JAD Experience presents LUNAE at Tara Firma Farms

JAD Experience, the trailblazing series uniting regenerative cuisine and world-class ballet, announces LUNAE, its milestone 13th season. Taking place July 17–19 and July 24–26, LUNAE is an immersive evening of farm-to-table dining, world-class ballet under the stars, and deep connection with nature.

Inspired by the 13 lunar cycles of the year, LUNAE’s choreography evokes the timeless rhythms of creation, surrender, and renewal through themes of feminine energy, light, and shadow.

Perched atop Tara Firma Farms (3796 I Street Ext., Petaluma, CA 94952) with sweeping pastoral views, LLUNAE delivers on the original social ritual: shared culinary experience at long tables. Following dinner, an intimate ballet performance unfolds beneath the night sky for just 100 guests each evening.

Evenings begin with arrival and cocktails from 5:30 to 7 p.m., followed by dinner from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The experience continues with the ballet performance from 8:45 to 9:30 p.m., and the evening concludes at 10 p.m.

Free parking is available, and all seating offers excellent views of the open-air stage. Because evenings in Petaluma can cool quickly, guests are encouraged to bring warm layers; blankets and hot chocolate will also be provided. Guests needing assistance may choose between a hayride or a shuttle for accessibility.

Renowned choreographer Julia Adam, an Ottawa native and former San Francisco Ballet principal dancer (1988–2002), has created more than 100 works for companies including Houston Ballet and the National Ballet of Canada.

Featured dancers include David O’matz (Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre), Augi Lehner, Ryan Williams, Saela Rivera-Martinez, Zoe Lucich (Bay Area, Houston Ballet), Harry Warshaw (Ballet Memphis), Lily Mangiaruga (New Orleans Ballet Theatre), Kelsey Mcfalls (freelance, Bay Area), and Tessa Barbour (Smuin Ballet, Bay Area).

Dinner is led by chefs Brian Leitner and Annette Yang of Pearl, presenting a multi-course menu rooted in the farm and its surrounding network. The evening features dishes such as beef tartare, summer succotash, grilled strip loin, and seasonal desserts, alongside substantial vegetarian and vegan offerings.

Ingredients are sourced transparently from Tara Firma Farms and regional partners, including Umbel Roots, Feed Sonoma, True Grass Farms, and Holistic Ag. Beverage pairings include wines from Enkidu and Shokrian, beers from HenHouse and Moonlight Brewing, and house-made nonalcoholic options.

Tara Firma Farms, a working cattle ranch stewarded by JAD co-founder Aaron Lucich, powers this chef-farmer artistry.

In an era shaped by screen addiction and fleeting digital distractions, LUNAE offers a return to genuine human connection through live performance, communal dining, and an extraordinary natural setting.

“LUNAE follows thirteen lunar cycles, with each phase shaping the timing and movement of the choreography,” said Julia Adam, Co-Founder & Choreographer. “The work draws on feminine energy, expressed through exquisite motion, repetition, and release.”

“We need to become conscious that we are just a part of the natural system,” said Aaron Lucich, Co-Founder & Tara Firma Farms Managing Partner. “Land and people heal together. LUNAE's farm-driven feasts at long communal tables, grown from our regenerative soils, model this: dining as unity, ballet as connection, all under the moon to remind us we're a part of nature's own cycles.”