Workshop with Sarah Slifer Swift
2026-07-23 18:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Find ease, articulation, increased awareness and imagination through dance techniques, choreographic phrases, and improvisation scores.
6-7pm Technique, 7-8pm Improvisation
$15 for one hour, $20 for both BUY NOW

Contra Dance
2026-07-25 19:00 - 21:30 | 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.

The Crystal
2026-07-26 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, pay at the event or ONLINE HERE

Latin Dance Social
2026-07-26 18:30 - 21:00
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.
SPECIAL PERFORMANCES: The Salsa y Control performance team will be there to perform, showcasing their latest routines they are readying for the Boston Salsa Festival.
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.

Workshop with Dawn Pratson
2026-07-30 18:00 - 20:00 | MAGMA, 11 Pleasant St., Gloucester, MA, 01930, United States
Technique 6-7pm
Improvisation 7-8pm
$15 per class, $20 for both SIGN UP
Class Description:
Dawn will teach some of her favorite movement sequences and improvisational structures, drawing from 40+ years of learning, teaching and performing. Warm-up and technique will focus on breath, grounding, flow, relaxation, alignment and experiencing body parts isolated and integrated which then move through space.
In the improvisation class we will work with individual and group scores that play with time, space and energy.
Bio:
Dawn Pratson is a musician, dancer, choreographer and educator with a background in arts therapy. She earned her BA in music and dance from the University of Hartford/Hartt School of Music and her master’s degree in Creative Arts in Therapy from Hahnemann Medical College, now Drexel University. A flutist, Dawn studied with Jeananne Celli, Thomas Nyfenger, John Wummer and Stanley Aronson, and currently studies with Elivi Varga. She has been studying piano most recently with Peter Simpkins and Jeffrey Nations. Dawn is a life-long student of movement and dance; significant dance studies included ten years of Humphrey-Limon and Graham technique and choreography with Ina Hahn, Laban Bartinieff training with numerous teachers, experiential anatomy/somatics with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen and Nancy Topf, authentic movement and martial arts.

Jeannette Neill's Day of Dance
2026-08-08 - 2026-08-09
Once again, we are excited to have Jeannette Neill back at MAGMA to offer classes with fabulous faculty in our beautiful studio!
This year, we will also be presenting an informal, in-studio performance on Saturday, August 8, 2026 featuring works by: Sarah Slifer Swift, Laura Dow, Jeannette Neill, and The OYT Dancers
AUGUST 8 SCHEDULE

3:30pm – 5:00pmHORTON TECHNIQUE (Intermediate/Advanced) with Jim Viera, $30 per person

6:00pm – 7:30pmIN-STUDIO PERFORMANCE ​Featuring a performance by The OYT Dance Company, $5 suggested donation per person
AUGUST 9 SCHEDULE​

9:00am – 10:00amACTIVE STRETCH (All Levels) with Sarah Slifer Swift, $15 per person

10:00am – 11:45amJAZZ (Intermediate) with Jeannette Neill, $30 per person

12:00pm – 1:00pmTAP (Beginner / Intermediate) with Laura Dow, $15 per person

1:15pm – 2:45pm

LYRICAL JAZZ (Intermediate) with Sue Murray, $30 per person

For more information, contact Jeannette at jeannette@jndance.com.​​
(Cash, Check and Venmo @jeannette-neill accepted)
​ ** FREE Sunday parking at all street meters and parking lots in Gloucester! **

Ecstatic Dance with EIR
2026-08-15 19:30 - 22:00
As summer begins its final exhale, we gather to celebrate the warmth, vitality, and abundance of the season before gently transitioning toward autumn’s invitation of reflection, surrender, and deeper listening.
Join us for an evening of movement, music, community, and healing as we honor this seasonal threshold together. Through dance, breath, meditation, and sound, we’ll celebrate the radiant solar energy we’ve cultivated all summer while opening ourselves to the quieter wisdom of the months ahead.
No dance experience is necessary—only a willingness to move authentically and connect with yourself and those around you.

What is Ecstatic Dance?
Ecstatic Dance is a free-form movement practice where there are no steps to learn and no way to do it wrong. Instead of dancing for others, you dance from within.
Guided by an intentional musical journey, participants are invited to:

Move however your body wants to move
Release stress and stored emotion
Connect with yourself and your community
Celebrate joy, play, presence, and freedom
Experience meditation through movement

The dance floor becomes a shared space for authentic expression, healing, and connection.
Cost is $25-40 sliding scale BUY NOW or at the door

Ecstatic Dance Guidelines
To create a safe and intentional container, we ask everyone to honor these agreements:

Dance barefoot (or wear soft dance shoes if needed)
No talking on the dance floor
No phones or photography during the dance
Alcohol and substance-free event
Respect personal space and boundaries
Dance however feels authentic—there is no right or wrong way
Come with an open mind and an open heart

Evening Schedule
7:30 PM
Gather & Stretch
7:45 PM
Opening Circle & Guided Meditation
8:00 PM
Ecstatic Dance Journey
Live vocals and vibrant DJ set by EIR
9:45 PM
Crystal Bowl Sound Healing Integration
10:00 PM
Closing Circle
Come as you are. Leave more connected. Move. Feel. Be Free.

Movement Research with Myles Kercher
2026-08-16 14:00 - 16:30
Movement Research Workshop
with Myles Kercher
ALL-LEVELS WORKSHOP with Myles Kercher focused on led improvisations, authentic movement practices, and movement research methods to expand your range of motion and creativity.
Ages 16+
Cost: $20 SIGN UP NOW

Nutcracker Audition
2026-08-29 13:00 - 14:30
MAGMA is pleased to announce that in the Fall of 2026 we will be producing an all-styles Nutcracker “Kingdom of the Sweets” for December productions at MAGMA. All children in our Fall 2026 classes will perform. Some rehearsals will take place during class time, some will take place on Saturdays in November and December, with performances on December 11, 12, 13.
Audition for soloist roles (ages 9+):
Saturday August 29, 1-2:30pm, open call for ages 9-18 at MAGMA. Prepare for a basic Ballet barre, contemporary across the floor, plus an opportunity to show your own style. SIGN UP
Alternately, children who attend the Ballet Boost Week August 24-27 can use that as their audition.
