teacher & HOST
merrick jacob
Merrick Jacob is a lover of movement, continuously in awe of the body and its potential for delightful expression, wild creativity, & authentic connection. Influenced by her practices of contact improvisation, figure skating, acroyoga, and hand-balancing, she guides playful movement experiences as an opportunity for deep listening, research, and co-creation. Merrick hosts contact across the SF Bay Area. Say hi here: merrickjacob.com
MUSICIANS
rourke healey & volkan eren
Rourke and Volkan are a live-looping duo who patiently weave melodies together using handpan, flute, turkish tambor, hammer dulcimer, piano and percussion. Through genre-fluid storytelling, they mimic the ephemerality of thoughts and feelings by creating and removing musical phrases. Their performances have been enjoyed at contact improv jams and house concerts around the bay area for their hypnotic layering - building ethereal ambiances into heart pounding crescendos, and back again.
VOLKAN
Turkish multi-instrumentalist Volkan Eren is the host of “Listeners Jam”, a musicians’ gathering in Oakland that encourages musicians to create empathic space for others. After performing with local bands such as “Raw Honey”, “Wasted Talents”, and “Cherry Jam” the quarantine pushed Volkan to create new sets using live looping. At these sets, Volkan mimics the ephemerality of thoughts and feelings by creating and removing musical phrases. Most recently, Volkan has completed an artist residency at Senses and performs at various art performance venues and ceremonial spaces such as the Esalen Institute.
ROURKE
Rourke is an audio alchemist rooted in Berkeley, CA, with a decade of experience sculpting sound. His future-rustic sets are immersive journeys—rising from acoustic atmospheres into intergalactic hoedowns— weaving deep beats with the soulful resonance of live handpan and flute. Through genre-fluid storytelling, Rourke conjures dance floors that pulse with dusty disco, dirt-steppin’ bass, and global folktronica. His sets are sprinkled with nostalgic remixes and medicinal melodies, designed to awaken the heart, move the body, and transport the spirit. Whether under the forest canopy or a city rooftop, Rourke brings a ritual of rhythm that invites connection, joy, and dance-floor catharsis.
