I was among a cohort of folks who signed up for a two-week visitor program at Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage from April 17 to May 1, 2022. I am interested in living in an intentional community and Dancing Rabbit seems to be well known in this community of communities.  It is also, I found out, very active in promoting intentional communities as well as itself. Here are some of my impressions of my two-week visit.

I find Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage to be funky, original, eclectic, alive and happening. Of course, there is more to the story than this but these are my initial impressions.  

I prize the consensus way of making decisions. Our cohort got to sit in on a community meeting about the CRP land issue. I found the meeting to be very productive, well run, with good discussions being held. All in a tactful manner. I could hear strong opinions being expressed but it was not an attack, just a statement. 

I really enjoyed the village layout of the houses, with only footpaths. Each property is a called a "warren". These areas are protected by community agreement as being private, even though there are no fences.  The houses are relatively close together – the houses are small – some with only a 100 sq ft footprint or a little bigger. The layout and architecture are based on the book, A Pattern Language, by Christopher Alexander. I was pleasantly surprised to hear about his influence. I found him over 10 years ago and he influenced me in the design and building of my house.

We got to eat some really wonderful food. One of my pleasures was the fresh milk, with cream on top. Another was the cheeses made from the fresh milk. There was a hard cheese, soft cheeses, and yogurt as I recall.

All with more flavor and with a probiotic inclination than the cheeses I have had in the past. There were also vegan and vegetarian delights as well as meat dishes, which I cannot recall with any detail – just that we ate very well and bountifully. The hosts also shared ferments, pickles and spicy sauces with us. We visited several different kitchens and my favorite was Ironweed. It is so cozy and multi-level with a circular flow in its floor plan. It has a chicken TV which is a window looking into the chicken coop. As well as the best dish draining rack I have ever seen. 

By moving to Dancing Rabbit I would satisfy some of my important needs. I would be part of a community of like-minded folks living in the country, not in a city.  I would be living more simply than I do now with a lower impact on the earth. I would have the opportunity to contribute to a cause greater than myself. I could be physically active doing work on the land, in my garden, or practicing my handyman and carpentry skills. I could create and construct a tiny house for myself according to my design and needs. And it is very affordable to my understanding of the rules. It will require a time living in the community to see how it would be for me of course. But I do have a positive outlook on the possibility.  Dancing Rabbit is the first community that I have visited. 

The community does need more energy and input. The community leaders are making an effort to grow the community with compatible folks. I think they are all too aware the community needs more folks. It is a good place with some good folks – I do hope it grows and prospers. There are other folks like me looking for a new culture and a new way of life. 

- Carl Doby

View south from the hill, looking at the village.