DANCE DHARMA
Weaving sacred sound and big beats to
craft somatically-sensitive movement meditation and ecstatic dance.
Dance Dharma
- a remembering of the body and soul. What is it like to touch the sacred, in joy and in reverence?
About Dance Dharma
Dance Dharma™️ is a movement practice devoted to awakening dancers to a felt sense of deeply grounded awe. Each dance is crafted to accentuate catharsis, healing, and expanded sense of self.
Weaving movement practice, meditation technique, and specific sound technologies, the Dance Dharma teachings are a synthesis of Nina’s primary influences and evolve from her academic research and practice - since the mid-1980s - of flow states and altered awareness through simple movement and meditation (non-drug) practices.
Dance Dharma sets are specifically crafted sound journeys developed as wisdom technologies - sound tools for going inward, sensing deeply, and forging mythic sense-making from this precious life.
About Nina
Nina, aka DJ Radiance, discovered the world of conscious dance in the mid- 2000s while on retreat at Esalen. Within a few days, she found herself dancing 3-5x weekly, discovering so many facets of experience in the process - therapy, retreat, community, identity, church, and exercise. It’s a journey of self-discovery that continues today. Over the years, Nina has cultivated a diverse background in somatic and movement practices, including 5 Rhythms, Open Floor, and Ecstatic Dance.
She is also the founder and owner of two mental and behavioral health companies, where she created a comprehensive framework for behavioral change and an extensive skill-building curriculum to support mental and emotional thriving; she serves as a parent coach and family system strategist to therapists on complex cases. She has a degree in experimental psychology, is trained in music theory, and has conducted scholarly research on ethnomusicology, altered states, and shamanic journeying.
Drawing from this experience and deepened by her 3 decades of somatic, nature, and Theravadan Buddhism meditation study and practice, Nina developed her own movement meditation practice and curriculum. This innovative approach uses carefully crafted music to support highly attuned awareness, deepen healing, and expand participants' sense of self.
As a certified meditation teacher and certified Ecstatic Dance DJ, Nina integrates conscious sdance, behavioral psychology, and deep musical journeys to craft her classes so that participants can explore the intersections of movement, music, and mindfulness.
Nina's teaching style offers a holistic journey into embodied awareness and self-discovery. She invites movers to connect deeply with themselves and the collective energy of the group, fostering a space where personal insights and communal experiences unfold in depth and delight.
About the sound
Curated over decades from countries around the world, Nina’s tracks are woven into sets influenced by innovative sound experimenting DJs such as Fat Boy Slim and Bob Moses, and feature deep house, classic breaks, samba, arab house, world beats, lo fi, old school funk, sacred mantra, and deconstructed found sound. Her sets are mixed live, responding deeply to the bodies and felt sense in the room, following dancers and guiding as needed. Sound is bass heavy and explores a full arc of emotional range, creating a safe and grounded space for play, introspection, joy, and deep transformation.
Dance Dharma - touching the sacred in joy and reverence.
* Cultural Sensitivity Statement. Regarding the use of the term “dharma”: Although Nina considers herself a Buddhist in the Western Buddhist (Theravadan) tradition, she is not of Asian descent. Nina brings humility, acknowledgment, and respect for the original teachings and for the rich and diverse cultures that created and nurtured the teachings, allowing people outside the cultures - like herself - to benefit. Her decades of studying translated Buddhist teachings ground her work in the authentic voices that must be centered. This work is inspired by the skillful qualities that arise from dharma practice, not that the work is in itself a dharma (from Sanskrit root dhri, to support, to hold.). A portion of her earnings are donated to AAPI organizations, including AAPIP, a national philanthropy focused on building a more just and equitable society for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. AAPI DEI consultants contributed to the crafting of this statement.
Stay Connected
For opportunities to dance with Nina, share your email and she’ll send you an occasional email with her offerings.