Marta has been part of AMC since she moved to Asheville from Surfside, FL in 2008. She has been teaching movement for over 20 years, using music and movements from around the world.

She loves to motivate people to find freedom in their bodies so they can dance to the spirit of the music.

“I was dancing in my father’s arms before I was walking. When I dance, I feel ageless. Through movement I have found my inner power. My light shines brightest on the dance floor.”

Cat’s earliest and most cherished memories from childhood are of days spent dancing. Since 2010, when Cat fell in love with the practice of hoopdance, she has been on a journey of self discovery through her daily dance and movement practice. Cat believes dance is an incredible tool for connection and healing, not only for the individual but also the collective. As a facilitator, she aim’s to curate music into sensorial soundscapes of a wide variety, evoking a deeply transformative and wildly expressive dance experience. She also holds it down behind the scenes serving in several functional roles for the organization. On her off time you can find her studying the stars, practicing yoga, hiking, and connecting with community. You can listen to her mixes on her soundcloud.

“Dancing together heals the heart of humanity. On the dance floor, we shine the light of our souls, we remember our oneness, and we open our hearts to love.”

11 years after founding the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that AMC converted to, Bob left the Executive Treasurer, officer, board, Core and Joint positions he had served in.  He still helps the AMC nonprofit with payroll tax and IRS reporting, and might be willing to do music for a party sometimes.  Bob is a public health educator/activist and former accounting professional who is passionate about health equity, gender equity, racial equity, social justice, economic justice, nonprofits and food co-ops.

Mikaya started playing for AMC in 2019 as a Guest DJ and is now a Facilitator. He brings a wide range of experience as an ecstatic dance DJ and facilitator with years of experience creating journeys that cover a broad spectrum of musical genres including downtempo, house, bass music, glitch hop, world beats, classical and ambient. He also was the founder and resident dj for Dance Church Maui for 8 years and has been dj at various festivals, yoga retreats and yoga classes. You can listen to his mixes at SoundCloud.com/mikayaswabb

When Victoria was introduced to AMC, she discovered a new way of expression, communication, trust, and honesty. Even though she always loved to dance, this dance has helped her express herself in new ways. Dance helps her discover new strengths and weaknesses. Dance is part of her healing, transformation, and spiritual practice. She is grateful to be part of this community.

Victoria sends our weekly newsletter and updates AMC’s website with news and weekly events.

Ted is interested in anything that can get him out of his head, and music and movement do a pretty good job of that. He hopes to offer music that facilitates an inner journey and invitations that create a shift. You can hear some of his mixes on Mixcloud. For his day job, he tries to comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable, little by little, via www.tedriskin.com, www.groupkap.com, and www.ifsessentials.com.

Conway remembers the moment when her first grade teacher Mrs. Dean lined up the girls, put Tchaikovsky on the record players and said “Pretend your a flower”. That ecstatic meeting of music and creativity was a life gift. Thanks Mrs. Dean!

She has been a part of AMC from its humble beginnings and thinks its the most wonderful organization and community that there dan be. The Dancer Path has given her healing, transcendence, sustenance through numerous life transitions, and deep exploration of the many realms of the self. She hopes to meet you on the dance floor!

If you want to know more about her work as a somatic psychotherapist, you can visit her website www.conwayweary.com

“The Dancer Path is to play with the world in wonder, spontaneity, passion and joy. It’s a path that helps the inside meet the outside, the body meet the spirit and the healer meet the wound.”

Holding sacred space for others is an integral part of our lives. Robert creates live-mix ecstatic dance waves by digging into an extensive catalog of music he has collected for over 25 years, ranging from angelic vocals to hard hitting bass. He cultivates the music to be a heart centered journey that can allow any emotion expression. Amanda supports in creating the container by lovingly calling in the unique invitation of the dance through her beautiful altar and words. We have been honored to raise our 3 children in this loving community. Practicing massage therapy since 2004, we own and practice at the Asheville Massage Center in the Heart House of West Asheville. We love giving and receiving massage therapy to the world and love helping our clients discover their root causes of any discomfort they may be experiencing.

We really enjoy creating containers for others to discover and express and AMC has been an amazing outlet for our artistic creativity to flourish and share with the community. We have been supportive members of AMC since 2008.

“If you just set people in motion, they’ll heal themselves.” Gabrielle Roth

Rory is a singer/songwriter and performs as a solo artist with guitar, harmonica, and vocals in different venues and at times you may see him busking downtown Asheville. Rory stepped into Ecstatic Dance in Houston, TX for the first time in 2014 and believes in the power of dance to transform and bring a healthier, happier, and connected lifestyle. It is that driving force and passion that pushes him to explore the role of being an ecstatic dance facilitator using world rhythms and different musical genres to weave mixes that incorporate many elements of Gabrielle Roth’s 5 Rhythms.

Rory found a home with AMC in 2021 knowing it was a magical place where all these elements live and thrive. He started out as a Guest DJ and adheres to AMC’s Vision, Mission and Aims by making the commitment to follow through with the pathway to become a facilitator. This was achieved on 8/21/22 and now he is on his journey to continually provide a safe and energized space for all to experience the magic of music through the full expression of movement.