truly a radical move to stop-stop-stop.

Taking moments for “selfish” acts like dancing alone in your room is, in fact, a really responsible, healthy form of self-care. It goes back to what we talked about in the Free Yourself chapter: putting on the metaphorical oxygen mask before you help others with theirs. Expressing yourself and refueling your creative tank is going to allow you to

We go to a comedy show because we want to laugh, but we’re not scared we’ll keep laughing for the rest of our lives, right?

I would love to see a world where more dance movements are popping up in this way, where it’s not only about learning a particular style of dance, perfecting technique, or getting a workout, but rather freedom of expression, healing, and connectivity through movement.

To that end, I’m granting myself permission: permission to “mess up,” to be wild, to be myself. I promise this book will be more fun for you to read that way. (And I know I’ll get a lot more out of it, too.) In giving ourselves permission to

So, be gentle with you.

There’s another reason why you might have reached for a book about dance: we need each other’s stories. We need to know we’re not isolated in our challenges and growth, and we glimpse that through the shared words of another on the creative path.

connect that with the idea of your lower limbs as roots connecting from the ground up into your heart, grounding and strengthening you,

Note to self: If you feel trapped, the key to freedom is actually in your body, not the Buick. Freedom might even