Ecstatic Dance Sacramento
Ecstatic Dance Sacramento is a monthly freeform community dance event in the Sacramento area. I took over operations and marketing during a leadership transition, stepping into the role of Director of Operations and Marketing. I built and executed the full marketing strategy from scratch on a minimal budget, handling everything from content creation to event logistics.
Key Results
Within Six Months of Running Marketing
All growth was achieved organically on a minimal budget. No paid ads or no sponsorships.
Attendance
Monthly attendance grew by 69%, transforming the event from a small gathering into a consistently well-attended community experience. This was driven by a combination of strategic content, targeted outreach, and word-of-mouth momentum built through community trust.
Instagram Growth
Followers increased by 85.5%, expanding the event's reach and building a larger audience to draw from each month. Link clicks also rose by 67.9%, showing followers were taking action beyond scrolling. Content was designed to capture the energy of each dance and give newcomers a feel for what to expect before they ever walked in.
Engagement
Engagement rate grew from 14% to 22% on Instagram, meaning the audience wasn't just growing but actively interacting with the content. This reflected a shift toward more authentic, community-driven posts that resonated on a personal level.
Marketing Strategy
When I stepped in, the event had a loyal existing audience but no strategic direction. Marketing was inconsistent, the email list was inactive, and outreach didn't extend beyond Instagram. The core challenge was acquisition. People loved the event once they found it, but most didn't know it existed. I built the full strategy from scratch to solve that.
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Instagram as the primary channel for awareness, connection, and event promotion.
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Email campaigns to re-engage past attendees and drive monthly RSVPs.
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Meetup to reach new people actively searching for events in Sacramento.
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Grassroots outreach through flyers, local partnerships, and word of mouth.
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Content designed to reach beyond the existing audience: trending formats for discoverability, educational posts explaining what ecstatic dance is and what to expect, and shareable content that encouraged followers to tag friends and spread the word organically.
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Content rooted in authenticity, capturing the real energy of each dance to give newcomers a feel for what to expect before they ever walked in.
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Monthly strategy adjustments based on what was actually driving RSVPs and new attendance.
All results shown above were achieved organically on a minimal budget with no paid ads and no sponsorships. Paid promotion has since been introduced but was not a factor during the period reflected in these numbers.
Social Media Content Examples
Based on the strategy, I created content to support distribution efforts.
Dance is tomorrow!
Curious what ecstatic dance looks like up close?
Although close up filming is not something we do at our routine dances, here is some footage from a past crew only dance.
You will find people dancing solo, sometimes together doing contact improv, and even sitting in stillness.
Ecstatic dance at the end of the day looks however feels best in your body. However you find feelings of ecstasy and joy!
Join us at the Clara Annex, doors open at 7:20 pm!
You deserve to dance, every day. 💗
Join us on Nov 21st in Sacramento for an evening of tea, cacao, a somatic workshop, DJ set, and sound bath. Come move, connect, and fill your cup for just $20!
The nervous system is talked about a lot and for good reason. It shapes how we feel, move, connect, and respond to the world around us.
Dance can be a powerful way to support your nervous system… not by forcing it to change, but by meeting it exactly where it is.
No matter how you feel when you arrive on the dance floor, nothing needs to be fixed. Trust your body and listen to how it wants and needs to move. Although if you are looking for specific movements these can sometimes be supportive.
But remember your body knows the way.
Save this post for our next dance on April 24th. See the pinned post for the details!🤍