Where Movement Becomes Dance
As someone who was exposed to dance at a very young age and has continued dancing into adulthood, I know firsthand the health benefits and joy it brings into one’s life. Over the decades, working as an embodied movement expert with clients and as a dancer and choreographer in my own practice, I’ve come to see how deeply my work is rooted in dance, even when I’m teaching Embody Pilates.
At its core, my work requires me to design thoughtful, highly individualized movement sequences for each client. Every body is different, with injuries, goals, strengths, and patterns that vary, so each session becomes its own kind of choreography. Like a dancer, I’m constantly thinking with precision and intention, how to create flow, how to build strength, how to refine alignment, and how to guide someone toward their desired outcome.
What many of my clients don’t immediately realize is that part of what they’re experiencing in our sessions is joy. The fluidity, rhythm, grace, and balance we cultivate together often feel less like exercise and more like a dance. Even within a focused fifty-minute session, there are moments of levity, laughter, and self exploration that are hallmarks of truly embodied, creative movement.
Having studied a range of dance forms from modern and jazz to ballet, contemporary, and African dance, I recently decided to step outside my comfort zone and explore partner dancing. Social dances like swing, salsa, and tango introduced an entirely new dimension, community, connection, play, and adaptability.
Partner dancing, much like working with clients, is a dynamic conversation. Each person moves and communicates differently through their body. You learn to read subtle cues, adjust in real time, and respond to shifting rhythms, fast, slow, or somewhere in between. There is a cognitive element at play as well, coordination, spatial awareness, and responsiveness are constantly being refined.
And then there is the atmosphere. In a room filled with dancers, especially with live music, the energy is palpable. People from all walks of life come together, each bringing their own level of experience, yet sharing in the same sense of enthusiasm and expression. It reminds me so much of the work I do with my clients, that same focus, that same transformation. Even on days when someone arrives tired or stressed, they often leave feeling lighter, more energized, and more connected to themselves.
Beyond being an incredible form of cardio, dance has been widely recognized for its cognitive benefits, including supporting brain health and helping maintain mental sharpness with age. But its impact goes far beyond the physical.
There is an African proverb I often return to:
“If you can walk, you can dance. If you can talk, you can sing.”
It is a simple yet powerful reminder that movement and expression are innate and belong to all of us. When clients or friends tell me they cannot dance, I gently challenge that belief. The barrier is rarely ability, it is usually perception.
Another guiding principle I live by is the old proverb, “If there is a will, there is a way.” Growth, whether in movement or in life, begins with the willingness to try.
Dance offers us more than strength and flexibility, it builds confidence, fosters community, and deepens our connection to ourselves and others. It teaches us how to move through space with awareness and respect, how to adapt, and how to communicate beyond words. These are skills that extend far beyond the studio, influencing how we show up in our relationships, our work, and our daily lives.
There is a universality to dance. It connects us through joy, through challenge, through shared human experience. It invites creativity, presence, and play.
If you have ever felt the pull to try a dance class, whether in a studio, a social setting, or through movement based practices like Embody Pilates, I encourage you to take that first step. You may be surprised by how profoundly it can shift your mind, body, and spirit.
