Julia Adam Dance’s dining experience returns in July. (Courtesy of Julia Adam Dance Experience)
Dancers will perform “Animalis” as part of the Julia Adam Dance Experience. (Courtesy of Julia Adam Dance Experience)
The Julia Adam Dance Experience features a multi-course meal and an array of beverages. (Courtesy of Julia Adam Dance Experience)
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Julia Adam Dance’s dining experience returns in July. (Courtesy of Julia Adam Dance Experience)
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When I was first introduced to the unique Julia Adam Dance (JAD) dining experience, now in its 12th year and held since 2019 over two July weekends at the 250-acre Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma, it was difficult to envision a multi-sensory gathering designed to “form connections between people and place through visceral experience and art.” It has since become one of the most memorable and dynamic events of the summer.
The creative collaboration taking place from 5:30 to 10 p.m. July 11 through 13 and 18 through 20 is produced by San Anselmo husband-and-wife team Julia Adam, a former principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet and an accomplished choreographer, and Aaron Lucich, a producer, farmer/rancher and agricultural activist, along with their team of chefs and dancers.
The event is a magical opportunity to dine on a multi-course meal at communal wood farm tables, perched on a hilltop above the land where much of what’s on the plate is grown and raised. After the sun sets, Adam’s ensemble of elite dancers performs on an open-air stage amidst the field grasses under the stars.
Start with wine, cheese and charcuterie just outside the open-air barn and ballet studio, then walk or take a tractor ride up the hillside to the family-style dinner shaped by the week’s bounty from nearby farms, ranches and dairies.
The menu includes vegetables from Umbel Roots Farm and the FEED Cooperative; beef from Holistic Ag, a regenerative grazing operation co-founded by Lucich in 2012; Tara Firma Farms pork; and True Grass Farms lamb.
This year’s featured chef is Brian Leitner, who, along with his partner, Annette Yang, owns and operates Pearl restaurant in downtown Petaluma, which is already deeply connected to the Sonoma County foodshed.
“Their thoughtful and nourishing approach to food perfectly complements JAD’s ethos of creativity and connection to our community,” Lucich shared on Instagram.
“There are so many reasons why this collaboration makes perfect sense,” said Yang during a recent phone call, citing the proximity of their home and restaurant to the farm and the fact that Lucich is a regular at Pearl.
“It’s the ultimate synergistic partnership,” she continued, one rooted in “making delicious food in a beautiful setting, using the products from where you’re standing, meeting like-minded people and having fun.”
While Yang didn’t pin down exactly what’s planned for the evening’s menus, Leitner’s cooking at Pearl reflects a vibrant blend of Mediterranean and North African influences, shaped by his time at Chez Panisse and a wide-ranging culinary background that favors bold, seasonal flavors.
The lineup of proteins often shifts from night to night based on what cuts are available, reflecting the whole-animal philosophy at the heart of the event.
“It keeps things interesting,” Yang said, “and it’s truly serving right from the source, at the source.”
She mentioned that fish might also make an appearance as an appetizer, fitting since the two owned Nettie’s Crab Shack in San Francisco from 2008 to 2013.
Beverages include wine from Enkidu Wines and Shokrian Vineyard, craft brews from HenHouse Brewing Co. and Moonlight Brewing Co., and house-made nonalcoholic creations.
After dinner, take a warm cup of sipping chocolate or bone broth to the outdoor stage for the 12th installment of the JAD series titled “Animalis,” which, set against the pastoral backdrop of a working farm, draws from Orwellian allegory to explore the tension between hope and illusion.
Choreographed by Adam and longtime collaborator Oliver Halkowich, the resident choreographer for New Orleans Ballet Theatre, the piece reimagines the farm setting as both a refuge and battleground, where visions of a perfect world shimmer just beyond reach and the darker edges of idealism take center stage.
This year’s team of dancers includes a soloist and principal from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, a principal dancer with New Orleans Ballet Theatre, a freelance artist with Smuin Contemporary Ballet and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery, and a Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre company member and choreographer.
Tara Firma Farms is at 3796 I St. in Petaluma. Find additional information and purchase all-inclusive tickets ($200 July 11 and 13; $250 July 18 and 20; $300 July 12 and 19) at JADExperience.com.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with comments and find more local food news at therealdealmarin.com.
Originally Published: June 24, 2025 at 12:00 PM PDT