movement as medicine
Freedom Dance offers embodiment practice to expand our capacity for presence, joy, and connection in the personal and collective body.
We curate soundscapes with guidance for you to access your body’s wisdom through freestyle movement.
Freedom Dance is a BIPOC space.
Decolonization begins with the body. Freedom dance bridges embodiment, spirit, care, and justice.
Who are we?
We are a collective of teachers trained in multiple modalities of conscious dance including The 5 Rhythms, Open Floor International, and The 360 Emergence.
meet founder & core teacher:
Sapana Doshi
Sapana Doshi, PhD (she/they) is a mind-body teacher committed to healing, justice, and liberation from the personal to the global. Sapana is trained in two embodiment and conscious dance practices: as a facilitator of The 360 Emergence and as a teacher of Open Floor. She founded Freedom Dance in 2023 with Merge and Emerge, a laboratory for embodied decolonization that drinks from the well of The 360 Emergence.
Dr. Doshi is also a political geographer and professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Merced where she researches and teaches on global capitalism, body politics and social mobilization, and embodied liberation pedagogy. As a life-long learner and shape-shifter, Sapana is deeply rooted in and humbled by 25 years of Vipassana meditation practice.
meet core teacher:
Sylvie Minot
Sylvie Minot (she/they) received her BA in Dance from San Jose State University and a Master's Degree in Theology in Spirituality and Holistic Health. She is a certified 5Rhythms® Teacher trained by 5Rhythms founder Gabrielle Roth and a Heartbeat teacher.
She is the founder of Syzygy Dance Project, a non-profit organization and since 2010 has brought dance to outreach populations such as veterans, at-risk youths, people in recovery ,the elderly, and healthcare professionals. Her work also includes movement and racial justice.
Sylvie has studied psychology, indigenous healing rituals, energy medicine, and sound healing. The teachings of cultural anthropologist Angeles Arrien, author Caroline Myss, and Peruvian sound healer Tito La Rosa inspire her.
Since 2000, Sylvie has taught dance classes and workshops throughout the States and around the world. Sylvie is often described as a catalytic shape-shifter because of her ability to meet people right where they are and move with them into new possibilities.
meet core teacher:
Kamla Sufi
For decades, Kamla Sufi (she/her) has led somatic wellness classes. Her unique approach combines teaching to different modalities, abilities and mobilities while always including two essential ingredients: Joy and Love. Through her work, she inspires people of all ages to live more embodied lives.
Kamla is a passionate world traveler specializing in offering Hatha yoga, meditation, freestyle dance and various somatic practices. With a Master’s Degree in Education, she inspires individuals to shine from within through cognitive, emotional, and physical exploration.
Kamla's diverse background includes roles as a high school French teacher, public school administrator in the Bay Area, Family and Personal Success Coach, yoga studio owner, Open Floor International teacher, dj and wedding officiant. As a proud single mom of two young adults, she understands the importance of balance and well-being, while striving and soaring towards a celebrated self.
We are expanding our collective with guest teachers. Stay tuned!
