About Us
In a society of increasing alienation and disconnection, Groundswell Joy Collective seeks to reawaken a sense of belonging, wonder, and connection to the earth and to community through the participatory experiences of Storytelling, Song, Dance, and Silence. We engage traditions that celebrate the cyclical rhythms of nature and our human connection to the land.
Our emerging collective has been inspired by the writings of Angeles Arrien, a cross-cultural anthropologist who made popular in western society the obvious truth that—for millennia, in diverse and traditional cultures—Dancing, Singing, Storytelling, and Silence serve as the four “universal healing salves.”
“Where we have stopped dancing, singing, being enchanted by stories or finding comfort in silence is where we have experienced the loss of soul. Dancing, singing, storytelling and silence are the four universal healing salves.”
What We Do
storytelling, song, dance, silence
Brigid’s Flame: A Tale of Spring Annual Production
Folk Dancing
Community Singing
Rooting in Silence and the Rhythms of Nature
Our History
Since 2013, a grassroots, volunteer group of women in the wider area of Dubuque, IA have been regularly offering songs of comfort, healing, and courage to people on transitions and thresholds in life — from birth to death. Over the years, the “Safe Passage Singers” has expanded and deepened into a strong collective of women who gather monthly to build community through sharing songs in the oral tradition and to keep the spirit of community singing alive.
Many who join have found this form of non-competitive singing to be a healing experience of building community. As our mission statement reads, “We welcome all voices and require no singing experience — just a desire to sing with others in community.”
In 2016, recognizing that folk traditions such as live music, song, and community dance have cultivated joy and human connection in small rural communities for millennia, Mary Kay McDermott began to organize and lead community folk dances in the area.
Out of this growing movement to strengthen community through the participatory arts, the idea of the Groundswell Joy Collective was born. GJC plans to continue to regularly weave the “four universal healing salves” of Song, Story, Dance, and Silence into our community year round!
In 2025, GJC received the fiscal sponsorship of the Dubuque County Fine Arts Society, a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization. Such a partnership has already begun helping us to expand the possibilities of community participation!