Rebecca Phelps is the owner and founder of Gracious Dance - an inclusive dance organization that offers movement-based, peer support programs for survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence at no cost.

Rebecca has been a dancer all her life, a dance instructor for over 10 years, and a studio owner for 5 years - offering recreational dance and yoga classes to individuals of all ages and abilities in Rochester, NY. She recently earned her masters in clinical mental health counseling, and has taken courses in yoga therapy, adaptive and trauma-informed movement practices, and is working towards a graduate certificate in somatic psychotherapy. 

Rebecca is a survivor herself, and started offering movement based groups to connect other survivors and share the healing she found through dance and movement in April of 2021. Her work is informed by her lived experience, study of trauma and movement, and guided by her strong desire to make crucial elements of trauma healing more accessible to other survivors of sexual and interpersonal violence. These movement based peer support programs use dance, yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness techniques, and strive to foster healthy relational connections between participants.

Programs are offered at no cost thanks to the generosity of community members who participate in and donate to the annual “Show of Hope” benefit.  

You can catch her on social media @graciousdance.

Learn more about some of her groups and make sure to visit her website for additional offerings:

Empowerment: A bi-monthly healing movement group designed to support survivors of trauma through trauma informed dance, yoga, and peer support.  Sessions are designed to promote building positive connections or reconnections to the body, exploring healthy coping strategies, and giving space for emotional expression. We believe in the importance of creating an environment that is accessible, inclusive, provides safety, encouragement, and healing for survivors and supporters in all walks of life.

[First and third Sundays of the month, 12:30-1:30pm, in the Sustainable Wellness Studio]

Kid-Powerment: A bi-monthly movement based group designed to support children who have experienced trauma through movement based games, activities, and skill building.  Sessions are designed to promote developing healthy coping strategies, regulation tools, and giving space for understanding and expressing emotions. We believe in the importance of creating an environment that is accessible, inclusive, safe, encouraging, and promotes healing for survivors of trauma.

[First and third Sundays of the month, 2:00-2:45pm, in the Sustainable Wellness Studio]