Save Ecstatic Dance Seattle
Donation protected
Help Mary Anderson keep this treasured community afloat. After ten months of drastically reduced income, she needs funds to (1) keep her claim on the Sunday morning and Wednesday evening time slots at Dance Underground and (2) make up the deficit in her monthly living expenses for the next six months.
I’ve organized a handful of other dancers to help launch and promote this GoFundMe project (see our names at the end of this page). Both Mary Anderson and Ecstatic Dance are dear to our hearts, and we’re asking folks to please give generously to “keep the lights on” so that Mary can lead us back to the dance floor when the pandemic wanes.
Mary’s income from dance is her main means of support, and the Zoom dances since March bring in only about 20% as much. She has also had nine art shows cancelled, where she would normally sell her handmade clothing. Her SBA disaster loan (which will eventually need to be repaid) has run out, and she has hit bureaucratic brick walls in her efforts to get unemployment compensation or other relief. All this while going through a difficult divorce and helping her daughter Grace heal from anorexia!
The summer holds promise of renewed income from flower sales (and perhaps art shows), but Mary needs this extra $15k in funds to get her through the next six months. By the time fall is in the air—and with any luck—dancing in person should resume! (** January 2022 Update -- although the in-person dances have resumed with limited attendance on Sundays only, Mary continues to need the additional financial support from this GoFundMe. **)
Now in its twentieth year, Ecstatic Dance Seattle has served so many of us as a healing oasis of sanity and a safe place for celebratory expression of full embodiment. Imagine the thrill of stepping out onto that dance floor again and immersing yourself in the familiar swirl of bodies and souls moving to the music.
We have felt exuberant joy … cried sorrowful tears … whirled in delight together … cherished tender moments … relished the power of spontaneous connection … held each other fiercely with love … shared from our hearts … and we have danced our asses off! We are so grateful to Mary for nurturing this abundant community, where we have made new friends, celebrated countless marriages and births, and have mourned the passing of beloved dancers.
Now is the time for the community to come together again and support our faithful founder, Mary Anderson. Let’s show her how much we value what she has created and given to this community.
Here’s a short message that Mary wanted to be included on this page:
"I am so grateful for all of you for making Ecstatic Dance Seattle a reality. Without you showing up it would not be the thriving loving community that it is today. Some of you have been dancing with me for 20 years!!"
"We have shared the highs and lows of life together and I feel so blessed to call this beautiful community my family. Thank you so much for your support during this crazy pandemic. As hard as it is sometimes for me to be the receiver of donations, I know it’s a way to help keep our farm that will someday be a lovely retreat center for all of us to enjoy."
In deep gratitude,
Mary
Please donate what you can and also help spread the word to your friends, family, and network of contacts. It is our hope that hundreds and hundreds of people—whether or not they have attended any of Mary’s 2,000+ dance events over the years—will be moved to donate.
The pandemic and the politics of 2020 have been very stressful in so many ways. With your help, Ecstatic Dance will re-emerge as a source of welcome relief and joy. Looking forward to the day when we dance together again!
In the spirit of love,
Bryan Brewer
Jon Elizondo
Grace Bell
Rebecca Kosowski
Leif Tellmann
Linda Storm
Jane "BG" Tornatore
P.S. Another way to show your financial support: Attend (and pay for) online Zoom dances currently held twice a week. Details on the Ecstatic Dance Seattle Facebook page .
I’ve organized a handful of other dancers to help launch and promote this GoFundMe project (see our names at the end of this page). Both Mary Anderson and Ecstatic Dance are dear to our hearts, and we’re asking folks to please give generously to “keep the lights on” so that Mary can lead us back to the dance floor when the pandemic wanes.
Mary’s income from dance is her main means of support, and the Zoom dances since March bring in only about 20% as much. She has also had nine art shows cancelled, where she would normally sell her handmade clothing. Her SBA disaster loan (which will eventually need to be repaid) has run out, and she has hit bureaucratic brick walls in her efforts to get unemployment compensation or other relief. All this while going through a difficult divorce and helping her daughter Grace heal from anorexia!
The summer holds promise of renewed income from flower sales (and perhaps art shows), but Mary needs this extra $15k in funds to get her through the next six months. By the time fall is in the air—and with any luck—dancing in person should resume! (** January 2022 Update -- although the in-person dances have resumed with limited attendance on Sundays only, Mary continues to need the additional financial support from this GoFundMe. **)
Now in its twentieth year, Ecstatic Dance Seattle has served so many of us as a healing oasis of sanity and a safe place for celebratory expression of full embodiment. Imagine the thrill of stepping out onto that dance floor again and immersing yourself in the familiar swirl of bodies and souls moving to the music.
We have felt exuberant joy … cried sorrowful tears … whirled in delight together … cherished tender moments … relished the power of spontaneous connection … held each other fiercely with love … shared from our hearts … and we have danced our asses off! We are so grateful to Mary for nurturing this abundant community, where we have made new friends, celebrated countless marriages and births, and have mourned the passing of beloved dancers.
Now is the time for the community to come together again and support our faithful founder, Mary Anderson. Let’s show her how much we value what she has created and given to this community.
Here’s a short message that Mary wanted to be included on this page:
"I am so grateful for all of you for making Ecstatic Dance Seattle a reality. Without you showing up it would not be the thriving loving community that it is today. Some of you have been dancing with me for 20 years!!"
"We have shared the highs and lows of life together and I feel so blessed to call this beautiful community my family. Thank you so much for your support during this crazy pandemic. As hard as it is sometimes for me to be the receiver of donations, I know it’s a way to help keep our farm that will someday be a lovely retreat center for all of us to enjoy."
In deep gratitude,
Mary
Please donate what you can and also help spread the word to your friends, family, and network of contacts. It is our hope that hundreds and hundreds of people—whether or not they have attended any of Mary’s 2,000+ dance events over the years—will be moved to donate.
The pandemic and the politics of 2020 have been very stressful in so many ways. With your help, Ecstatic Dance will re-emerge as a source of welcome relief and joy. Looking forward to the day when we dance together again!
In the spirit of love,
Bryan Brewer
Jon Elizondo
Grace Bell
Rebecca Kosowski
Leif Tellmann
Linda Storm
Jane "BG" Tornatore
P.S. Another way to show your financial support: Attend (and pay for) online Zoom dances currently held twice a week. Details on the Ecstatic Dance Seattle Facebook page .
Organizer and beneficiary
Bryan Brewer
Organizer
Seattle, WA
Mary Anderson
Beneficiary