How to Become a Resident / Member
Dancing Rabbit isn’t just a place, it’s a lifestyle. Moving here is also a multistep process.
- Get to know us and let us get to know you. We recommend that folks who are interested in moving here come visit DR via our Visitor Program or our Work Exchange Program. These programs are designed to answer the many questions folks have about moving here and they enable visitors to interact with current Dancing Rabbit members.
- Apply for residency. This step only becomes an option once you have visited DR in person (usually for at least a week) and gotten to know the community a bit. At this point, you can contact the Membership And Residency Committee (MARC) and write a “Letter of Intent” for the community describing, among other things,
- Reasons for wishing to join Dancing Rabbit
- Ways you will contribute to Dancing Rabbit
- How you intend to meet your needs here (financial, social , spiritual, physical).
- Do a residency interview. If your residency survey gets enough support, you move on to an interview. Rather than an inquisition, this interview is more of a reflection opportunity and reality check for both sides. Based on the interview MARC issues a recommendation for or against residency. Members of Dancing Rabbit have two weeks to comment on MARC’s recommendation before the decision becomes final.
- Become a resident. When approved as a new resident you sign a residency agreement, which is a document outlining rules for behavior that could affect other people in the village, the project, or property. As a resident you may rent land, but may not build or hold warren leases – most tent or rent a room/space/house. Residents live here at Dancing Rabbit as members live: they are expected to participate in work rotations, utilize the vehicle cooperative instead of driving a personal vehicle, and are encouraged to serve on committees. You get a VCC bill along with any other co-op bills they incur through use. The main difference between members and residents is that residents cannot buy or build a home here or block consensus on member decisions.
- Live here for 6 months. We recognize that moving to Dancing Rabbit is often a major life change. The residency period is designed to provide room for exploration, to find what fits and what doesn’t, if Dancing Rabbit is right for you, and vice versa.
- Apply for membership. After six months of residency, you become eligible for membership and can apply to be a member. Ideally, during the residency period, you took the opportunity to get to know as many Dancing Rabbit members as possible; to work, play, and possibly even disagree and resolve conflict. The more realistic the residency experience the easier the decision-making becomes.
- The membership application process is similar to the residency process, involving a self evaluation, a community survey, and an interview with the Membership and Residency Committee (MARC)
- Residents can also opt to extend their residency for up to two years if 6 months doesn’t feel like adequate time to make a decision
- Become an official member of the Dancing Rabbit Ecovillage! When you become a member you sign a membership agreement, in which you agree to abide by the covenants and keep the sustainability guidelines in mind.
- If living at Dancing Rabbit interests you, click here to check out our visitor program!
Dancing Rabbit fosters a fulfilling and vibrant life for many members, but like any community, we’re a work in progress. We’re all individuals with quirks and imperfections, and that goes for our community as well. Moving here won’t be a magic solution – challenges you face may even come to a sharper focus as you navigate close quarters (think living with a lot of roommates!) and big lifestyle adjustments in a rustic, rural setting. It is best not to come here looking for utopia, but rather seeking opportunities to grow and bring your ideals into the messy world of reality.