This week’s Dance First Member Spotlight shines  on Melissa Michaels and the Golden Bridge Team! Melissa is a social artist dedicated to promoting collective renewal through the liberation of the creative spirit. She is the founder of Golden Bridge, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving and empowering people through body-centred initiatory processes, mentoring, and community action. A first-generation teacher of the 5Rhythms®️ and a Registered Somatic Educator and Therapist, Melissa holds a doctorate degree in Education, Leadership and Change.

Melissa’s work with Golden Bridge has focused on mapping the journey from trauma to dynamic well-being using the expressive and social arts to establish the body and heart as resources for authentic expression and diverse community connections. Rooted in rhythm and spirit , Melissa’s work inspires the sacred union between spirit, flesh, psych, and deed.

Golden Bridge works on an individual and community level, healing as they help to move into collaborative service and leadership. The foundation of each program is grounded in somatic, dance-based processes focused on educating people to renegotiate trauma within their body and express themselves in an authentic, life-serving way. Each Golden Bridge team member is dedicated to providing a meaningful and spiritually guided somatic experience.

With regularly scheduled events in Boulder, Colorado, Melissa and the Golden Bridge team offer a variety of movement-based workshops and classes. The Sunday Movement Mass joins each member together in celebratory community, guiding participants to connect with their vulnerabilities and their vast creative intelligence. These masses take place in the Avenue Ballroom or the Boulder JCC, both in Boulder, Colorado.

Other upcoming events include the Revival Spring Dance on Friday, April 10th and the Rhythms 5Rhythm Movement Experience on Friday, April 10th and Wednesday, May 6th. Join Melissa for a night of deep dancing and live music at the Revival Spring Dance, where participants will be encouraged to revive, recharge, and renew in the spirit of spring and new beginnings. Looking for something a little more regular? The Rhythms Experience is a recurring monthly event dives into the rich landscapes of Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness movement as developed by Gabrielle Roth. Come as you are and experience movement in a creative and freeing environment.

More information on Golden Bridge and Melissa Michaels can be found here.