Introductory Workshop Teacher 2025:
Griff Goehring has taught and performed creative dance improvisation since the 1970s. Her methods are rooted in her training with Barbara Mettler, a pioneer in dance, and reflect Mettler’s dedication to freedom of expression based in natural human ovement.
“My goal as a teacher is to wake up my students to their innate creative movement resources. My goal as a dancer is to be alive in the moment in my movement in relationship to the world around me.”
Griff was a member of Mettler’s professional groups from 1978-1986. She collaborated with the late Paul Fisher in the performance art group, Griffinfish. She received her master’s in dance/movement therapy in 1993. Griff founded and directed Green Mountain Creative Dance Center in Vermont from 1996-2016. She directed several performance groups during that time including the Bicycle Dance Troupe which offered workshops and performances as it pedaled through Massachusetts, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Griff returned to Tucson in 2020 where she continues to teach, dance, and celebrate Arizona’s natural beauty.
Previous Years' Workshop Leaders
2024: Kyla Ferguson
Kyla was introduced to Mettler-based dance by Griff Goehring in 2006 as a first year student at Hampshire College. She continued to work with Griff through college, and later through performance projects, teacher trainings, and apprenticeship. She has taught Mettler-based dance in schools, in programs for people with disabilities, and for the general public. She has served on the IACD Board of Directors and has attended four Congresses. In 2022 she completed her certification with Griff and Mary Ann Brehm as a Mettler-based Dance Educator. She is also a licensed clinical social worker, and currently works with individuals blending somatics, energy healing and psychotherapy. In addition to Mettler-based dance, she holds certifications in Embodyoga®, Trauma Release Exercises®, Integrative Acupressure, and Reiki. Photo by Sanda Costello.