Erica Santiago received her BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University in 2003. 21 years ago, Erica became a mother to her incredible daughter, which completely changed the trajectory of her life path. Through the birthing process and early childhood years with her daughter, Erica became a seeker of truth. Not knowing where to begin, in 2005 she came home to Austin seeking soul healing. She enrolled in Dharma Yoga of Austin's yoga teacher training under the direction of Keith Kacthik and continued to work as a dance teacher and dancer. In 2011 Erica took a sabbatical from the dance world to pursue her love of yogic philosophy, and soon after, she was introduced to Vedic rituals and the study of the scriptures of ancient India. Over the last 10 years, she has had the good fortune to study with authentic teachers from Chinnmaya Mission and Sri Rajarajeshwari Peetham while being held in sacred space to journey through her own rebirth and deep healing. She is a devotee of our Mother Divine, a student of Advaita Vedanta and is receiving ongoing tutelage in the philosophical applications of yoga which she integrates into her movement practices to round out her teaching style as a universal approach to conscious living through artistic expression and deep healing. Trained as a massage therapist at Lauterstein & Conway and mentored by Dr. Arthur Peterson, D.C. and Jeff Johnson, LMT she learned (and continues to investigate) ways to harness that energy and focus it for the well being of others. Erica has learned that dance, yoga, massage, and meditation are all different tools in her toolbox of healing modalities through the years. Her deepest passion addresses the whole being, body, mind, emotion, and consciousness in an intuitive and creative way that affirms one with his/her most profound knowing of truth for their greatest benefit. The cornerstones of Erica’s work are willingness, conscious consent, faith, and curiosity. From this foundation, Erica co-creates actively with her clients to bring them into a profoundly transformative space where they have the choice to bring into conscious awareness that which no longer serves and therefore release at the cellular level. Erica founded Shakti Moves Dance Company seven years ago to provide a sacred place to explore spiritual philosophy, the human condition, and artistic expression. Erica Serves as Artistic Director and is the facilitator for all community classes. To learn more about Shakti Moves, visit www.shaktimovesdc.org