Meet Our Founding Teachers
FOUNDER, THE 360 EMERGENCE
AMBER RYAN
Amber Ryan is an embodiment architect and maestra sound smith in the world of movement meditation and ecstatic dance. With crystalline clarity, she delivers distilled somatic instruction taking you on a movement music journey into the trance of the dance. Amber’s style of leadership invites presence + somatic awareness, freedom in the form, and space to tune in + be moved by your own inner guide.
With lifelong passion for working with children and teens, she is thrilled to bring Embodied Youth 360 to life with an incredible team of multifaceted artists, teachers, therapists, and educators.
Amber is co-founder of The 360 Emergence, along side Kate Shela. She has led groups and experiences at Envision Festival, Wanderlust Festival, Omega Institute, Ester Perel’s Sessions Live, Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, Eileen Fisher’s Learning Lab and many dance floors across the globe. She was a student of the late Gabrielle Roth, and currently studies with Yoga Rupa Rod Stryker.
DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY, CREATIVE ARTS THERAPY
ALLYSSA RIVERA
Allyssa Rivera (she/ella) is a Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist and Licensed Creative Arts Therapist with a decade of experience practicing in hospital, community, and private settings. Allyssa (name pronounced A-li-sha) provides a warm, embodied, and trauma-informed approach to psychotherapy, inviting folks to creatively explore their strengths and needs as they address relationships, identity, self-esteem, anxiety, depression, substance use, life transitions, and other mental health challenges. She collaborates with clients to develop an environment that fosters safety, curiosity, growth, and radical acceptance of all parts of oneself.
Allyssa is also a movement facilitator with The 360 Emergence, where she fuses somatics and embodiment expertise with artistic and spiritual depth. Native to Puerto Rico, Allyssa's journey through diverse clinical and community settings reflects her commitment to healing and transformation, as dance provided her from a very young age. Allyssa brings her fire, strength, and vulnerability to her offerings, showcasing the capacity for dance and movement to bridge cultures and catalyze growth.
MOVEMENT + MINDFULNESS EDUCATOR,
DIRECTOR DALLAS MOVEMENT COLLECTIVE
SARAH SAMPSON
Sarah Sampson is a movement educator, facilitator, and curriculum advisor dedicated to integrating mindfulness, social-emotional learning (SEL), and embodiment into education. She is the director of The Dallas Movement Collective, which cultivates creative containers for communal dance practice, a facilitator of The 360 Emergence and the co-founder of The Mind Body Ecology Institute, a nonprofit that connects embodiment to earth-care and sustainability through experiential programming.
Sarah is a lead trainer and curriculum advisor for the Mindful Communities Fund (MCF), where she develops and delivers training programs focused on mindfulness, empathy and compassion for organizations serving youth and at-risk populations. She has received advanced mindfulness training from UC San Diego Medical School and Tibet House. She is certified in hatha yoga, trauma-informed practices for youth and restorative circle facilitation.
Her journey in education began as an elementary school theater teacher, using the arts to foster communication skills and emotional intelligence. She later served as the Social-Emotional Learning and Mindfulness Facilitator for Keller ISD, where she led district-wide SEL and mindfulness initiatives impacting over 35,000 students. With over a decade of experience in education, Sarah’s work nurtures belonging and wholeness, bridging ancient wisdom with evidence-based practices to create transformative learning experiences for children and communities.
FOUNDER OF FOLK FARM & DRYLANDS AGROECOLOGY RESEARCH
DANCER, MENTOR, RITUALIST, DOULA
MARISSA PULASKI
A weaver of traditions and a dedicated educator, Marissa is a passionate dancer and mentor, guiding both educators and students in the art of embodied expression. As a choreographer, producer, and skilled doula, she brings a deep reverence for the healing power of movement and community care. Marissa studied Dance at Columbia College Chicago with a minor in Cultural Studies and later earned a degree in Environmental Studies and the Psychology of Health and Healing from Naropa University. Rooted in her belief that movement is a powerful form of medicine, she has taught all ages and trains leaders in holistic, culturally informed, and nature-inspired approaches to education.
Marissa is the founder of Folk Farm, a thriving nature-based, child-led early education program, and Drylands Agroecology Research (DAR), where she serves as a thought leader in the regenerative agriculture movement, which includes cultural regeneration. Passionate about igniting the innate human-earth connection, she believes that through embodiment, ritual, and alignment with the rhythms of the Earth, humans can unlock their fullest potential and welcome a life of service.
CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELOR, DANCE EDUCATOR
MARGARET HILTON
Margaret is a mother, a dancer, a licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, and a graduate of Naropa University’s Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Counseling Psychology program. She has devoted to children for the past 16 years with roles ranging from camp educator to psychotherapist. She has taught movement and theater in various settings from Montessori preschool to competitive dance in Costa Rica. She is the former co-director of In Motion Nosara, a kids dance company started and directed by Amber Ryan.
She has incorporated movement and mindfulness-based practices while offering in-home therapy for youth and families in need; working with youth involved in the juvenile justice system; and guiding teens through Earth-based ceremonial Rites of Passage programs. With a decade of summer camp leadership experience and several years of clinical practice, Margaret values creating a world that empowers our youth. She is a student of The 360 Emergence and spent many years performing as a dancer in various settings. Some of her passions in this field are practicing compassionate communication, preserving the innocence of childhood, and enjoying the expressive arts.