17. Building a Brand: Conscious Dancer

Mark Metz is an author and DJ who publishes Conscious Dancer Magazine and founded the Dance First Association. His primary field of interest is in the area of Analog Awareness, he writes and teaches extensively about the somatic effects of analog vs digital sound on our consciousness and physical bodies. A renowned vinyl-spinning DJ with over 25 years of dance-floor experience under his belt, he’s uniquely qualified to clearly articulate the benefits of analog sound and provide a high-vibe dance experience. With recent research proving that common digital compression formats such as MP3 actually suppress the positive emotions such as joy, peace, and happiness while amplifying the negative emotions of grief, sadness, and depression, his inquiry into the subtle effects of sound is more important than ever.

Mark started writing about the social effects of dance and music in the early 90’s for various magazines when he was the owner of Ameba, a rave-oriented retail shop in San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury. In 2007 he coined the term ‘conscious dance’ and launched Conscious Dancer Magazine. In 2012 Conscious Dancer evolved with the establishment of the Dance First Association, the only service organization dedicated to supporting the work of conscious movement leaders worldwide. He is the host and resident DJ at Dance Jam in Berkeley, the Bay Area’s original ecstatic dance dating back to 1976.