Dance and Movement with Aliza Rivka

BOARD CERTIFIED DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPIST KOHENET HEBREW PRIESTESS

Hello! I'm Aliza: first and foremost a dancer, here to remind you of your true nature and power. I'm on a mission to generate more joy, freedom, embodiment, celebration and aliveness in this world through dance.

I believe that movement is one of the best ways we can quiet the mind and bring ourselves home to the present moment - where we remember ourselves as what we truly are: empowered and conscious creators.

I've been a dancer my whole life. My passion for movement continued through college, where I earned my BA in Dance from Columbia University in New York City. After living a dream of dancing professionally for 5 years, and discovering the 5Rhythms Movement Map, I found myself drawn to more deeply explore the shamanic and healing roots of dance.

This led me to study Dance/Movement Therapy at Sarah Lawrence College, where I earned my Master’s of Science. At Sarah Lawrence, I was also able to continue my studies in Jewish Mysticism and weave these two passions together in a Master's Thesis titled, Miriam's Circle Dance: Movement as a Bridge Between Worlds.

In this thesis, I found delight researching the life journeys of 3 Jewish teachers of movement: Emilie Conrad (creator of Continuum Movement), Janet Adler (Authentic Movement) & Anna Halprin (The Life/Art Process). Each of these women became an inspiration in how she managed to turn her own personal and ancestral pain into a healing offering, expressed as a movement practice, for the collective.

My own work is informed by each of these movement modalities, as well as the 5Rhythms and Sofiah Thom's Temple Body Arts: School of Sacred Sensuality and Dance.

I bow with gratitude to all of my teachers, those listed above and also Rebecca Lawson, Robin Becker, Stephanie Liapis, Margi Young, plus too many more to name. Additionally, Rabbi Jill Hammer, Taya Shere and Shoshana Jedwab, creators of Kohenet: The Hebrew Priestess Institute where I received smicha (ordination) in 2017 along with the priestess title Kohenet Machalat Safah: Dancer at the Edge of the Deep.​

I have worked extensively as a ritualist and dance/movement guide in Jewish communities and also in geriatric care as a creative arts therapist. In 2018, nudged by a health crisis, I moved from the concrete jungle of New York City to the lush jungles of Costa Rica, where I began to host and facilitate ecstatic dance events. That journey continues in 2021 at the Imiloa Institute, where I've helped to build local community during a pandemic through Imiloa's signature event, Soul Sundays.

In addition to sharing dance in a range of contexts and communities, I am currently blessed to serve as the Program Manager at Romemu, Jewish Life Elevated. I pray to be a blessing for my ancestors, for Mother Earth and for all of the generations to come.