I was paid several endearing compliments this week, which of course I humbly thank, but I must soak in and take note. After attending a local Zumba class with seniors one elderly gray-haired woman said to me, “You (your dancing) is on my bucket list” she explained “your movement is so fluid yet strong I love watching you move!” she enthusiastically exclaimed. WoW! I usually take this class to work out my own kinks I am asked, many times, to stand in front-center so others (especially this lady) may follow my moves. From the same class a woman responded “the energy is so different from a dancing man than a dancing woman”, “I like to watch your movement/gestures I understand them better”. Whoa! I think many female students taking dance from a female instructor feel the need to mimic the frilly/female aesthetic of the movement. It is a proven fact that when guys continuously study ballet from a female teacher, the movement style tends to be quick & frilly, however, in men’s ballet classes the tempo is slowed and the movement is grounded and strong. A recreational dancing man cannot move the way a woman would therefore, there is more flexibility in the movement vocabulary for a woman (that is she may respond to the movement the way a woman would). On a social exchange (from the same class) I was asked from a new Zumba student from Columbia “Are you from Brazil?” and in further conversation “I don’t understand why Americans are so materialistic?” OMG!! Was that a rhetorical question? I responded: “My heart is from Brazil” and furthered “materialism in America is due to the disillusionment of wealth & prestige in an unhappy society with too many choices”. Whew! Life is simple it is a dance of many speeds, difficulty and emotion. It is easy for some and difficult for others, but it is a given right to all of us. In support of my answer, some people feel the need to purchase dance lessons/instructions in learning to dance, and that is fine (after all it is how I make my living), while others will dance for passion, devotion or just because. Ultimately dancing is fun, energizing and sometimes life saving, and makes people happy in whatever context. Back to this week of compliments, the last one came from a three hour conversation I had with a dance colleague. We discussed dance strategies, passion, technique, life lessons, pearls of wisdom, discipline and dance as culture, when she said: “I think you should write a book” Hmmmm!