changed:
-
the East Coast Contact Improvisation Jam has been organized by a varying
collection of volunteers over the years (as of 2006, for 20 years).  it is
a gathering of contact improvisation enthusiasts for an extended ci "jam" -
a free-for all ci gathering where practitioners explore where the contact
point, the sensibilities that the dancers bring to it, and the unique
combinations of the moment, take them.

though the jams could be run in many different ways, they have taken a
now familiar shape.

=====================
Where the Jams Happen
=====================
the East Coast Jams have always been conducted at `Claymont Court
Seminars`_, with which we have a warm and friendly history[#].  room and
board is provided as part of the jam fee, and the extensive rural estate
provides tons of opportunity to relax and play, in addition to dancing.

===================================
Who is an East Coast Jam Organizer?
===================================
separate sets of volunteers organize the spring and fall jams.  each of
these small groups is typically constituted by three members, a mix of men
and women.  these volunteers are generally jammers - contact improv
enthusiasts.  they typically do not pay to attend the jams they organize,
and may get some portion of the proceeds above jam costs, depending on the
jam policy (which is set by the organizers).  big take-homes are not the
goal nor, historically, the outcome.  a fine jam is the goal.

an organizer might be:

- able to work well with others in a casual mode (mandatory)
- enthusiastic about jamming, and having the jam work well (this is also a
  key ingredient)
- outgoing, and eager to be in the thick of things, or maybe
- shy, and eager to help things run smoothly from behind the scenes
- compulsive organizers, all too aware of benefits of good planning, or maybe
- compulsive anarchists, all too aware of benefits of spirit and improvisation
- etc, etc...
- any combination of the above, or anywhere in between.:-)

======================
What the Organizers Do...
======================

In Principle
============
i see jam organizers as coordinators, essentially.

jam organizers:

- coordinate the practical arrangements
- coordinate planning of the group activities, in "town meetings"
- are the default go-to guys for exceptional and emergency situations

jam organizers are visible, and expected to try to be available to help
keep the jam running smoothly.  they are not superhuman, and not expected
to be able to handle every situation, but to know who to talk to about
handling it.

i suppose the organizers could be seen as leading, but they can't actually
arrange for dances to happen.  they do their job best when they help the
group find and plan for what it needs to do, rather than acting like tour
guides and providing activities.  in this way, the organizers are
responsible for fostering communication and decision within the group,
maybe helping to guide the choices just as any experienced jammer might.

Phases
======

the specific things the organizers do fall into phases:

- Preparations_
- Beginning_
- Middle_
- End_
- `Jam Followup`_

============
Preparations
============

facilities arrangements
======================

- Secure the space - traditionally, with `Claymont Court Seminars`_.

policy
======

- attendance limits:

  - minimum and maximum number of jammers
  - age sensitivities:

    - at what age is chaperon required?
    - how are the charges varied by age, eg, children at a discount?

- registration prices and schedule

  - ramping of charges to incur cost of late registration and drop-in on
    those doing so
  - granularity - eg, how are partial days charged?  is it per-meal/sleep,
    or per day?  how much

outreach
========
- communications and guidance

  - the respective (spring and fall) jam pages need to be adjusted with
    correct dates, organizer names and contact info, and so forth as the
    info becomes available.  generally, we make the new pages as copies
    of that of the previous year, adapting the schedules and costs
    accordingly.  it's crucial to mark the old pages as obsolete, so people
    don't mistakenly use them, eg send the registration to last years
    registrar (yikes - yes, it's happened, where the previous registrar had
    moved and the registration got lost in limbo).

  - some shared parts of the website need to be adjusted to track who's
    responsible for what job, eg JamRidesCoordination

- jam publicity - not so much selling it, but getting the word out to
  those that would like to know about it

  - commercial ads - CQ, maybe other dance magazines
  - grass roots:

    - post to ci-related mailing lists

      we need to be careful about this, to avoid going beyond merely
      providing useful information and exceeding to the point that we're
      spamming.  for this reason, the central outreach needs to be
      considered and coordinated.

    - engage people to engage others.  for example, in grass-roots outreach
      posts, include a message like this:

        We ask that those fond of the jam help get the word out about it.
        Get in touch w/friends that you'd like to see there, and encourage
        them to get out the word, as well.  The best kind of publicity is
        personal, because it leads to a jam that's personal.  (There's plenty
        enough commerce in the world, already.)

      among the leads to connect with are those people in relevant regions
      in the contact quarterly's "contacts" section

      when contacting those people, ask them to forward our invitation to
      their local jammers, and also to see if there's a regional "dance
      activities" mailing list (which many regions have - there's one for
      dc, one for richmond, etc) and post there, if they feel it's
      appropriate.  we need to resolve a good time or times to suggest such
      submissions.

    - local jam "ambassadors" - contact central people at jams in relevant
      regions (eastern seaboard, mid-northeast, etc) to convey invitations

- web site/guides

  there is too much critical, basic information missing from or unclear on
  the web site - things like registration schedules, guidance about what to
  bring and expect, and generally the fundamental information that a jammer
  needs when attending or considering attending.  i'm hoping this jam
  organizer guide is one bit that may help us rectify the situation.

attendee (jammer) coordination
==============================
- preregistration
- work study
- rides
- special provisions (diet, sleeping, children, disabilities)

jam facilitation
================
- jam physical setup

  - arrive early
  - prepare for jammer arrival:

    - floor-plan/beds-sign-up chart
    - daily-schedule to be filled in w/activities as we go
    - kitchen chores sign-up sheets
    - registration table/prep
    - what else??

  - confer w/claymont liaisons

=========
Beginning
=========

- help arriving jammers register for jam, sleeping space, kitchen chores
- opening circle - help jammers launch into this intensive dancing activity.

  my main concern here is to directing people's attention to the question
  of what they can do to foster a jam they will enjoy.  for many (but
  probably not all), that involves making a good space for dancing.  just
  considering the question - in the context that it's not going to be
  served up to them in a pretty package, they're partly responsible for
  making it happen - may be a crucial part of getting the group
  intelligence engaged in making a good jam.

  some questions i like along these lines:

  - jammer aims and concerns - anything you want to start in motion now?
  - what kind of journey do you tend to have, how would you like it to be
    different, how the same?
  - or, what challenges would you like to have, and what comforts?

  there's another important concern, which is establishing a receptive
  space, so that everyone feels they can join in and participate as they
  would wish.

  it may be good to propose concerned people forming "project" groups to
  take care of particular items, like:

  - the performances/boogie night
  - contact improv orientation and classes for the unfamiliar
  - providing a helping hand/ear to those feeling lost in one way or another
  - maintenance oversight, eg kitchen duty/eating areas

  not only can these groups contribute to the smooth running of the jam,
  they can provide easy opportunities for real, reliable involvement.

======
Middle
======
want to support a balance of open dancing, structured/lead dancing, and
other activities for people to do to replenish from and/or inform dancing.
too little "other" activities and people are prone to isolation when
they're resting/replenishing.  too many "other" activities and it consumes
energy that would go to dancing.  too many people have popped into the barn
yearning to dance only to find it empty, because all their prospective
partners were at the bonfire, some wishing they could expect to find people
at the barn because they'd rather be dancing...

- conduct "town" meetings

  - convey crucial information, answer questions
  - welcome incremental arrivals
  - shepherd town issues, as they arise
  - recruit suggestions and volunteers for jam activities

- coordinate task volunteers

  - work study folks
  - kitchen duty folks (generally, by coordinating with kitchen-shepherd
    work study person)

- answer questions and look out for those who need morale support

  this last item is as important as anything else, but must be conducted
  with the understanding that organizers are not servants, tour guides,
  therapists, or parents.  they're concerned jammers, trying to look out
  for situations that need attention and directing whatever resources the
  group has to it.  organizers are not obligated to handle everything, but
  they should be looking to provide that little extra that may be necessary
  to keep things running well.  hopefully, other jammers are doing so as
  well.

- field exceptional situations - injuries and other emergencies

===
End
===
- accounting and payment meeting with claymont/kit - often saturday morning
  or afternoon
- closing circle: acknowledge ending, and starting whatever's next.

  - make space for closing business
  - make space for closing comments - "is there anything you want to mention
    about your journey?"

- jam communications wrap-up

  - address lists to attendees
  - feedback surveys

    - name (optional)
    - how was your jam?
    - what worked?
    - what didn't work?
    - suggestions?

============
Jam Followup
============

this needs to be filled in, with things like:

- collate and dispatch jammer address list to jammers
- collate surveys
- record disposition on web site:

  - attendance
  - finances?
  - outstanding issues

- debrief
- notes and hints to next jam's organizers

.. _`Claymont Court Seminars`: http://www.claymont.org

.. [#] The people in charge of Claymont Court for the past several years
       are contact improvisers.  Lawton was part of the DC jam for several
       years before returning to Claymont, and Kit was part of the North
       Carolina - triangle area? - jam.