Life Lessons from the Dance Floor

inspirational musings from a dancing scientist

Category: Uncategorized

  • Lightbulb Moments

    Lightbulb Moments

    At yesterday’s ballroom dance lesson, my teacher Fitz and I worked on cleaning up my Viennese Waltz footwork. I’m learning to dance independently (before going into dance hold), to clearly understand the mechanics of every movement with reverse turns, natural turns, change steps, etc.

    There was a moment when the lightbulb went off in my brain about why one of my transitional turns wasn’t working. We figured out I was doing 2 change steps where only 1 is needed, which meant I was not able to get back into partner hold easily. It was a satisfying feeling to “problem solve” the footwork issue then glide around the floor more smoothly, to uplifting Viennese Waltz music.

    These lightbulb “ah-ha!” problem-solving moments are always satisfying when they happen in daily life, off the dance floor, also. As another example — last night on a lovely evening at Follow Your Art Community Studios, I participated in an outdoor Strummerville Ukulele Club event, where a few dozen people of all levels came to strum and sing along to favorite songs. I showed up as a novice with my new bright blue ukulele, and sat next to a kind woman who helped me learn the fingerwork for various chords. It was several hours of fun, community social connection, and lightbulb moments!

    What lightbulb moments have you had recently?

    Photo by Erik Mclean on Pexels.com
  • Small World Discoveries

    Small World Discoveries

    Last weekend when I was out social Swing dancing, an older man who asked me to dance shared the exact address where he grew up when he introduced himself. I was speechless because a) that is not something one typically does, and b) it turns out that he grew up right across the street from my grandparents — and used to shovel their driveway six decades ago! He even remembered my grandfather’s name. What are the odds of this coincidence? As a child, I spent summers and holidays in that beautiful brick house my grandfather had built in the 1930s, and we both recalled the expansive view of Boston from the back patio. This was a surprising and unexpected connection on the dance floor.

    Last night I danced at the annual “Swingin’ on the Charles” Swing Dance event at the Charles River boat house. The skyline, sailboats, and red line “T” crossing the Longfellow Bridge provided a quintessential Boston backdrop to the jazz music and dancers on the docks. One thing I love about Swing Dance is that people who show up to social dance are passionate about this style and happy to dance with others, even much younger or older than themselves. I was happy to see a predominance of twenty-somethings from the local universities, mixing with dancers from various other ages up through their seventies.

    A young man in his late twenties asked me to dance, and commented that the Boston waterfront view reminded him of Seattle, where he’s from. I told him I used to visit Seattle often when I lived in California. After some back-and-forth conversation–while we were practicing back-and-forth Swing, Charleston and Lindy Hop moves–we discovered that we attended the same California graduate school for our PhDs in engineering, years apart.

    These two “small world” discoveries through casual dance floor conversation make me wonder how many more would be uncovered through more social connections and conversations on dance floors and other places in our day-to-day lives. What “small world” coincidences have you experienced?

  • Swing Dance Freedom

    Swing Dance Freedom

    Last night I enjoyed a Swing Dance party in the city with live music. Today I had fun at a kite festival in rural MA on a perfect summer day. As an introvert, it takes energy for me to motivate to get out to events with crowds, but I always enjoy the uplifting feeling from social connection.

    The first hour of the party was a dance lesson, where everyone formed a circle and rotated partners every few minutes as we learned new steps together from the teachers. Rock step, triple step, triple step. Rock step, triple step, triple step. Being in closed hold after introducing oneself briefly to many others of various ages, abilities, and backgrounds — with a common love of dancing — is a great antidote to the isolation of our heavily online society.

    At the festival when a friend and I were struggling to assemble our new kites, we asked two other women who walked by if they had experience. Amazingly, one was a world champion kite flyer, who happily took the time to help me assemble my kite and get it soaring with very little wind!

    Something else these two events had in common, besides social connection and a friend who joined me for both, was the freedom and joy of movement. The kites dancing together as they rose in the wind reminded me of the feeling of East Coast Swing. Rock step, triple step, triple step. Rock step, triple step, triple step. The crowd of colorful kites against the blue sky backdrop reminded me of the dance floor full of people smiling, swaying, bouncing, and experiencing the thrill of Swing Dance freedom.

  • Community Line Dancing

    Community Line Dancing

    The last few weeks I signed up for beginner line dancing lessons in my town, held at the local VFW building that has a stage and dance floor. It was taught by an enthusiastic young woman who is a competitive line dancer at her university and was home for the summer. I had only tried this form of dancing once before, at the Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville (pic below), and recalled correctly how much fun it is. Not only did I enjoy the country music songs and learning new steps and choreographed line dance routines, I also enjoyed the comraderie of people (mostly women of various ages) learning and practicing these in unison. The first time I went alone, the second time with a friend, and the third time with a different friend and my daughter. Each class was an enriching new life experience, and an opportunity to get out of my house and socialize with others in my community. I am inspired to do more social swing dancing this fall, along with more ballroom lessons and group tap classes!

  • Off Script

    Off Script

    Today I enjoyed a transcendent dance lesson with my teacher Fitz, as we started preparing a show dance for competitions and charity events. We focused on Waltz, Tango, and Viennese Waltz and combined steps from different levels (Bronze and Silver) and styles (International Standard and American Smooth). Instead of practicing Bronze level competition routines, we went “off script.” This means I did not know what move he would lead me into from one step to the next, so I needed to be even more present and in the moment than usual. There were numerous times I misstepped and almost ran into him, but overall I felt exhilaration, empowerment, and freedom as we zoomed and floated and spun around the dance floor. We laughed throughout the hour and I left the studio with a smile on my face that I’m still wearing hours later!

    As a scientist used to approaching life analytically, going “off script” is challenging for me. Throughout my research career I was always more comfortable reading notes for the numerous presentations I gave rather than impromptu public speaking. As I get older, I’m learning to let experiences unfold more organically and to be ok with an unstructured daily schedule. Once again, lessons I learn on the dance floor inform my life outside the studio, and vice versa.

  • Starstruck

    Starstruck

    Several weeks ago I attended Derek Hough’s Symphony of Dance Encore show in Boston with a VIP ticket I splurged on last winter, when I was immersed in Dancing with the Stars (DWTS) Season 34. I was starstruck to meet the Emmy-winning choreographer/dancer/actor/singer/tv personality, take this joyous photo with him, and participate in the Q&A session (his favorite dance styles? Paso Doble and Argentine Tango). Derek not only choreographed and starred in an incredible dance show (with his wife Hayley, a dancing miracle after a near-fatal brain bleed and surgery two years ago, along with a highly talented dance troupe), but also shared his vulnerability and gratitude with the audience. His positivity and zest for life was truly contagious with the audience and tangibly shifted my energy, reminding me again the therapeutic powers of dance.

    I was also grateful to make new friends in line and the seats next to me—kind New Englanders who also appreciate the beauty of dance and this amazing artist. I’ll add that watching DWTS over the years has brought me tremendous joy and comfort, including through pneumonia recovery and other tough times. I’m looking forward to next season, and inspired to work with my ballroom teacher on a Pro(fessional)-Am(ateur) showdance number. Thank you, Derek!

  • “So much happening”

    “So much happening”

    Ballroom dancing is a gorgeous and challenging art form. In today’s lesson I had fun continuing to practice the Waltz, Tango and Viennese Waltz with my outstanding teacher Fitz. We talked and laughed about “so much happening” in every single moment. Feet, legs, torso, arms, hands, back, neck, head all have their roles and must help each other and stay in sync — for each partner individually as well as together in hold — and must also be connected with every beat of the music for the dance to look graceful and beautiful. As a scientist, I think of it as a complex physics equation I’m always working to solve by adjusting each of the components as needed. As a dancer, I’m having fun letting go of “so much happening” outside the dance studio —and feeling the pure joy of stylish movement!

    Viennese Waltz practice
  • Wednesday Bliss

    Wednesday Bliss

    I’ve been taking private ballroom lessons regularly on Wednesday afternoons for the last few months. That hour is the perfect midpoint of my week! My teacher is helping me polish American Smooth Waltz, Tango, Viennese, and Foxtrot bronze level routines. Each style has its own personality, and dancing them brings out different facets of my personality. There aren’t many guarantees in life — but walking out of the studio feeling totally blissful and energized is one of them! Highlights today were flying around the dance floor in Viennese waltz to R.E.M’s “Everybody Hurts,” nailing Tango turns, and rediscovering the joy of partner dancing to a bluesy foxtrot number. Looking forward to next Wednesday!

  • Shakin’ My Groove Thing

    Shakin’ My Groove Thing

    Hello! It’s been too long since I last posted because, well…Life. Including unexpected early retirement, family medical challenges, traveling, finishing my novel, et cetera. But I’m happy to report that I have in fact danced a lot since my previous post. After a friend gave me a salsa lesson gift certificate for my last birthday, I took some private and group salsa and bachata lessons. While I haven’t yet managed to push myself out of my introverted comfort zone to venture into the social dance scene again, Spring is just around the corner with its endless possibilities.

    I also enjoyed adult group tap class again, at two different studios (one in my suburb and one in the city, with different teachers and age demographics), in which I learned more about tap and myself. Last fall I also took more private ballroom dance lessons, working on waltz, tango, foxtrot, and Viennese. This reinvigorated my dream of dancing the Viennese waltz in Vienna, preferably during the balls season, and ideally on New Year’s Eve. I learned that a dance friend of mine has the same dream, and we talked about traveling to Vienna together around our 60th birthdays, which happen to be a few months apart.

    Every one of these dance styles and experiences is a gift. Another gift I’m grateful for is the supreme joy I feel when dancing around my living room (or sometimes my basement or hotel room) by myself, playing my favorite songs on the Spotify list I created. Sometimes I blast the speaker with disco lights that strobe to the beat. Sometimes I dance with my eyes closed, and am transported to whatever decade and time in my life each song evokes. Every single time — whether I’m doing the twist, swing dancing, salsa dancing, disco dancing, freeform dancing — or all of the above, as I did tonight, I am 100% guaranteed to feel better after shakin’ my groove thing without a care in the world. If you haven’t turned your living room or basement into your own personal dance floor, I highly recommend trying it!

  • A Valentine to Dancing

    A Valentine to Dancing

    Well, I survived another Valentine’s Day – a holiday charged with societal expectations that are hard to live up to even if one is in a romantic relationship. It is also celebrated by (single) women as “Galentine’s Day.” This holiday I’m focusing on love and gratitude for my galentines who inspire me and have supported me through many ups and downs, and for my children — the loves of my life. I’m grateful for my health, meaningful work, cozy home, and the effervescent joy that dancing brings me.

    After meeting one of my galentines at a cafe after work, I went to my 8pm adult tap class. My teacher had offered to cancel it, to be sensitive to women who may be celebrating with their romantic life partner, but the students declined the offer. All of us — both married and single — emphasized how much we need tap dance in our lives.

    My two adult group tap classes this week (practiced the Shim Sham in one and a routine to NKOTB in the other) and my private ballroom lesson (focused on waltz and foxtrot) brought their signature endorphins to my brain and giddy smile to my face. I can always count on dance to make me feel fantastic, no matter what else is going on in my work or personal life. And for these reasons, this is my VALENTINE TO DANCING.

  • Humbled

    Humbled

    This week and last I took two adult tap classes and private ballroom lesson. I loved them all for different reasons, and my teachers are all great for different reasons. One tap class focuses on performance choreography, and the other on classical training and tap history. Tapping in sync with a group of women at different stages in life feels nourishing and empowering. In the Wednesday night class we watched a classic clip with Gregory Hines paying homage to Sammy Davis Jr., then attempted to do our own paradiddles routine. That was humbling after watching the greats and then our professional teacher do a complex fast sequence with several top teen dancers in the studio. I was proud of myself for being able to keep up for most of the slow version of the paradiddle routine (single, single, double, double, single – repeat; single, single, triple, triple, single). It takes tremendous focus and mindfulness. There is no time for negative self talk if I miss a step, because then I’m lost and don’t want to throw off the others as we create a beautiful syncopated group sound.

    I was also humbled in my ballroom lesson this week (and every lesson I’ve ever had because the artform is so technically complex). My teacher Fitz took me back to ballroom walking basics (brush heel on 1, toe step on 2, 3, heel down on the &…). Learning to walk again is just what I needed to improve my base and foundational skills. There’s no faking footwork when one “ballroom walks” across the studio alone, just like there’s no faking tap footwork (it is clearly audible when one missteps). 

    Another epiphany I had is updating my previous observation that dance is about physics and feelings to: dance is about physics, feelings, and personality (and connection in any type of partner dancing). We are practicing smooth ballroom style (this week was waltz and foxtrot, last week waltz and tango), which involves letting go of close hold for each partner to express themselves (e.g., with a dramatic arm movement). As a dancing scientist, I am continually challenged to balance physics with feelings and personality!

  • New Year, More Dance!

    New Year, More Dance!

    Happy New Year, friends! I am thrilled to be resurrecting my 2017 dance blog and happy you are reading this! Fall 2023 was challenging for me, as I was very ill with pneumonia for several months. One of my goals/intentions/resolutions for a joyous 2024 is to dance as much as possible and I’m off to a good start. I enjoyed a fun fourth ballroom lesson at my new studio on Friday. While I’m still very rusty from taking a long pandemic-related hiatus, the fundamentals are coming back slowly but surely and my “dance bliss” practicing American smooth waltz and tango was as effervescent as ever. My teacher joked about how I tend to dance like a scientist (that I am, analytically breaking down the moves and mechanics) and I am grateful for the gentle reminders that dance is about both feelings and physics. Every lesson is a humbling experience, since there is always more to learn and work on with ballroom dance technique. Professional dancers make it look effortless, but in fact every step involves mindful awareness of balance, legs and footwork, partner connection, and frame posture (torso, head, arms and hands). Graceful execution is a complex equation of many variables in every second of a dance. I find the mental and physical challenge incredibly fun and rewarding.

    In addition to more ballroom lessons in the year ahead, I look forward to starting a new series of adult tap classes this week and I tried salsa, bachata, and hip-hop lessons at a nearby studio open house last week. I had a blast and it was an enriching social experience with a packed room of passionate dancers. Because I had dabbled in those styles previously I was able to keep up and fit in dance-wise. However, as we rotated bachata partners I couldn’t help notice that I’m decades older than most people there. Thankfully it didn’t seem to matter on the dance floor -but that observation led me to ponder afterwards if some dance styles are more suited to certain age groups than others. A trip that night down the Google rabbit hole led me to find many inspirational “older” dancers (including women decades older than me) that emphasized age is just a number and that if people love to dance they should as long as they can with whatever styles bring them joy. I strive to be one of those women!

    Feel free to share your thoughts in the Contact page of this blog about your favorite styles of dance.

  • Joys of Tap Dancing

    Joys of Tap Dancing

    When I was around five years old I started watching Shirley Temple movies on our old television, enthralled with the tap dancing routines of this talented charismatic girl around my age, lighting up the screen. I memorized her moves and tried to reenact scenes in my basement to escape family dramas upstairs. It would be decades later when I bought my own tap shoes, first to tap around the house with my daughter and then to rediscover the joy of it after I paused ballroom dancing.

    In my first adult beginner group tap class, I was delighted to learn a “Singin’ in the Rain” routine, but alas that was cut short by the pandemic. Last year I took a private class and was thrilled warming up to the Beatles and Taylor Swift then learn “Another Day of Sun” from La-La Land. No matter what type of bad day I had at work, it was 100% guaranteed I would leave the dance studio spouting endorphins and smiling like Gene Kelly.

    In my most recent tap class series I was feeling overconfident the first lesson because I had more dance experience than the other women, who were newcomers—until our wise and experienced teacher asked us to do 2 counts of 8 with improv to express our soul. She asked me to go first, and I panicked trying to remember steps from the La-La-Land number. The steps I did remember did not go well with the music. I danced like a stressed engineer following a logic diagram, who is good with a recipe or prepared speech but not comfortable going off script. The other women with less dance experience tapped with simpler steps than mine but radiated joy and expressed their souls in how they moved their bodies to the 1929 version of “Just a Gigolo.” I felt humbled, and ready to challenge myself again next week. If I learn to improvise tap with heart and soul, I will reward myself with purple patent leather tap shoes like the ones my teacher rocks.   

  • Staying Centered

    Staying Centered

    Last week I gave a big presentation for work. My colleague who has seen me give numerous talks over the years commented afterwards that he has never seen me so calm. Usually my heart races then I speak too quickly, rushing to finish and not enjoying the experience. “What was different this time?” he asked. “I was in ballroom dancer mode,” I replied.  This time I summoned the courage of a dancer about to step onto the competition floor, and recalled what my teachers have taught me about walking with poise to enjoy sharing and connecting. After striding confidently to the podium, smiling and making eye contact as I greeted the audience, I heard myself speak in a clear, slow voice I almost didn’t recognize. I was fully present and not flustered even when my cell phone alarm started chiming from within my pocketbook in the back of the room. Rather than interrupting the flow by running to turn it off, I just took a breath and kept going.

    This feeling of being completely centered is something I’ve experienced through yoga, hiking in nature, and ballroom dancing — not often enough, but increasingly more. In dancing, if body and mind are both centered, even the Viennese Waltz and Quickstep can seem as if I have all the time in the world.  Sometimes re-centering is best achieved with a posture adjustment, and sometimes with a deep focusing breath. With more practice, I hope to find that center more quickly whenever I’m thrown off balance both on and off the dance floor. How do you stay centered in challenging situations?

  • Fellowship

    Fellowship

    [[Note: this post was first written in June 2017, then updated September 2026.]]

    In 2016 I flew alone to Spain to hike the the last 100km of the oldest pilgrimage in Europe, the Camino de Santiago or Way of St. James. Since that life altering experience, my journey of spiritual growth, self-discovery, and healing has continued. In 2018 and 2025 I walked two more pilgrimages along The Way: with a ballroom dance friend on the last 100km of the Portuguese Way; and solo (at first, then made many friends while walking) for the last 100km of the English Way.

    One of the many things that makes the Camino so special is the fellowship of seekers from all over the world sharing stories, meals, accommodations, faith, and encouragement. As the saying goes, friends are the family we choose. My extended family includes those fellow pilgrims I walked and socialized with in Spain and Portugal, as well as all those friends over my lifetime who shared my childhood, witnessed my marriage, celebrated my children’s birthdays, comforted me through my daughter’s surgeries, supported me through divorce and work challenges, cheered me on at dance competitions, and lightened my backpack in numerous other ways.

    On the pilgrim’s passport stamped along The Way, the Spirit of the Camino is summarized in these words: “Live in the moment. Welcome each day – its pleasures and its challenges. Make others feel welcome. Share. Feel the spirit of those who have gone before you. Imagine those who will follow you. Appreciate those who walk with you today.” The message of the daily mass in the breathtaking Santiago cathedral, where thousands of weary travelers gather at the end of the pilgrimage, is to take that spirit and fellowship back home. In life, as on the Camino in Spain, some are meant to join us for the long haul and others for just a short while, but we all learn from each other and our shared experiences. Today I appreciate everyone who has walked – and danced – with me along life’s journey.

  • Confidence

    Confidence

    A few years ago when I was recently separated and in the depths of despair, my friend and hairdresser Gina, who had been telling me about her ballroom dance hobby for years, encouraged me to take a trial lesson at her studio. “One day can bend your life” is a quote I like from Mitch Albom; the day I booked that appointment was one of those days for me. When I nervously stepped onto the dance floor and my teacher Zach took my hand to lead, I was unsettled to have such close physical contact with a stranger and felt like a deer in headlights. But he immediately put me at ease, and I was hooked on ballroom dancing. I started taking lessons on my Fridays off while my kids were in school, and soon the dance studio became my “happy place.” As a newcomer learning American Smooth and Rhythm styles (with salsa, hustle, bachata, and other social dances mixed in) and experiencing the exhilaration of my first competitions, my confidence grew until I was catapulted from an empty shell to a confident woman again. “Spread your wings…chest and heart open…stand up and show up…let the ground support you but stay lifted…posture and presence…strong and out…up and forward…sparkle!” These words and phrases were gemstones on my journey of healing through my divorce. Zach would often jokingly say we’re “kind of a big deal” and helped me regain self-confidence that carried over in my personal life. Divorce may have knocked the wind out of my sails, but those early lessons from my first ballroom teacher helped fill them again.

  • Strength

    Strength

    As important as softening is in Standard ballroom dances, strength is important in Latin dances – Cha-Cha, Rumba, Jive, Paso Doble, Samba. Dancing both styles helps balance my yin and yang. Lessons with my teacher Mark remind me to stand tall, make every muscle and movement as strong as possible, and use resistance to its advantage. Push, pull, wait, go, come together, pull apart. I think coping in the times we collectively live in, and with our own individual challenges requires both strength and softness. Staying positive after reading the daily news requires strength of mind and resistance to negativity, while at the same time softening the heart to cultivate kindness and connection to others. The name Valerie means strength, and my therapist tells me I am one of those people “strong at the broken places” (from a Hemingway quote), but on some days I feel more broken than strong. On those days, such as yesterday, I use various coping skills such as prayer, gratitude, hugging my children, reaching out to friends, listening to music (lately the La La Land soundtrack), reading inspirational quotes, eating dark chocolate, and remembering my lessons from the dance floor to take it one strong, intentional step at a time. How do you cope on the broken days?

  • Soften

    Soften

    In yesterday’s lesson, after joyously spinning around the studio dance floor demonstrating my baseline Waltz, Tango, Quickstep, and Viennese this week, my teacher Ashan worked with me more on footwork and general movement – a humble return to basics, learning to walk again but in heels. He praised how I was stepping with more intention, but I realized I had been equating strong intention with drive, just as I generally do in my everyday life. What he taught me is that intention comes from clarity of thought and commitment to movement, and we can move more effortlessly and with more grace and ease when we remain soft and receptive rather than forceful or driving. The life lesson I drew from this class resonated with what I need in daily life also: release rather than force, fall rather than push, soften rather than tighten, receive rather than drive.  In standard ballroom dancing, this is achieved by falling from the hips and not driving from the legs. Soften, fall, receive, release — these are the words I will carry this week at home and work, and try to remember in all my relationships. I’m certain I will need this lesson again and again, but will celebrate every step of progress.

  • Student’s Journey

    Student’s Journey

    The ballroom dance student’s journey offers many paths, with two major styles and 19 dances. Levels of competition include newcomer, pre-bronze, bronze, silver, gold, and open. In each of these, we master something, gain confidence, move to the next level, then take things apart and return to humble square one. This process reminds me of my spiritual journey. Just when I think I have evolved to a new level, something breaks me apart and humbles me to square one.  Opportunities abound for growth and permutations of paths on my spiritual journey. Today was one of those break-everything-apart days, one of those sit in my “hot loneliness” days, one of those go-back-to-humble-square-one days. On these days when I am a newcomer once again, I remember lessons all my teachers in dance and life have taught me, and know the journey will continue.

  • Partner Balance

    Partner Balance

    A key to ballroom dancing, relationships, and life is finding a balance between holding on and letting go. We need to be able to dance well and strongly in our own space, to be able to dance well with others. In dance and life, latching onto a partner and being too dependent and passively following will not work; nor will aggressively leading or dancing too independently. Coming together, dancing in separate spheres while staying connected with equal force, allows an active conversation where both dancers can alternately lead and follow for a dynamic partnership.

     

  • Solid Base in Dance and Life

    Solid Base in Dance and Life

    The physics and feelings involved in ballroom dancing are so complex that every lesson reveals gems of wisdom for life. Learning balance in motion is extremely challenging in and of itself, but also required are actively listening and reacting to the music, strongly connecting with your partner, and expressing your individual style  – all simultaneously, in every single step. Sometimes my teachers work with me on upper body posture, sometimes footwork, other times on connection or musicality. My last lesson focused on the importance of a solid base, both feet spread wide with balanced weight. This is not as easy as it sounds, especially in high heels. Similarly in life, a solid base is necessary to maintain balance and a sense of ease. I think family, friends, religion/spirituality, work, daily routines can help establish a solid base, but balancing all of those things with ease presents its own challenge.

  • Benefits of Ballroom Dancing

    Benefits of Ballroom Dancing

    Ballroom dancing is about growing into the best version of yourself, and bringing joy and inspiration to others by expressing your authentic self. It is about physics and feelings, connections and relationships. It feeds the mind, body, and soul. It is a glamorous antidote to life’s doldrums, which anyone who steps into a colorful competition room will experience.  Here is just a partial list of benefits:

    • human and social connections – more important than ever in this technology age!
    • cardiovascular and toning exercise
    • fun and joy for yourself and entertaining others
    • confidence and self-esteem
    • getting out of your comfort zone and learning to let go of judgment
    • cultivating balance in motion, which helps with staying centered in daily life
    • experience healing effects of movement and music together
    • thrill of competitions, and evolving from newcomer to advanced levels
    • I invite you to share others!
  • Welcome!

    Welcome!

    Hello and welcome to the “Life Lessons from the Dance Floor” blog! Dancing has been one of my greatest joys and self-care tools for decades.  This art form has helped me cope through challenges and rediscover myself.

    As a young child, I recreated movie dance numbers and performed in my home basement. In middle school, I disco-danced with my classmates in the cafeteria mornings before the bell rang. In high school I danced in The Boyfriend, Pippin, and West Side Story musicals. In college and as a young adult, I dabbled in adult jazz and ballet lessons. I performed with other parents in some of my daughter’s recitals and Nutcracker ballet shows.

    When my marriage ended I delved into competitive ballroom and Latin dancing for five years – challenging, therapeutic, and fun! During the pandemic, I boogied around my house to lift my spirits. Post-pandemic I enjoyed social swing dancing. The last few years I took adult tap lessons, dabbled with bachata and salsa classes, and resumed weekly  ballroom lessons (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese). I hope to dance into my nineties!

    How has dance been part of your life? What is your favorite dance style?