Find community before getting lost in the rhythm at the Barn Jam.
Hosted at White Lotus Farm, this is the second year of jamming out in the barn, which will continue from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10.
“It felt like there was all these young folks living in south and mid county and there weren’t as many public dance gatherings,” said Weston Pratt, who first began the Chimacum Dance Jams at the Chimacum Grange back in 2018.
At the same time, Mark Hardy had just tried hosting his own party at the Cellar Door.
“Weston and I actually each threw our own first dance parties in the area on the exact same night,” Hardy said. “People were talking about how that night was a lot of fun and then they were like, ‘Oh you threw that party at the Grange?’ And I was like, ‘The what? There’s something else doing this?’”
After they connected the dots, they began DJing together which led them to White Lotus Farm for owners Niall and Natalie Motson’s wedding.
“That was the inaugural big dance party in their barn,” Pratt said. “Then me and Mark later on were like, ‘Hey, that is a good party space.’”
The two DJs joined forces with the farm to host last year’s series which included not only spinning beats, but live bands, unique performers, and more.
The first in this year’s series included Cosmo Rapaport doing an aerial act suspended from the beams of the barn, a live-painting session by Mike Biskup, and face bedazzling.
For the upcoming jam, they’ve brought in Feral Fire Flow Arts for a fire-dancing performance and Admiralty Fine Foods will be doing a pop-up out of the space to feed the fire under everyone’s feet.
And to prove the power of their party, they’ve got the same speaker set up from the Concerts on the Dock summer series in Port Townsend provided by Salish Sound.
If that wasn’t enough, they’ve also begun expanding beyond the dance.
“We’re starting to experiment with hosting some workshops beforehand too as a way to make the most of the afternoon/evening,” said White Lotus co-owner Niall Motson.
Before the last event, they hosted “The Not-Creepy Gathering for People Who Want to Fall in Love,” a twist on a singles mixer with an invitation for platonic inquiries as well as romantic.
“This time there’s also going to be a movement workshop put on by Kyle Koch,” Motson added. “He’s big in the parkour, nature connection movement world.”
That will be a separate ticketed event for $25 from 5 to 6:30 p.m., but included in the cost will be entry to the jam.
Those who choose not to do the workshop and instead arrive at 7 p.m. are asked for a $5 or more suggested donation (with no one turned away for lack of funds).
As the event takes on a new life with the ever changing nature of the jam, the organizers are being careful with how they grow.
“We’re trying to find that balance where we really want it to be first and foremost an event for the community locally,” Motson said. “We’re so grateful for the community and so happy with how much people are just showing up and making it a safe space; showing up and supporting each other.”
He also noted how people have brought snacks and drinks to share and have stayed after to help clean up.
“It’s just a good example of the community showing up for itself,” Motson said.
“One of the big possibilities with something like this growing exponentially is you kind of lose that feeling or special vibe that the event has. And I think we’re all really happy with how the events feel right now, so trying to figure out how to morph what we have while maintaining that sense of community is really important,” Hardy said.
Hardy and Pratt have even started their own production company called Tiny Haus Events to see where the rhythm might carry them as they consider how best to stretch.
Those interested in being a part of this growing movement of bodies should also note that parking is limited at White Lotus Farm and attendees are encouraged to carpool with their community as much as possible.
For more information about the event or to reach out with a contribution to future Barn Jams, follow them online at instagram.com/tinyhausevents or facebook.com/whitelotusfarm.