AMC has been dancing in one form or another since February of 2000, when a group of women, inspired by Gabrielle Roth’s “Sweat Your Prayers”, began regularly gathering to dance together. In the the fall of 2003, the group officially became “Asheville Movement Collective”.
Around the same time, the group’s founder passed her mantle to four core members, the Core 4, who were part of the original practice group.
25’s a Crowd
Working within a simple structure, the leadership facilitated meetings open to the community where issues could be addressed and dancers could be heard. At that time, the community was small—25 dancers was considered a large crowd—which was sustainable within that simple structure. As the community grew, AMC moved into a larger space (what used to be the Asheville Arts Center on Merrimon Avenue) to accommodate new dancers. Once at the Arts Center, the number of dancers quickly grew.
Sociocracy
Recognizing a need to pause and consolidate after a period of intense transition, the open meetings were closed to the community so the leadership could re-nourish and clarify from within. To quote, “We knew that this is what our community deserved—a committed, energized, organized core willing to do the hard work of consensus leadership.”
In 2009 AMC adopted a form of governance called Sociocracy, also called Dynamic Governance. This way of governing aimed to support equality, transparency, and inclusivity around decision-making.
By then, AMC had grown into a vibrant community that required a large space to dance in every week. Facing pragmatic venue and financial concerns, a group of thirteen dancers came together in January of 2011 to officially form the Asheville Movement Community.
The following year, six of those partners committed to becoming a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization in an effort to sustainably fulfill our vision: a world that moves in harmony where all are free to be their authentic selves in loving community.
AMC was recognized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization in September, 2014!
Between 2012 and 2014, we danced in six different locations and held over 450 dances with 23,000 dancers. Between our events and stewarding of the organization, we recorded over 4,500 volunteer hours.
Our recent efforts are only possible because of the dancers and facilitators who have come before us; they formed the foundation of where, and who, we are today.
We wouldn’t be here if several women hadn’t had the courage to meet and dance in a living room. We wouldn’t be here if dancers hadn’t stepped forward as leaders devoted as stewards of the space. We wouldn’t be here if the movement hadn’t opened itself to the hundreds of volunteers that have given in service to our dance community.
We are the Asheville Movement Collective! Dance Forever!