JAD Experience presents ANIMALIS at Tara Firma Farms

The all-inclusive tickets are available at JADexperience.com

• $200 for Opening Night on Friday, July 11, and Sunday, July 13;

• $250 for Friday, July 18, and Sunday, July 20;

• $300 for Saturday, July 12, and July 19

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JAD Experience proudly presents ANIMALIS, the twelfth installment of its immersive, multisensory experience taking place over two weekends, July 11–13 and 18–20. Set atop the rolling terrain of Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma with sweeping views of surrounding hills, the open-air performance and dining venture draws thematic inspiration from George Orwell's Animal Farm.

Each evening starts with a family-style multi-course, farm-to-table feast utilizing transparently sourced food from the local bounty of Sonoma and Marin Counties. Then, guests will gather with steaming cups of sipping chocolate and bone broth at the outdoor stage for the world premiere of the ballet by renowned choreographer and former San Francisco Ballet principal Julia Adam and her corps of elite dancers.

JAD Experience is the creative partnership between Adam and her husband, Aaron Lucich, a producer, farmer/rancher, and agricultural activist. The two have cultivated a rich team of talented artists and artisans to create a transformational experience under the stars. ANIMALIS is the twelfth installment of JAD's series designed to spark the wisdom of what ties us together through community, art, food, and the natural world. The project has evolved an in-situ approach to cuisine (Lucich produces the proteins on site).

Join JAD for an evening of dance and dinner high upon the hills of Northern California, where literary allegory meets physical landscape in a powerful performance experience.

Drawing on George Orwell's Animal Farm and the raven's haunting vision of Sugarcandy Mountain—a promised paradise where "it was Sunday seven days a week"—ANIMALIS reimagines the hilltop as both a sanctuary and stage. As visitors gather on this elevated ground, they'll explore the seductive pull of utopian dreams and the cautionary truths Orwell embedded in his timeless fable. Through movement, meal, and the natural amphitheater of the Northern California landscape, this performance examines the corrupting nature of power and the eternal human longing for paradise. The hill becomes Sugarcandy Mountain—a place of beauty and promise and a reminder of how easily hope can be manipulated and dreams can mask harsh realities.

An evening of art, sustenance, and reflection awaits those ready to ascend the mountain and confront the questions Orwell dared us to ask.

This year marks a new collaboration with local restaurant Pearl. Owners Chef Brian Leitner and Manager Front of House Annette Yang will lead the culinary adventure. "I feel really fortunate about the great evolving food scene in Petaluma, and Pearl is my favorite lunch spot," said Lucich. "Chatting with Annette at the counter, I learned the two met while working at Gordon's House of Fine Eats in San Francisco in the '90s, where I spent many evenings eating at the bar. Knowing I wanted to reboot the kitchen this year, it seemed like a perfect collaboration opportunity. I was thrilled when they said yes, they fit the ethos of what we're doing."

Leitner will lead a diverse, talented team through the six-night, nose-to-tail culinary adventure. The menu also includes robust alternatives for vegetarians and vegans. Local purveyors include Tara Firma Farms, Umbel Roots, Feed Sonoma, True Grass Farms, and Holistic Ag, among others. Beverages include Enkidu and Shokrian wines, Hen House and Moonlight beers, and house-made non-alcoholic offerings.

Julia shares the choreographic helm with Oliver Halkowich, who has delighted audiences dancing in all but two of the company's projects. JAD's ever-evolving team of dancers will interpret the unique brand of storytelling as it continues to morph with spoken word, song, and broad exploration beyond the fourth wall, moving and inspiring a deeper connection to each other and the world around us.

A limited number of tickets are now on sale for the six gatherings of ANIMALIS during the weekends of July 11–13 and July 18–20, from 5:30 pm – 10 pm, at Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma. Tickets are $200, $250, and $300, and they are available at JADexperience.com. 

About Julia and Aaron

Julia Adam hails from Ottawa, Ontario. At age 13, she entered the National Ballet School in Toronto and, upon graduation in 1983, spent five years with the National Ballet of Canada. She joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1988, becoming a principal dancer in 1996. Among the choreographers that created works for her are Helgi Tomasson, Mark Morris, James Kudelka, David Bintly, and many more. In 2002, Adam retired from dancing and quickly gained recognition as one of the dance world's rising talents in choreography. In 1993, she choreographed her first ballet, The Medium is the Message, for the San Francisco Ballet's Choreographic Workshop, drawing attention for her uncanny wit and unique sense of music. Since 1996, Adam has been commissioned to create over 100 works for companies, including San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, Arizona Ballet, Ballet Met, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Cincinnati Ballet and more. Adam spent three years as an Artistic Associate for Ballet Memphis and has over 10 works in their repertoire. While home in Marin, Julia teaches and choreographs for the Diablo Ballet and Marin Ballet. She has been featured in Dance Magazine and The New York Times and received the Isadora Duncan Award for Choreography.

Aaron Lucich, a communications professional from the SF Bay Area, developed and produced content for a wide range of clients, including NETFLIX, MSNBC, Newscorp, Comcast, FleishmanHillard, Edelman, VISA, and Ernst & Young. He changed course in 2005 to research and document the leadership of ecological agriculture. In 2012, he founded Holistic Ag, an ecosystem services company that advocates, promotes, and practices holistically managed land stewardship and agricultural production. Holistic Ag was the Conservation Grazing Partner at Pepperwood Preserve in Santa Rosa for 10 years and is now based at Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma. He has managed farming operations and brand development for Traders Point Creamery in Zionsville, IN, and consulted with numerous land-based organizations, including the Sustainable Studies Institute (Soil Food Web), ZZ2 in South Africa, the MA Center in San Ramon, CA, and Biological Capital in Denver, CO. He regenerates land with cattle and is Managing Partner of Tara Firma Farms.