Featured Teachers 2025
Kevin Meyer walked into a warm and welcoming Sacred Circle Dance gathering in Cambridge, England, in 1989 and it changed the path of his life. In the UK he experienced his first dance camps and fell in love with the energy, magic, inclusiveness, and possibilities of circle dance and the deep experience of community. He lived in Berkeley, California, for several years, but it wasn’t until he moved to Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1993 that he had the time and energy to start facilitating regular circle dance gatherings. He danced at the Holy Mountain Dance Camp in New York, where Shaker’s early morning longdances broke open his heart to even deeper beauty and richness in the dance. With a small group he was mentored by Shaker to facilitate the longdance. He and his wife Diane have now hosted monthly circle dance and longdance gatherings for 25 years. When COVID hit, along with many others they took their teaching online and many dancing friendships around the world were born. Since COVID they have continued to live stream all of their dances, currently via YouTube Live. Kevin loves to choreograph new dances to mystical, extraordinary, enlivening music from many cultures. He and Diane deeply enjoy traveling, dancing, and experiencing delicious local vegan foods. Kevin plays violin, tenor banjo, and hand drums, and takes great pleasure in weaving live music for circle dance when he is not teaching.
Esther Albesa Batalla has lived by Lake Patzcuaro in Michoacan for more than 37 years. She teaches and guides dance circles like Sacred Circle Dance and Paneurhythmy.
Esther is also gifted in natural health practices using medicinal plants and nutrition.
She helped form the Mexican Sacred Circle Dance Festival in 1993; and she has taught dance workshops in many countries. Her gentle and fun-loving approach help awaken people’s experience of different cultures through their varied forms of music and dance.
With gratitude for life, and spreading peace with every step
Esther is also gifted in natural health practices using medicinal plants and nutrition.
She helped form the Mexican Sacred Circle Dance Festival in 1993; and she has taught dance workshops in many countries. Her gentle and fun-loving approach help awaken people’s experience of different cultures through their varied forms of music and dance.
With gratitude for life, and spreading peace with every step
Pat Adams first came upon Sacred Circle Dance in 1985, near Glastonbury, England, and was instantly hooked. A busy home and work life delayed full immersion, but gradually the weekly dance classes became residential weekends and workshops in the UK and then abroad, and by 2004 Pat had established herself in the network as editor of Grapevine and a Guardian Angel in the then Circle Dance Friends Company. Later, as well as setting up and running her own group in her home town of Cardiff, Pat has led workshops at Dance Camp Wales, facilitated a range of dance events, and guested as a teacher for other groups around the country.
Her teaching style is clear, fun and flexible, responding to the needs of the circle; inclusive and empathetic, finding the joy and honouring the spirit of each dance. Her repertoire embraces the energy that flows through an exuberant dance, the silliness of a comic dance, and the deep stillness and focus in meditative movement. She loves travelling to experience dance, and has been inspired by tours in Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. This has increased her love of those traditional dances that have bound communities together for generations. But she also enjoys new dances introduced by the many talented choreographers in the network.
When she is not dancing, Pat enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, painting in a wide range of styles and media, being part of an action theatre group and swimming in the sea.
Her teaching style is clear, fun and flexible, responding to the needs of the circle; inclusive and empathetic, finding the joy and honouring the spirit of each dance. Her repertoire embraces the energy that flows through an exuberant dance, the silliness of a comic dance, and the deep stillness and focus in meditative movement. She loves travelling to experience dance, and has been inspired by tours in Turkey, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. This has increased her love of those traditional dances that have bound communities together for generations. But she also enjoys new dances introduced by the many talented choreographers in the network.
When she is not dancing, Pat enjoys spending time with her children and grandchildren, painting in a wide range of styles and media, being part of an action theatre group and swimming in the sea.
Maureen Atkins, aka "Mo" joined the Bay Area Circle Dancers in 1993 and has been teaching Sacred Circle Dance since 1995. She has been a regular BACD teacher since 2000. In 2008 she started a group in San Leandro and in 2022 she started another group in Ben Lomond. In the past she has organized and led weekend dance retreats, participated in special occasions like church services, weddings, grief groups and has co-facilitated at the Far Horizons Dance Camp/Retreats. In 2022 and 2023 she led workshops on reclaiming personal power through Circle Dance based on her thesis. In June 2023 she was invited to a trauma release workshop hosted by Stefan Freedman where she presented her ideas about reclaiming personal power. “I teach a variety of things…everything from meditative dances to lively ones. I believe that it is important to make newcomers feel welcomed. One thing that drew me to Sacred Circle Dance was the idea that we celebrate all things that make us human. I love being able to put together dances for an evening and at the same time will change what I will teach based on what is going on in the moment.” Over the years she has choreographed a number of dances and is always on the look out for interesting music to dance to. Maureen lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains in Ben Lomond. She is a licensed marriage and family therapist and has a masters degree in counseling psychology with a specialization in somatic psychology. She works as a therapist for a local agency in Santa Cruz.
Our Founders: Marina & John Bear. They will be with us in the Spirit and the delightful Bears Dance session celebrating John’s favorites and Marina’s amazing, enduring choreography.
Marina and John Bear first circle danced in Glastonbury, England in 1984. and established the first circle dance group in California in 1985.
Marina and John Bear first circle danced in Glastonbury, England in 1984. and established the first circle dance group in California in 1985.
