All of my ecstatic dance sets from 2023. This year I've played more frequently and for a variety of different events so there is an emergent variety of styles represented.  I've also started to blend sound baths with my gong and singing bowls into the closing stillness section of my sets.

Thank you for listening and enjoy the journey(s) into the cathartic power of music movement, and sound.

Ecstatic Dance Sets by MIKAYA from 2023-25

Oasis 

Of my mind,
Speak to me.

Through intention
Bring me to your waters  

The desert 
Feels endless

The oasis 
Promises nourishment

The Oasis 
Promises answers

But I must remember,
Answers come and go

It is the Questions 
Which remain

I played this set on New Years Day 2023 for the Asheville Movement Collective. This is the live mix without any edits. The poem states the intention and inspiration behind the mix. May it take you on a journey into the Oasis with a blending of musical genres to help us better understand the truth we carry inside.

Tracklist

Nod	- Julianna Barwick, Nosaj Thing
Reserva Pra Dois - Branko Mayra Andrade
Way Down - Dimond Saints
Chamaa - Le Motel
Royals (Lorde Cover - Instrumental)	- Femke
Royals - Lorde
Fluyendo (Steffen Ki Revision) - Ayla Schafer Steffen Ki
Runa - SoloKa, J.Pool, Janax Pacha Cafe De Anatolia
Ocean of Silence - Mose, Michael Ben Shimon
Moonlight Through The Branches - Enigma Beats
Mama Clo - Thornato, Benjamín Vanegas
Caravel (Uji Remix) - Baiuca, Nita, Uji
Les Gout	Rampa - chuala
Hold Me Closer - Elton John, Britney Spears
Cold Heart (PNAU Remix) - Elton John, Dua Lipa
Por Una Cabeza - Quintango
Quiero Verte una Vez Más - Adolfo Berón
Desert Mule - F.S. Blumm Nils Frahm
Clair de Tulum - Classic Unknwn
Santorini Coffee - Melvitto
Malamente - Trio SR9 Camélia Jordana
One Last Time - Trio SR9 Blick Bassy
(Sittin' on The) Dock of the Bay - Come Shine, The Norwegian Radio Orchestra
Eikthyrnir (Extended) - Kalandra

Oasis - live @ AMC New Years Day 2023 {Ecstatic Dance Set by MIKAYA}

Hi Friends, to help me get more listens I have a request. Pls listen, like and repost the mix, and leave me three constructive comments on what you liked or what could use improvement and I'll private message you the tracklist. Thank you for the feedback and engagement! It helps me get more listens.

I've often tried creating an ecstatic wave journey without any lyric heavy songs. It never ends up happening. I just love using songs with lyrics both in english and other languages too much. But for this mix I will restrict myself to only songs that have instrumentals, or I will cut out any lyrics. I'm curious how it might land for our dance community and the creative direction it might take me on. 

I'm always trying to evolve and adapt my craft as a music weaver, and an easy way to do that is to impose restrictions that force me into uncomfortable and uncharted territories. If you'd like to journey into such an exploration, I invite you to come to this dance. 

The invitation there for you as a dancer, will be to explore the messages you find in music that is devoid of words. And also, the invitation is to explore how creative restrictions can fuel your creativity and dance expression.

I'm offering one on one DJ lessons for new aspiring DJs as well as for seasoned DJs who are curious to learn more about how to craft sets that use an ecstatic dance style wave progression through a diverse set of musical genres. Please email him at micahswabb@pm.me if interested in lessons.

Instrumental Restriction - live @ AMC {Ecstatic Dance Set by MIKAYA}

This set was played at Beat Church Asheville at the Galaxy Room. It was a magical evening with some dear friends. The theme of the set touches upon many heart strings, ranging from the fires of desire and passion, to the laments of losing love and self. Be prepared to go deep, and to let something go in the process.

There's an elongated soft landing to sooth the emotions and bring us all back to a place of nurturing acceptance for what is. With love and gratitude, to the one's we've loved and the one's we've lost. May we carry them all in our hearts. <3 

Special thanks to Audree for creating a beautiful dance container at Beat Church Asheville without which this set wouldn't have come into being.

Submissive Temptation [explicit] {Ecstatic Dance set by MIKAYA}

Max and I met sometime around 2010-11 on the island of Maui both of us living with our dear friend Malka MaBlissa in Haiku. I remember him fresh out of college, young and bright, always doing pull-ups in the doorway, practicing the horn on the patio, smiling and eating healthy. Fast forward to 2023 and although his facial hair has grown out, as has mine, we both are very much the same deep inside at the core. On the emotional level, also both of us on a healing journey of the heart, and perhaps also still searching for both ourselves and our way to show up in this world, with out gifts and talents and instruments in tow. 

This set is a co-creation of our musical talents and sentiments as they stand today. I'm proud of where we have come, and the growth I've seen in us both. This was recorded live at the Asheville Movement Collective.

I hope you enjoy this collaboration, and perhaps there will be more like this to share in the future. With love and aloha ~ Micah aka Mikaya

Horns, Drums & Drops with Max Ribner {Ecstatic Dance set by MIKAYA}

Raw uncut live set recorded at Dance Medicine Philly on April 7th, 2023.

Flawless {Ecstatic Dance Mix by MIKAYA}

Recorded live on April 12, 2023 at Asheville Ecstatic Dance with all its imperfections still intact. Some lovely mixes in there, and some that were a bit timid and shy or rough around the edges. 

The intention was to tap into Love, Presence, and Breath through our dance experience with songs selected to induce trance states.

Thank you Jai Dee and all the volunteers at Asheville Ecstatic Dance who helped support the event, and thank you to all of those who came out to get down at Haw Creek Commons. What a lovely space to move in. 

Please like, repost and comment for me so I get more listens through the Soundcloud algorithm.

Cover art is "Roaring Majesty" by Art by Agni

Loving Presence {Ecstatic Dance Mix by MIKAYA}

Recorded live on April 13th, 2023 at Asheville Movement Collective. The intention is to honor the passing of winter into the spring season where new growth, connections, and directions abound. This is a time to reflect on those things that have passed away in the depths of winter and the lessons we've learned in the process of letting go. In its place we have an opportunity to create new intentions, goals and collaborations.

Come dance to the rhythms of nature. Sing and dance and embrace the suffering and pain and let it move through you into the courage and strength that lifts your eyes to the sky. The grandmothers and grandfathers invite us to sing... "earth my body, water my blood, air my breath, fire my spirit."

We are all in this dance of life together. Let's not waste the time we've been given waiting on the sidelines for the change that lives inside us and through us.

Artwork by Alex Ruiz

Metamorphosis {Ecstatic Dance Set by MIKAYA}

Played at Asheville Movement Collective on Sunday April 30th, 2023

I wrote a poem for this ecstatic dance set as its intention.

Lion's Mane

Wild wind blown and untamed 
This Mane bares scars 
Marking resilience
Brutal courage
And lingering pain

To all the lions 
And lionesses out there
Still marking their terrain,
The Sun of the Earth
Shines upon your Mane

Cover art by Art by Agni
https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtbyAgni

Lion's Mane {Ecstatic Dance Set by MIKAYA}

Engagement request: please like, repost, and send me a direct message asking for the playlist and I'll send it ova. Thank you! Engagement is a huge help on this platform for all of us artists. 

Played originally at Asheville Movement Collective on May 12th, 2023. Re-recorded and refined some transitions before publishing it two days later.

The theme for this dance is inspired by a poem referenced in many Hollywood films, perhaps most notably in the blockbuster movie “Interstellar.” Written by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas in 1947, it has been suggested that it was written for his dying father.   

“Do not go gentle into that good night” 
by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

More info here about the poem can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_not_go_gentle_into_that_good_night

This ecstatic dance set explores the theme of interstellar and inter-dimensional travel both through the portal of dying, and through the portal of distorted perceptions caused by love, desire, fear, angst, and rage. It will resolve itself into a space where surrender, grief and courage can take root before taking flight.

Cover art by Artbyagni on ETSY

Interstellar Night {Ecstatic Dance Mix by MIKAYA}

Please like, repost, and leave 3 comments and I'll DM you the set list. This is a live dj recording played at Asheville Movement Collective on July 9th, 2023. 

I wrote the sonnet below as the intention and theme for the dance.

Fly Butterfly Fly

Upon this morning sun with golden ray,
Did paint the sky in hues vibrant and new,
A butterfly, in graceful, bright display,
Took flight, and from the meadows, upward flew.

Its wings, a tapestry of colors rare,
Did catch the light, and glistened in its glow,
A wondrous sight, it floated through the air,
Its path uncharted, yet it seemed to know.

As winds whispered softly to its frame,
It danced and fluttered, free from all tether,
Through boundless skies, with never a hint of shame,
It journeyed on, with courage and splendor.

Oh, butterfly, your flight inspires me,
To venture into the unknown, this time free.

Cover by ArtByAgni on ETSY

Fly Butterfly Fly {Ecstatic Dance Mix by MIKAYA}

Live recording played at Beat Church Asheville on Aug 1st, 2023. 

Please like, repost, and leave three comments for me and DM me after you have, and I will send you an export of my Traktor playlist with all of my comments, track and artists names, so you can study the progression I used in crafting this wave. It's a great resource for ecstatic dance djs and enthusiasts, and the engagement helps me to get more listens.

Theme was centered around finding and being the peace which we wish to see in our lives, in society, and on this planet. From inner peace, we truly can transform all that which surrounds us. Keep doing the inner work, it's worth it, and the inhabitants here on this beautiful blue green planet are counting on you.

Cover Art by ArtbyAgni on Etsy

Be in Peace {Ecstatic Dance Mix by MIKAYA}

Re-recorded at my home studio a few days after Earthen Halloween III held at Earthen Hallow in Old Fort, NC. Thank you Graham for having me, and special thanks to all those Sirens and Seers who danced under the hallow moon to this set. I added a few tricks and treats to my live set in this re-recording. Come and relive the eve...

Cover art titled "Styx" by Pandora Young on Etsy

Trollin River Styx {Dark Ecstatic Dance Set by MIKAYA}

Intention: Dynamic Range 

Referring to the range of values that a system can capture, represent, or reproduce. Dynamic range can be applied to audio, photography, or dance. In audio, it pertains to the difference between the softest and loudest sounds a device can accurately handle. In photography, dynamic range refers to the range of tones, from the darkest to the brightest, that a camera can capture.

In the context of ecstatic dance, dynamic range refers to the spectrum of movements and expressions a dancer can embody using motion, energy, and emotional states with fluidly and curiosity. From subtle and gentle motions to bold and powerful movements, this dance aims to stretch the dancer to their limits, in order to create a more immersive and transformative dance experience. 

Played on 1/5/2024 @ Haw Creek Commons, Asheville, NC. Pls like, repost and comment to feed my algo-rhythm. Danke!

Cover Art: Unknown Source

Dynamic Range {Live Ecstatic Dance Set by MIKAYA}

Deep in the jungle, there lies a fern gully. 
What lies within, can only begin...

Closing set for Fiddlehead's Frosty Ferngully Fiesta at The Landing on Jan 13th, 2024.

Special thanks to the Ferns and Fractals that came to celebrate this amazing man, and dear friend. We love you, Clay. Happy 4-0.

Fiddlehead's Fern Gully {Live Sensual set by MIKAYA}

This is a live recording, I had a mental laps that cut the music out midway for a little blip. Overall the mix is what I'd call interesting. Not my best work, but I am trying some new things so that is to be expected. 

I'm adding a theme after the fact... I am in my Rahu Ketu Dasha and experiencing it to its fullest as it comes to a close the next few months. It feels appropriate on a personal level to label this set as Rahu Ketu because of the intricacies of my Vedic chart, and my desire to pay respect to the Vedic wisdom present in my studies. Beyond that, the relevance feels a little too personal to get into in detail, and of course, it's still revealing itself to me. 

More about Rahu Ketu here:
https://vedicastrology.net.au/blog/vedic-articles/rahu-and-ketu/

Cover Art by Tejomaya on Deviant Art titled "Ganga avtaram - the descent of the ganges"

Pls, like, comment and repost if you feel so inspired. It helps. Thx!

Rahu Ketu {Live Ecstatic Dance mix by MIKAYA}

Curated in the depths of winter at Beat Church Asheville on Feb 11th, 2025.

May those icy frozen parts of us, fractured from our past, melt back into the nurturing waters that flow through us, dissolving, returning into one.

Num.	Title		Artist
1	Flow State	Triniidadii
2	Deep Sands	Ion Driver
3	holdon.	YATES!
4	Batanga	PHURN Lowcation
5	Geeked Up	Skinny Limbs
6	Arrive [nuo stems]	5AM
7	Miles Apart [nuo stem]	PHURN
8	FYA dub	Shaka Lion Singularis
9	Lovas [nuo stem]	Shaka Lion
10	Everglade March	Of The Trees
11	Mystic Physics	Hedflux
12	Taksim	Guns
13	What I Can Do "ENERGY"	CONTRA Saturna
14	Poetry In Motion [nuo stem]	AtYyA Finnoh
15	6AM (Perkulat0r Remix)	Of The Trees
16	Bellydancer	Kuni
17	Bad Karma (Original Mix) [nuo stems]	Axel Thesleff
18	Goober Time - PEAK	Jade Cicada
19	Wubbalubbadubdub	Jade Cicada
20	Like a Drum (Original Mix) [nuo stems]	Not The Father
21	Ric Flair Drip (with Metro Boomin)	Offset
22	vanish.	YATES!
23	Evacuate 1:06	Skinny Limbs
24	Siren's Call	Psyoptic
25	COLA	XRAY
26	Koté mwin	Sskyron
27	Truth or Dare	Tyla
28	Love in Space	Matt Becks
29	YOKO	Sskyron Bioz
30	Wanting You [nuo stem]	PLAZA
31	Sprout	Hudson Lee
32	Sunflower	Hudson Lee voljum
33	Borderland Sorrows	Slow Meadow

Remastered by Luo Rawls

Ice Becomes Water {Live Beat Church AVL Set by MIKAYA}

Wubbed in Dub is an ecstatic dance set in homage to the bass heavy sub cultures of dub. This set is structured by the classic ecstatic dance wave progression. We will wub shoulders with the music of psychill, psydub, reggae, reggaeton, dubstep, melodic bass, eclectic intelligent dance music (IDM) and a few heart openers to close it out. 

See you on the other side. 

Played on Feb 28th, 2025 in honor of Asheville Movement Collective's 25th Anniversary. Thank you Jeannie Adair for inviting me to play on such a memorable night. 

Photo cred to the interwebs.

Wubbed in Dub {Ecstatic Dance Mix by MIKAYA}

MIKAYA's Upcoming 2025 Event Schedule:
Sun, Sept 7th - Asheville Movement Collective
Sat, Sept 13th - TBA

MIKAYA (Micah Swabb) is an Ecstatic Dance DJ and facilitator for cathartic dance events. MIKAYA’s mixes inspire meditation through movement in ways that widen the scope of one's self-awareness and self-expression. For booking MIKAYA (Micah Swabb) please email micahswabb@pm.me. 

These musical journeys begin peacefully, build momentum and contrast, and then land softly with resolution and grace. MIKAYA also produces mash-ups and mixes in various genres. He teaches people how to make world class ecstatic dance mixes both from his home in Asheville, NC and virtually online.

Micah Swabb is also a regenerative real estate agent and eco-flipper in the Asheville, NC area. If you'd like help buying, selling or rehabbing homes or raw land please reach out. Regenerative Real Estate is all about living in harmony within the eco-systems of nature, society and personal well-being.

With deep gratitude... may we grow and glow together with love, courage and freedom.