 Welcome to the Valley Advocate Podcast, featuring interviews that take us deeper into the people and happenings on the local scene. For more podcasts and a closer look at what's going on in the valley, visit us at valleyadvocate.com. Hi, my name is Dave Eisenstader. I'm the editor of the Valley Advocate and this is the Valley Advocate Podcast. We do in collaboration with Amherst Media. I'm here with Gina Bevers, our arts and culture editor. Yes, you are. We're here with Aaron Brando, a.k.a. Brando, a.k.a. DJ Hipsocket. All of those are true, all of those are true. Yeah, I was wondering about that. He is the co-founder of Pollinate Dance. Why did I just lose that? Static Dance? Yeah. Well, I mean Pollinate Dance is where you can find us on Facebook at Pollinate Dance. Our website is pollinatedance.com, so it is an ecstatic dance, so sometimes you can throw ecstatic in there. Okay. Who wouldn't want to, right? So on June 1, you are having your 10th anniversary. Pretty big. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So tell us about Pollinate. Tell us about Pollinate. Hmm. Yeah, it's a magical growth out of the community. And I feel like it really speaks to a need that people have for connection, for embodied connection to themselves and to like each other and to like being in an organism that's operating as like one thing. Yeah. Yeah, and trying to find that like we were talking about yesterday. I feel like many of us, me, I'm trying to find that all the time. I'm trying to find connection to each person, but I'm also trying to find a more of a collective spirit. And I feel like music is a way that connects us and dance also. And together, where it's not like a specific band, but it's like a wide variety of like global bass and funk and soul and hip hop and contemporary trap and dubstep and just the hottest, freshest electronic music that's coming out that like has an eclectic sort of reach and it's and we are, we're appealing to all different kinds of ages and people and creating a safe space for something that's typically in a like in a dark club. Right. So, so especially in a really fractured time that we live in right now, I think something we spoke about it being a very divisive time. Yeah. And people just by nature, almost by nature, we're very cut off from each other, whether we're in our vehicles, whether we're, you know, on our computers, on our phones to come to a place that's not only you have that have a connection, but it's a safe space, which is also a much wanted and much needed. And in a value that we work hard at, we've had community meetings around how to create a safe space. We have guidelines that are helpful and printed so people can read and kind of understand like what's appropriate, what's not appropriate. We have like safety, like support people all the time at the dance. So if anything's feeling awkward or uncomfortable, there's a person that someone can go to. It's tricky, you know, dance is a dance is a risque kind of a thing. And yes. And the club and the club energy because we do throw a club night. Like it's like lighting, sound system, professional DJs. It's a hot place to get your dance on. So that has messages and that has cultural connotations. And we're trying to like use that and have that like fun going out at night kind of vibe and then reinvent the culture around it. So the culture is about respect and safety and authentic connection to yourself and to the room. Yeah. Can you talk like what is exact dance? What does it look like? Like how what is it some of the things that are different about ecstatic dance that you won't find at a club? His first thing is it's in a dance studio. So it's on like a gorgeous hardwood floor. People take their shoes and socks off at the door. So there's a stronger connection to the floor. People like aren't just dancing vertically. People are rolling around on the floor and getting way down and also dancing vertically and also I think ecstatic dance, the priority and the value, the shared value is dance, not talking, not socializing. Those are all happening and those are all outcroppings and like totally awesome. Sort of the overflow of our joy, but people are going there to sweat, to move, to get into their body and to connect with other people in a non like in an embodied way. And I get a sense that it's not super structured. Like there aren't specific steps or moves or anything. No, there's no it's it's a free form. So and that's what's also really unique about ecstatic dance is that people are encouraged to express their own individual unique selves. And there are so many moments where I've been looking out at the room and really seeing someone like inhabit their body in a way that's unique to themselves and discovering it for the first time in that way. Like discovering movement. That's not your typical movement to discovering because everyone is encouraging that that's happening everywhere. So you're seeing so many people individually express themselves and then it's contagious and when people find their own movement expression and their own dance, it's a pretty empowering thing. It's like finding a part of yourself. And I think that pollinate really lends itself and opens a space for people to find that part of themselves. How many people generally come to these things and how many are you expecting for June 1st? Millions. We've got a big room. You remember Woodstock? Yeah. I think a lot of people are not going to find their socks and shoes at the end. No, no, no. We have about 80 people that come every month-ish somewhere around there. Like sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less. The room feels full because people are moving so much. So the energy is always alive and circulating. But yeah, generally we get about 80 and we have teenagers, not a whole lot, lots of college kids and a lot of young professionals. And then we have older people, retired people and just it's really a place that's super welcoming and it's pretty amazing to see those kinds of bridges being sort of forged where I see an older gentleman who's like boogieing with a younger guy. Oh, and that's the other thing. It's really, really challenging, heteronormative behavior that happens at clubs. And I'm so psyched about the valley and I want to give a shout out to all the sort of dances that are happening that are creating safe spaces for queer people. And I think that pollinate, you'll see guys dancing with other guys and of course women dancing with other women and it just sort of challenges and opens up like another kind of connection that's not in the heteronormative society that is so often in the club scene. So you'll see an older guy and a younger guy having it out on the dance floor. And it's really awesome to see that. It's really I think it's empowering for for us to to communicate and to connect with people that aren't in our in our little sphere of age and gender. Yeah. So what's changed in 10 years? He started out, this was an offshoot of dance spree. Yeah. So what do you say what's changed over the last 10 years? Ten years is a long time. Ten years is a long time. I know. You want to take it over? OK, good. All right. Good. I think what's changed is like the consistency. I think what's changed is that it's now woven into the fabric of this dance community, this and people identify themselves with going like there. It's on the calendar. It's a constant. It's the first Friday of every month. There's like it's a ritual. Yeah. It's become a ritual for people. And I think that helps. There's a core group of people that just are showing up every time. So it's like we are growing that that sort of cell, that membrane is of of people who are committed and coming every time is just strengthening and growing. And that's the difference. Like 10 years ago, like every single time was like, is anyone going to show up? And now it's just like it's on like every month it's on. And and because Polyne has just gotten out so much as a name, like people are like, oh, yeah, I've heard of that. Oh, yeah. Well, what is that? What is that? So more people like the the reach is getting further and further. So while we have 80 people each time and we have the strong core group, like the people around that are like always circling and cycling and changing, and it's really interesting to see who comes in and who gets impacted by this experience. That's great. So there's there's nourishment at your dances. Yeah, we have mostly a friend of ours, Kalym's. He's got his own business. He's a wonderful, like mostly vegan, but vegetarian, super healthy, simple foods like cashew butters on noodles and or like little like vegetarian sushi wraps and that kind of stuff. Also like cacao, like really good, rich, deep, like chocolate drinks and smoothies. And lately, Kale gets busy. He's he's like the head chef for Unifier and for for dance camp, New England. So he gets busy on the weekends because he's got a lot of gigs. And and there's another woman named Stillwater who comes in and she also just crushes it with the food, just like simple, nourishing, easy to eat and keeps people like energized through the dance. And I was saying I was saying to the other day, like, yeah, we're we're we're alcohol, we're not like strictly alcohol free, but people just don't go there because the intoxication and the energy is so high and the inhibitions are down because people are expressing themselves. So you don't need to like take a substance that's going to like help you dance. Like the energy is the substance that's helping people dance. So then people get tired, right? Like they actually need like food. Yeah, I know, I know, I know. So it's really it's a real blessing to have Kale and Stillwater supporting that and providing that kind of like really high quality nourishment. That's great. Yeah, there's a lot. I mean, so a dance community that I'm a part of is the Contra dance community. Oh, yeah, man. There's a lot of that's a great one. Man, that God just thinking about it gets me dizzy. Right. Yeah. But what strikes me is so many of the things that you're talking about are the exact same things that are trying to be addressed in that community, like the, you know, more challenging gender norms being a more substance free space. But it just it strikes me as like the main big difference is that with ecstatic dance, it's it's kind of this no, no real structure, no rules kind of movement, whereas Contra dance is very prescribed. And you know, you do this and you got to be at this spot at this time. And it's just like a very interesting thing that these two kind of seemingly opposite types of dance are kind of striving to get to the same place. Yeah, it's because the coin it's two sides of the coin and the coin is connection and like I've been to Contra dance and it is really like there is a lot of intentional connection. And while we don't have a setup that creates that, like the vibe and the energy is really encouraging connection. And like we said, people are craving that and I'm creating that. And and I I really get fed off of seeing it. You know, like I'm often really busy at pollinate. So I'm wearing like it's hard for me to totally drop in a lot because I'm wearing a lot of different hats. But just seeing the kinds of connections that are happening is it really nourishes my soul and feeds me. It's why this thing keeps going. And like people like like people have met and gotten married and have children now like from like like a sexy dance that they had to pollinate or like and they were friends before that. And then like something like just clicked, you know, and it's just really it's just wonderful to create a space where anything can happen. Do you see a way to kind of expand that out from so, you know, there's these connections that happen on the floor in in that dance space? Like, do you see a way to create that type of connection in the larger community through dance or through something else? Well, one thing that I really I don't know if this is totally answering the question, but one thing that I always get excited about is trying to partner with other organizations. A few years ago, we did we did an event with Grow Food Northampton. And I'm really excited. I mean, I love what what Tony's doing and I would love to support him. So like creating like ways where other organizations can be represented. That's that was the idea of pollinate was ways that this could be a hub that helps like spread the pollination and the the energy and the focus and the attention to other people that are also like have dreams and want to promote whatever their dreams are. So I think in that way, it ripples out. And yeah, I mean, people people meet, they come every they come every month and and then there's a birthday party that's not happening on a pollinate. And then there's a potluck that's not happening on a pollinate. And then there's like a challenge in the community where like someone someone felt violated and that gets discussed and taken care of outside of pollinate. So there's a lot of ways in which we're wrestling with issues and also celebrating each other in different areas of our lives that like spills out from the hub. Yeah, I mean, those, you know, that's like such a it's such a I'm I'm glad that you address that because like the it's just like people feeling violated or people actually getting you know, abused, attacked or anything like that. And kind of as you were saying before, in a dance space, sometimes that kind of thing can be it can just happen. And well, I mean, in a club, in a club environment, it's like the norm. Right. Right. I mean, the norm is to like for for someone to get like like encroached on and touched without asking, like that's just like fending off. That is sort of what's happening all the time. And so a pollinate because we're creating a safe space and because we're creating a whole foundation of empowerment and encouragement of people to speak up and for resource for there to be resources available that when it does happen in it does not happen very often. But it doesn't not ever happen. That was like a triple negative. I think I got it. It does not ever happen. But when it does, like we rally and we we figure it out and and it's not easy. And it's and I feel like that kind of situation that is popping up more and more in our culture with need to and with just the empowerment that is happening with people's voices being able to speak out. It's it's something that we're that we're addressing and that is a priority and and something that we hold dear and it's a value. And we're not doing it perfectly. There's a big, big learning curve, a giant one for me personally. And I can say that it's it's on my radar all the time now. And it's something that has like deeply, deeply impacted the way I'm seeing a public space. Yeah. Well, thank you so much for for coming in. I really, really appreciate it. And, you know, I think it's such a testament to your organizing and energy that you guys have been around for 10 years. It's hard to let things go. No, but I mean, I'm super excited. I'm super proud of this. And what I'm most excited about is continually trying to step away and see like that's where I see great leadership. Like great leadership is not about sailing the ship for 10 years. Great leadership is like getting the ship to sail and then seeing out who else can sail it. And I'm still working on that. And we're still like really doing our best to empower, encourage other people to step into roles. And that's that's a place where I would love to see pollinate continue to go where it becomes more and more of a truly shared, shared vision. And it is that in people's hearts. And I and I'm really curious about making that also in the in the in the hierarchy and in the power structure. And we'll just see how that goes because that also is a tricky. Yeah, a tricky negotiation and navigation to do. Yeah, well, so awesome. Yeah. Thank you, Brando. Oh, thank you. He's so nice to talk about this. I really appreciate it. Congratulations on your 10 years. Please come. Oh, check it out. You guys all have comps to say that, you know, you're with you're the media and we don't use that. Yeah, just like peek in and see what it's like. That sounds great. Yeah. We we do have like live music to start off. And that's another way to like sort of help people connect. Like some people are just like allergic to canned electronic music or they think they are. And then when you have a like a live cello player playing, it helps people like also get out of being a slave to a rhythm and being a slave to like a four count and it gets people to to really dance like in the melodies of things and listen to more than just the driving rhythm. And I love that because that's where the nuance and where expression can come in, where you get out of the you get out of the the primary rhythm and you get into the melodies underneath a lot of the time. So it empowers people to like open up their dancing and it also connects people to the floor. And it's a very slow and like gentle beginning. And it helps like warm up that organism together. So I really love that we have like live musicians that are playing often at the beginning from like nine to ten and then ten to twelve. We like it's on. Yeah, we we we turn it on. You have an advocate staff party. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Yeah, let's do it. Let's do it. You tell me when where we'll do it. Yeah. Yeah. Thank you so much. Yeah, thank you. I really appreciate your support. Absolutely. Thanks for listening. And don't forget to visit us at valleyadvocate.com.