists including Rufus Wainwright and Eddie Money and made a name for herself as a “go to sideman” for those local to or passing through Boston. House of Abundant Kindness House Concert Series said, “Kara Kulpa has a charm and personality that make you want to be her best friend…” Don’t miss the opportunity to see this seasoned and entertaining performer live.

MAGMA Showcase
2025-11-14 19:30 - 21:00
MAGMA Showcase is our annual performance fundraiser, featuring our adult dance program. Choreographers include Hannah Tupper & Zoe Ulrich, Sophia Dunzelman, Laura Dow, Dawn Pratson, Jillian Chavez-Oliveira, and Sarah Slifer Swift!
Come celebrate our amazing community of dancers and makers. All proceeds go to support MAGMA, enabling MAGMA to best support artists!
Tickets are $15-25 suggested donation BUY HERE
For Saturday Nov 15 show, BUY HERE

MAGMA Showcase
2025-11-15 19:30 - 21:00 | MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
MAGMA Showcase is our annual performance fundraiser, featuring our adult dance program. Choreographers include Hannah Tupper & Zoe Ulrich, Sophia Dunzelman, Laura Dow, Dawn Pratson, Jillian Chavez-Oliveira, and Sarah Slifer Swift.
Come celebrate our amazing community of dancers and makers. All proceeds go to support MAGMA, enabling MAGMA to best support artists!
Tickets are $15-25 suggested donation BUY NOW

SING
2025-11-21 18:15 - 19:30
SING meets every 3rd Friday of the month from 6:15-7:30pm
Led by Lisa Bouchie, SING uses a variety of improvisational structures to jump right into the joy of singing with others. No musical experience necessary, all are welcome!
Suggested donation $10-15, pay at the door, no advance registration required

The Crystal
2025-11-23 16:00 - 18:00 | MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
The Crystal is a contemplative dance practice using Authentic Movement, in which the mover becomes the oracle and the witnesses reflect and refract using silence, sound, movement and automatic writing. A profound experience of vulnerability, intimacy and connection.
suggested donation $10-20

Contact Improvisation Jam
2025-12-06 13:00 - 15:00
Monthly CI jams, facilitated by Sarah Slifer Swift and guests, plus live music
Saturdays 1:00-3:00pm
January Jam will be on New Year’s Day 2-4pm
Next date, February 14 1-3pm
$10-20 suggested donation SIGN UP ONLINE

Drawn to Life: Embodied Practice Through Movement and Mark Making
2025-12-13 15:30 - 17:30
Drawn to Life: Embodied Practice Through Movement and Mark Making

An exploration and celebration of movement through the mediums of drawing and dance. Participants will be guided through exercises designed to enhance expression and depiction of movement through pose exploration and simple drawing exercises.

Appropriate for movers, artists, and humans of all backgrounds; no technical training required.

Facilitated by Jeremy Frias, $10-20 suggested donation. SIGN UP NOW or at the door

Please feel free to email jeremyfrias@gmail.com with any questions and/or accommodation requests.

Concert: Love Blast
2025-12-21 17:00 - 19:00
Join the group Love Blast with Greta Bro on vocals, Mitchell Kossak on piano, Fud on bass, Ricardo Frota on violin and percussion, and Nicholas Suchecki on Sax for a Solstice Celebration and Holiday Concert, Sunday, December 21, 5-7pm.
Love Blast is a collective a musicians from the Boston region who seek to uplift people and help transform culture and consciousness through their soulful explorations of music. Their concerts blend vocal and instrumental improvisation with popular and original compositions that draw on Soul, jazz fusion and world music.
Let’s welcome the return of light with dancing, celebration and a blast of love! There will be plenty of seats and also plenty of room for dancing!
Tickets Sliding scale $15-30 BUY NOW

ElektroCabaret: That's a Wrap
2025-12-27 20:00 - 23:00
$10 cover at the door
DJs Snackzilla and Salomon plus performances and surprises
bring you own refreshments as we will be dancing hard

Ecstatic Dance - Transformations
2025-12-30 19:00 - 21:00
Join us for a symbolic, intentional journey of transformation through dance, reflection, costume, and play. As we near the new year, we give ourselves the space to reflect on what we can let go of, what we want to celebrate, and what we want to manifest in the future. We transform energy and experience within us to grow the seeds of our own becoming.
The evening starts with an opening circle, followed by Authentic Movement, and then opens up into Ecstatic Dance. Costumes help us embody the spirit of transformation, letting us shift our energy through the night. We will finish with a closing circle.
There will be a place for stretching, journaling, tarot.
Cost $10-20 suggested donation BUY NOW
SCHEDULE:
6:45pm doors open
7pm opening circle
7:10-7:25 Authentic Movement
7:25-8:50 Ecstatic Dance
8:50 Closing Circle/Meditation
9pm end

Feel Good for the New Year
2025-12-31 14:00 - 16:00 | MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
with Holly Randall and Sarah Slifer Swift
2-3pm meditation, discussion and face moisturizing/face yoga facilitated by Holly
3-4pm somatic shake facilitated by Sarah
$10-20 suggested donation SIGN UP HERE or at the door
Holly Randall is a Doctor of Nursing, a Psychiatric Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Yoga practitioner.
Sarah Swift is a mindful movement facilitator and the Director of MAGMA.

Hip Hop - starts next week
2026-01-03 13:00 - 15:00
UPDATE – the series will start next week, 1/10, due to teacher illness today
MAGMA is thrilled to welcome guest teacher Miranda Lawson for a 6-week Hip Hop dance class series. Classes will dive into the foundations of Hip Hop with a focus on musicality, rhythm, and groove. Dancers will explore both choreography and freestyle, honoring Hip Hop’s roots as an improvisational and expressive practice. Expect to sweat, play, and connect through movement and music.
Drop-in $18 / 6-week series $85
1:00-1:45pm Youth class, ages 5-13 SIGN UP
2:00-3:00pm Teen/Adult class, ages 14+ SIGN UP
Miranda Lawson (she/her) is a Boston-based performer, choreographer, and educator whose work lives at the meeting point of contemporary and Hip Hop dance forms. She is fascinated by how these styles challenge and influence one another. A graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a BA in Dance and Psychology, Miranda’s teaching is rooted in curiosity, authenticity, and community-building. Her classes emphasize exploration and connection, inviting dancers to take risks, celebrate their individuality, and stay open to a little goofiness along the way. She currently performs with Urbanity Dance and Phunk Phenomenon, while continuing to create and share her own choreographic work, which has been presented at the School for Contemporary Dance and Thought, the Multicultural Arts Center, Tufts University, and the American College Dance Association Conference. Miranda’s practice has been shaped by mentorship through MIDDAY Movement’s BIPOC Professional Dancer Mentorship program (2022–23), her Urbanity X residency (2022), and recognition from the Mass Cultural Council’s Pandemic Relief Grant and the Somerville Artists Fellowship (2023).

Contra Dance
2026-01-10 19:00 - 22:00 | MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Easy to Learn New England Style Contra, Square & Circle Dances
with Caller Rose Sheehan, and musicians George Clements and Nathaniel Diamond-Jones
$15-25 sliding scale per person, notaflof, under 16 free
BUY TIX ONLINE Tix will also be available at the door.
Beginners welcome, come one come all!

Myles Kercher - forward fundraiser - POSTPONED
2026-01-31 19:00 - 20:00
This event is being postponed, new date TBA

Forward Fundraiser for Creation
This semi-annual fundraiser will support Myles Kercher’s upcoming dance projects and offers the North Shore and Boston community an exclusive view at work currently in development. The evening will feature a new choreographic collaboration between Kercher and Yuniel Betancourt (Paul Taylor Dance Company). Additionally, the program includes a performance of the original solo “face”, alongside a new solo creation.

Following the performances, we will host a brief Q&A session, followed by refreshments.
General admission for the event is $15. Please find link below for more fundraising information and tickets.

https://momence.com/MAGMA/Forward-Fundraiser/129597064

https://gofund.me/95a9d0cce

Latin Dance Social
2026-02-01 18:00 - 20:00
MAGMA welcomes Andres Giraldo from Salsa y Control dance studio and company for a one hour beginner salsa class followed by practice time. Lesson starts at 6pm, open dancing time is from 7-8pm.
Entry is $10-15, sliding scale – BUY ONLINE NOW, or at the door
MAGMA is on the top floor of the Brown Building at 11 Pleasant Street in Gloucester, a beautiful historic ballroom with ocean views.
All levels welcome, no partner required. Feel free to bring drinks as we do not sell any beverages.

Burns Night Ceilidh
2026-02-08 16:00 - 18:00 | MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Burn’s Night Ceilidh
$25 adults, $10 kids
with musicians Michael O’Leary, Susie Petrov, and Stephen Thomforde
Burn’s Night is a tradition in Scotland (and beyond) to celebrate Scottish poet Robert Burns in verse and song… and we add a generous helping of dance! The room will come alive with wonderfully fun country dances, excellent musicians, and traditional refreshments, for a wonderful night steeped in Scottish culture, for all to enjoy. Feel free to BYOB
BUY TICKETS NOW *
* when buying tickets on this software, it will prompt you to fill out the details of each guest, but you can skip this and just proceed to payment. Tickets will also be available at the door.

Contact Improvisation Jam
2026-02-14 15:10 - 17:00
We starting out our New Year with one of our favorite practices, contact improvisation! The first half hour is a warm-up and skills practice, and then an open improvisation. All experience levels are welcome!
This month we are pleased to have musicians Sarah Blacker and Aaron Katz accompanying the Jam. Bios below!
$10-20 suggested donation SIGN UP ONLINE or at the door
MUSICIAN BIOS: Singer-songwriter, music therapist, Sarah Blacker, MT-BC, LMHC & her husband, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter & spiritual song leader Aaron Z. Katz (Salem, MA) present uplifting, transcendent & interactive original and improvised music themed around healing, connection, and coming home to ourselves.

February Song Swap
2026-02-22 19:00 - 21:00 | MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Local singer-songwriters Brian King, Susan Cattaneo, and Miranda Aisling are coming together at MAGMA to trade songs and stories. Join them on Sunday, February 22, 2026 at 7:00 pm.
Tickets are available on a sliding scale from $10 – 30 both online and at the door, ensuring everyone has access to this community event. All ticket holders receive equal entry, guests are encouraged to support as they are able.
BUY TICKETS

3RIAN KING
“Catch him as his star climbs!” – Time Out New York
Gloucester native 3rian King has performed on stages in NYC, London, Boston, and beyond.
3rian is known for his genre bending songs with lyrics that deeply explore themes of love, sexuality, spirituality, human longing, and connection. His original song “Cold Rain” was covered by soul legend Irma Thomas on a Grammy-nominated album, and his band What Time Is It, Mr. Fox? performed sold-out runs of their musical production “Medusa” at Museum of Science, Boston, and Central Square Theater in Cambridge. Their new album “Live At The Cut” is now streaming on Spotify, AmazonMusic, AppleMusic, and more. www.whattimeisitmrfox.com
SUSAN CATTANEO
With her powerful voice, captivating melodies and finely-crafted lyrics, Susan Cattaneo is one of Boston’s most respected singer-songwriters. Combining vivid storytelling with a modern songwriter’s spin, Susan’s music blends folk, rock and blues with hint of country. Susan won the CT Folk Festival and has been nominated for five Boston Music Awards including Singer Songwriter of the Year, Americana Artist of the Year and Folk Act of Year. She has been a finalist or winner in the country’s most prestigious songwriting and music contests including being a three-time Kerrville New Folk finalist. www.susancattaneo.com.
MIRANDA AISLING
Miranda Aisling (ash-lean)’s mission is to reconnect art to daily life, a purpose you can see through her work as an interdisciplinary artist, community organizer, and creative entrepreneur. Using an art degree from Mary Baldwin University focusing on painting, pottery, and piano and an education degree from Lesley University focusing on community art, Miranda is a professional artist and community arts consultant. Her original folk songs blend frank vulnerability with insightful social commentary. A classically trained pianist who shifted from Bach to the Indigo Girls, she brings the lively spirit of a folk festival to her performances, engaging audiences with a mix of sung and spoken storytelling. www.mirandaaisling.com

Pouvwa
2026-03-29 14:00 - 17:30
Pouvwa/workshop and performance – JEAN APPOLON EXPRESSIONS
Jean Appolon Expressions (JAE) is a Haitian folkloric and contemporary-infused dance organization that cultivates hope and healing to foster more expressive and socially just communities through professional performances, education, cultural experiences, and the celebration of the joy of movement for all.
Program at MAGMA on Sunday March 29
2:00-3:30 WORKSHOP FOR ALL • Experience the visceral restorative power of Haitian folkloric dance, drumming, and community building. All-ages and all-levels are welcome.
4:00-5:30 PERFORMANCE & Q&A • Explore Pouvwa, JAE’s multidisciplinary repertory on power, culture, and healing, and learn about the new JAE Dance Center in Boston, the Summer Dance Institute, and the Natural Connections Retreat in Dominican Republic.
Sliding scale $15-$25 / each event. (kids $10)
CLICK TO BUY TICKETS FOR THE WORKSHOP
CLICK TO BUY TICKETS FOR THE PERFORMANCE
MAGMA, 11 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, MA (elevator access 186 Main St.)
This event is funded in part by generous grants from the Gloucester Cultural Council and the Rockport Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
