The history of Santa Cruz Dance Circle begins with that of Dance Church Santa Cruz. A 10-minute video interview with the founders of Dance Church (created 2004 by Rick Kuhn) can be watched on YouTube HERE .
Dance Church Santa Cruz was held at 418 Front Street in Santa Cruz from 2001 to 2021. Towards the end of this period, it was typical to have an attendance of 80 to 100 people. Many people found that their dances at Dance Church to be very healing. An altar was made for every session. A lunch catered by India Joe occurred once a month in the adjoining restaurant. In 2020 and 2021 the Covid pandemic forced Dance Church to go to online sessions and sessions in parks, with a few sessions allowed in the 418 building. Also during this time, the 418 project purchased a new building, as the old building had been purchased by developers. The last session of Dance Church at 418 Front Street was on April 18, 2021.
Dance Church was managed by volunteers from it’s community for 20 years and served as a fund-raiser for the 418 Project. During this time it developed a strong sense of community. In April of 2021 it became obvious that the 418 Project wanted to take control of Dance Church and direct it into new, yet unclear to us, directions. The organizers of Dance Church decided to continue their tradition under a new name, since “Dance Church” was a trademark claimed by the 418. On July 4th, 2021, at the Pacific Cultural Center, the first dance was held as Dance Circle. That venue soon closed, and we moved to the Tannery starting September 12th, 2021.
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