Deb Rubin, MA, CMT, RYT, is an internationally-acclaimed dancer and                                                                                     performer, Yoga teacher, somatic educator and holistic health coach.                                                                                                  She holds a B.A. in Psychology and Pre-Med from Princeton University                                                                                                 and an M.A. in Holistic Health Education from JFK University, with                                                                                                        an emphasis on Somatics and Somatic Psychology.  She also holds                                                                                                      Massage and Bodywork training certifications from San Francisco School                                                                                            of Massage and Sunshine Network in Chaing Mai, Thailand, and Yoga                                                                                                Teacher Training certificates from Integrative Yoga Therapy.  Weaving                                                                                                  together decades of additional Yoga study from Shiva Rea, Gary                                                                                                            Kraftsow, Tias Little, Acro Yoga, Mark Whitwell, and others, 20+ years of                                                                                              professional hands-on client care in the fields of mind/body medicine,                                                                                              Yoga, and integrative bodywork, 20+ years of personal practice and                                                                                                    somatic inquiry from many different movement and healing arts                                                                                                         disciplines, and her training and experience as a professional dancer, Deb created Dance Therapeutics to offer you the most leading-edge approach for effective body unlocking and balancing, trauma unwinding, injury prevention and rehabilitation, and a deeper understanding and education of the moving body that you call HOME.  

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With 20 years of experience working in the field of mind/body medicine and 30+ years in the dedicated study and performance of many genres of dance, Deb has created her Dance Therapeutics multi-leveled, accredited training program and apprenticeships as a pathway to support dancers in deepening their knowledge, self-care, somatic intelligence, and empowerment.  Blending the best of science and artistry, the program offers healthy tools to refine dancers' artistic medium, the body, for optimal performance and radiant living, and presents a path for cultivating fully embodied artistry in the studio, on the stage, and in life.

 

Deb the Dancer:

As a performer and professional tribal fusion belly dance artist, Deb is proud to be a

product of the vibrant, world-renowned San Francisco Bay Area scene, the mecca of

tribal and tribal fusion belly dance.  She has been called “The Queen of Slink” for her

captivating performance style that gracefully blends the roots of ancient gypsy spirit

with art nouveau charm and contemporary glitch.  In addition to her solo work and her 

role as creative director of her Project Merkaba Dance Co., she has also performed as a

guest artist with the musical inspirations of: Balkan Beat Box, EOTO, David Starfire,

Karsh Kale, Shpongle, Desert Dwellers, Human Experience, Kaminanda, Vibesquad,

Eskmo, Lynx&Janover, Emancipator, Hamsa Lila, Fishtank Ensemble, Beats Antique,

and more on stages all over the world.  Deb was named "The Best Kept Secret in Tribal"

by fuse magazine in 2011. 

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                                                                    Her strong foundation in tribal style came from five years as a member of Ultra                                                                                 Gypsy BellyDance Theater in San Francisco, under the direction of her first teacher,                                                                            Jill Parker, at an important time in the expansion of Tribal Fusion.  Deb is also 

                                                                     heavily influenced by her other main teacher on the path, Rachel Brice, with whom                                                                           she studied for more than a decade and was honored to assist at Tribal Massive 

                                                                     2008.  Deb has also studied extensively from Zoe Jakes, Mardi Love, Kami Liddle,

                                                                     Heather Stants, Suhaila Salimpour, Jamila Salimpour, Carolena Nericcio, and others

                                                                     over the span of a decade.  Deb looks back fondly on this special time in her dance

                                                                     and in the evolution of Tribal Fusion and is deeply humbled and grateful to have

                                                                     been a part of that pioneering and vibrant artistic community of music and dance in

                                                                     the San Francisco Bay Area and to have had the opportunities to learn from and 

                                                                     dance with her biggest inspirations in the genre.  She attributes much of her artistic

stye and early influences to her immersion in the life, tribe, and cultural fabric of the Bay Area bohemian counterculture.

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Deb considers herself a lifelong student on this path and continues to study ballet, contemporary, jazz, tango, hip hop, contact improv, and pretty much any dance form and movement modalties she can get her hands on - all of which she fuses into her embodied stylization of tribal fusion belly dance.  She has recently started studying contemporary dance in Los Angeles from Stacey Tookey and Nick Lanzisera.  A student of Yoga since 1995 and a Yoga teacher since 2000, Deb is also greatly influenced by her continued studies of Yoga under Mark Whitwell, Gary Kraftsow, Shiva Rea, and others, and by her integrative anatomy and fascia studies under Tom Meyers' KMI, her past somatics, integrative medicine, and somatic psychology studies at JFK University, and somatic exploration under the teachings of Cass Phelps.  

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Yoga Teacher & Bodyworker: 

Aa a holistic health counselor, integrative bodyworker, somatic coach, and long-time

student and teacher of Yoga, she infuses her teaching with a deep embodiment

of the divine feminine and a somatic approach to accessing and moving from the

depths of our core, empowering the radiance within, and bridging yoga off the mat,

into dance, onto the stage, and into artful living.  Over the course of almost two 

decades, Deb's professional resume weaves together her passions for both the

medical and artistic fields.  She has worked as a neurology research assistant for a

pediatric neurologist at Northwestern University Hospital in Chicago, in the ICU,

CCU, and Labor & Delivery units of a hospital, and has volunteered at a camp for

children with Muscular Dystrophy and as a massage therapist for the California

AIDS ride.  As a professional massage therapist, she has worked in conjunction with integrative medicine centers, chiropractic offices, yoga studios, as well as private practice.  She planned programs for both integrative medicine centers and global healing conferences, developed and taught the first Traditional Thai-Yoga Massage Certification Program for McKinnon Massage School in the early 2000's, was a teaching assistant at San Francisco School of Massage, and was a featured workshop facilitator at prominent festivals and conferences in several countries.  She has worked hands-on with thousands of clients and dancers, helping them alleviate both chronic and acute pain in the body and increase somatic awareness and healthy habits.

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                                                                Deb is the founder of SattyaBody Women’s Health and SF Mecca Immersion: A Retreat                                                                     into the heart and soul of San Francisco Tribal, and the co-creator of Embody Retreats

                                                                in Costa Rica.  She currently teaches workshops and retreats around the globe, which                                                                       fuse yoga, tribal fusion belly dance, performance artistry, therapeutics, and radiant                                                                         lifestyle.  She recently collaborated with Shiva Rea as part of Shiva's Shakti Sadhana                                                                         series.  Deb’s writing has been published in Yoga Journal magazine, as well as fuse                                                                          magazine, where she contributed a regular "Dance Therapeutics" column for the global                                                                   tribal fusion belly dance community.  Deb is currently obtaining her eRYT-500 hours                                                                         under the guidance of Shiva Rea and the Samudra Global School for Living Yoga. 

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FFo

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Follow Deb on Instagram: @bellylady                                       Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Deb.Rubin.Dance.Official