BodyTalk Director
Jessica Adams has been a San Francisco-based dancer, choreographer and teacher since 1995. She holds a BFA in Dance from California Institute of the Arts, and since 2000 has been studying and teaching conscious fitness modalities. She is certified in Pilates, GYROTONIC® method and Yamuna® Body Rolling. Jessica has been practicing yoga for 30 years, centering her dance teaching.Her passion for dance started at a very young age. It wasn’t until college, when she met one of her most influential dance teachers, Kay Fulton, that she took on the challenge to pursue her dance career more seriously. She loves to dance as a means for creative expression, is moved by inspirational music, and incorporates inversions in her dances, influenced by her years as a gymnast.Jessica’s choreographic work has been produced in many dance festivals and showcases, including summerfest/dance, ODC’s Pilot and Flight programs, Vision Series and self-produced works including collaboration with Megan Nicely. Jessica has worked and collaborated with Rapt Performance Group, Joe Goode Performance Group, Kim Epifano/Epiphany Productions, Scott Wells and Dancers, Maxine Moreman, Dana Lawton, Kersti Grunditz and others.Jessica’s teaching style is influenced by Joe Goode, Kathleen Hermesdorf, Ellie Klopp and Janice Garrett, along with her own desire to inspire dancers to find joy in moving. Her modern dance class stems from her love of being inverted with an interest in building strong technique and expansive movement. She finds inspiration in the human body and cares deeply about alignment to prevent injury. Jessica shares her expertise with all her students in hopes to inspire, motivate them to learn and find their passion for dance.She is the founder of Enchanted Ridge Dance Retreat, which focuses on bringing dance artists and enthusiasts in touch with nature while dancing. She co-teaches ERDR with Dana Lawton every summer in the mountains of Northern California. Dancers unplug, foster creativity, dance their hearts out to live accompaniment by acclaimed musician Daniel Berkman, all while building a supportive community. At Enchanted Ridge, Jessica and Dana pride themselves on creating a space where dancers can be vulnerable, connect with their true selves without judgment or outer expectations. Jessica has taught at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center in Berkeley as well as a substitute teacher for many Bay Area dance artists. You can find out more information about her career as a fitness therapy instructor and dance retreat www.healthybodyclearmind.com