Daily Inspiration: Meet Angela Marquez

Today we’d like to introduce you to Angela Marquez.

Hi Angela, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?

I grew up in a small town in New Mexico, and at a young age, it became clear that I had a passion for dance and performance. I was obsessed with how dancing felt, but never was obsessed with how many turns I could do, or how high I could hold my leg up. I was quickly recognized for my ability to express emotion on stage. Although I was never the most flexible, or most technically sound dancer, I always found myself keeping up with those who were because of my ability to connect to the feeling of the choreography. I also found a passion in my ability to teach others to dance with that same feeling of freedom and joy. While most dancers were seeking to be the fiercest center stage competitor, I was seeking how I could get in the middle of the creative process.

My early dance career led me to many amazing performance opportunities that allowed me to grow not only as a dancer, but as a producer. All the twists and turns of my dancer life lead me here to my current home of Denver Colorado.

In 2010 I moved to the metro area as a newlywed in search of more creative opportunities. With nothing but excitement I found the perfect home in a local Dance Company called Avatar Movement. This company gave me endless opportunities for creative exploration and eventually landed me a Director position. We would beautifully produce full theatrical dance productions, on a low budget, completely from scratch! Our productions were unique, lively shows such as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Cosmic Coincidence, Tell Me A Story: Creative Showcases, and even the 90’s classic movie Fern Gully. Everything from costume making, set building, prop crafting, choreography, and even fundraising, was all built right out of our homes and a small rented studio.

The next chapter of my life unexpectedly hit in all the right ways: Motherhood. In fact, I was 12 weeks pregnant while performing in our full production of Fern Gully as not only one, but two main characters. Weeks previous, my inability to finish routines without taking a break quickly made sense when I surprisingly found out I was pregnant.

At the time, my heart was so synced up with the heartbeat of Avatar Movement, and with my upcoming life change, I knew I didn’t have the capacity to continue being the motivated Director it required. After what felt like our most successful show to date, Avatar Movement closed its doors, and I stepped into my new role as a first-time Mommy. I will probably always wonder if we made the right decision to close its doors, but as the good stories go, there’s always a reason for everything.

Over the first two years of motherhood, I had the mindset that my dancing career had passed, and I would forever become a dancer who says, “I used to be a dancer.” As my postpartum months continued, I felt myself slipping into a dark place of sadness and self doubt. So what did I do? I leaned in to learning more about holistic healing and mental health. Not surprisingly, it turns out that many studies state that dance plays a significant role in our overall mental health and happiness. As I continued to soak up holistic healthcare and alternative medicine practices, I realized that I had an intrinsic gift of medicine to share with the world. That medicine is dance.

So I leaped!

I rented out the same familiar studio from my Avatar days, and I launched a once-a-week class called Mama Movement: A postpartum dance class where any and all mamas were welcome. I designed the class specifically for moms. It was low impact, uplifting, and the best part was it was BYOB… Bring your own baby! I established a safe environment where moms felt comfortable bringing their babies to play, while they got to dance. I would fill the room with toys and other distractions, so that I could lead the moms through a fun series of stretches, movement, and simple choreography that allowed us all to look in the mirror and fall in love with ourselves again.

As my love for each individual mother I danced with grew, I began to see a pattern in many to most women struggling with a lack of deep self love and self acceptance. It then became my instinctual mission to create safe and expansive dance experiences for mothers, girls, and women of all ages. If I could play any part in boosting the moods and confidence in the women around me, I was and am fully here for it! This led me to experience, create, and eventually facilitate woman gatherings including ritual circles, wellness retreats, and life celebrations.

Alas! Move Your Mood was born!

Along with the push from the pandemic, I gained the confidence I needed to facilitate online classes, establish a movement community, and produce an online membership offering including weekly virtual meetups, shared groovy playlists, and mood provoking dance experiences.

Currently, I am expanding my business by producing in person, collaborative movement events with aligned partners in the wellness space. I plan to continue to grow the Move Your Mood Community with as many movers as possible so we can all remember the magic of our given medicine: dance!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?

My Move Your Mood journey has been incredibly rewarding, but it’s brought its fair share of challenges too. The first challenge has been balancing moments of inspiration and motherhood at the same time. Being a very flowy, feminine artist, I was used to getting lost in the creation without interruption. That is not quite the case anymore. Adjusting to how to spend my time creating and producing has taken me more time to get used to than I would like to admit. My advice to any new mommy artist is to stay focused on what lights you up moment by moment, even if that is just playing with your kid or taking a nap. Good things take time and some moments of life are irreplaceable.

My second challenge has been mindset. Developing a program built from a deeply rooted passion sounds fun and fluffy, but ultimately, is a wild roller coaster ride for the ego. Every day I am faced with comparison, imposter syndrome, finding the motivation to keep going, and staying inspired to show up. I conquer this challenge by really leaning into self care. Some of my favorite modalities are acupuncture, breath work, time outside, and of course, moving my body! With time and trust, I truly believe that Move Your Mood will shine brightly.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

I lead movement classes and curate connective experiences that focus on emotional release and experiencing joy through dance. Using music, meditation, and movement, I am passionate about crafting memorable movement moments for people of all ages. Classes are usually built around a theme, topic, or one of the seven chakras. We begin with a 5-10 minute gentle meditation, then we move into freeform movement that is prompted from intention, inspiration, and intuition. This format allows for individuals to slow down, check in, and get all things (mind, body, spirit) online, resulting in the whole self having more space, happiness, and clearer communication.

One of my most treasured roles as a creator is coming up with unique ideas to engage participants and get them moving in ways that are either unexplored, or have been lost in time. It brings me tremendous joy to add special touches, surprises, songs, and gifts to any session I lead. I truly look forward to the genuine heartfelt connections that form during these sacred spaces together. My current offerings include an online membership, 1:1 sessions, age-specific classes, and co-creating Move Your Mood moments for special gathering, events, and celebrations.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?

I was one of the lucky ones who benefited on Covid’s behalf … initially. In the weeks previous, I had already been considering teaching in the online space. When the lockdowns began, and the shift to socializing online took place, it was the perfect push to get me started. During a time where we were all needing genuine, uplifting connections, Move Your Mood was right there!

My attendance was high, and so were the vibes. Fast forward to today, there is a much higher demand for in person events. Now I am relearning “how to” and “how I want to” show up in these spaces again. This too looks different post Covid. People are craving in person interactions to be filled with intention, love, and magic. This is a task I don’t take lightly. I am committed to evolving with the energy of my business and what is needed in the world at the time because of the lessons that transpired for me during Covid.

Pricing:

• Drop – in’s $12
• Membership $45
• 1:1 ‘s $35/hour
• Collaborations Please contact

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.moveyourmood.co/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/move.your.mood/?hl=en
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angela-marquez-moveyourmood/
• Youtube: https://youtu.be/AaLGQ8ycjv4