Registration for Camp CONTACT

Camp Details Meals FAQ Register Events Wish List LNT What to Bring

So… you want to live at Camp CONTACT for Burning Man 2008?

Fabulous!

a few notes…

First, registering is just for living at contact camp… everyone is quite welcome to come by and participate in classes, jams, and events… it is our mission at Camp CONTACT to make an inviting atmosphere for everyone to experience contact improvisation and related arts.

Second, Living at Camp CONTACT is primarily for people who already have at least a small amount of experience with Contact Improvisation. If you are simply looking for a friendly place to camp, we would be happy to point you in other directions, as there are a number of friendly healing and body art oriented camp camps that are less specifically focused. Check out the FAQs page for more details.

If you still would like to live with us, then read on …

We ask the following of everyone who is signing up to live at Camp Contact:

  1. That you already have an ongoing practice in contact improvisation or the dance world, whether in professional dance, the community/jam scene, or the space of contact workshops.  If you are coming with a partner or close friend who is involved with contact, we may overlook this request.
  2. That you show up on playa by Monday, August 25 at 6pm for the opening meeting-helpful but not required.
  3. That sign up to do a share of four work shifts on playa during the week … (4 shifts of roughly an hour of clean, cook, etc)
  4. That you put in a minimum financial contribution. (see below for amounts and how to get it to us).
  5. That you commit to show up for two of the six work parties:

If you are not able to participate in these work parties, you can pay your way out for an additional contribution of $45.00 per work party that you can’t or don’t participate in.  If you are planning on doing this for at least one work party credit, please sign up here; for a second work party, also sign up here.   If you are a no-show for a work party, we will ask for this contribution when you arrive at camp.

If you can’t quite manage all of this for some reason but are still super-keen to camp with us, write and have a chat.  Sometimes, we can have a little flex, particularly for people who are coming longer distances and have travel restrictions… Also, while we really do want most of the camp here by Monday. If you are not able to come until later in the week, we ask that you get in touch with Brooking, our Meal & Kitchen manager to find out what greens and other fresh groceries we might need (expenses reimbursable) and we will work with you.

We have been on Playa for three years and have developed a lot of institutional knowledge about how to make a theme camp work, and about how to make living in Black Rock City a rewarding experience. As a part of living in our camp and offering the gifts of Contact Improv to the community, we offer back a space that has many amenities and a supportive community of contact improvisers.

The First step is to register for Camp CONTACT. You will be able to indicate your contact info, what day you plan on getting to the playa, where you are coming from/how you plan to get to the playa, if you either have a ride to offer or are in need of a ride (and where from/back to), what you can show up for Bus Loading/Inventory, Set-up #1, Set-up #2, Break-down, or Storage. Add into that anything about if you might be able to take on some work tasks leading up to the burn, if you have anything infrastructurally you might be able to offer, and anything you would like to add about how you would like to participate in contact camp (including if you would like to teach.). There is also a ride board and a place to indicate how you’re getting to and from the playa.

The Second step is to send in payment. Your financial contribution goes to to cover expenses…dance structures, living structures, kitchen, food, showers, transport of stuff, etc. Given that a) the cost per person goes up as we become a larger group and b) it makes life easier when we get earlier commitments, the minimum contribution we ask for goes up as more people register. For minimum contributions, we are asking:

$205 if you register between August 1st-August 15th

$230 if you register between August 16th-August 21st (reg closes the 21st)

This is a minimum amount, and if you can put in more, you are highly encouraged to, so we can funnel it into various forms of improved infrastructure. We will take 80 or so in the camp, which number we will reevaluate as we get closer. The aim this year is for a more community centered camp. Campers from previous years are especially welcome, as are their friends, but we are always open to newcomers.

Three ways to send us money. You can:

  • paypal to campcontact@campcontact.org.
  • give cash in person to either Darrell Duane (the coordinator for 2008)
  • send a check –write the check out to Darrell Duane, 3110 13th St NW, Washington, DC 20010. If taking this method, please send an e-mail to burningcontact@gmail.com and let us know that you are doing this.

If for some reason you have to cancel before the burn and you have sent money in, we would send money back but ask to keep $45, as long as you cancel by August 15. (Just want to make sure people have a sense of committing and also know that as we receive money, we tend to budget it into things and spend it on infrastructure and such… i.e. getting it back once spent is challenging.). After the 15th of August, we will not guarantee reimbursement.

Important note: this does NOT cover your burning man ticket which you must buy from Burning Man, and these are already on sale at $295 each. Cheaper tickets may be found through sources who are already purchased tickets and are selling them. Tickets will not be sold at the gate this year, they must be purchased ahead of time.

Please also do sign up on the Burning Contact Community listserv, and on Burning contact tribe to be part of the dialogue leading up to camp… this is an online conversation site for logistics and creative visioning (the one supporting the other). Go to www.tribe.net and create an account, then search for and join the burningcontact tribe… the whole process of figuring the system out will probably take about 15 minutes at most, (though there is endless distraction to be found once you are connected to tribe). Here we will do a bit of public dreaming about what we would like to do there.

Again, the registration is just for Living at Contact Camp. All are welcome to drop by and participate in events, and you don’t need to register with us for that (though if you would like to be very involved but are going to be camping elsewhere, do let us know so we can keep you in the loop).

We are in need of publicity for this years camp.  A flyer has been created and can be downloaded here. Please print a few of these out and bring them to your local dance studio or contact jam event.  Also, please join our facebook event.

peace,

Progress Darrell (burningcontact@gmail.com)

Camp CONTACT Coordinator