In a time when the climate of the world is anything less than calm, each one of us battles divisiveness, negativity and uneasiness to ensure our students that their studio is a place they can always come for inclusiveness and emotional release.

While we are ourselves don't always have the answers to give our dancers as to why circumstances and situations are the way they are, the one thing we can always provide them with is the reminder that dance heals. It is hope. It is an art form where mind, body and soul unite to calm the spirit and clear the mind.
     By coming to class or rehearsals, dance provides an outlet where one's thoughts and feelings, fears and hopes can be parlayed into a living, breathing vehicle which speaks volumes. There is no right or wrong opinion or feeling. Dance doesn't judge. It doesn't divide. It unites through collaboration, acceptance, tolerance, patience and hard work. It honors commitment and dedication and it unknowingly can create a dialogue amongst human beings which might otherwise be difficult with words. Dance is our time to learn about one another, to build relationships and to find tolerance in the differences we may have. It is also a space to recognize that we are all more similar than different.

     Dance is not only the physical release one needs to make sense of things sometimes but it is a channel for a student to put all their emotions into. To reflect. To create. To change. To evolve. To move without thinking. To just be. And don't we all need to just be sometimes? While we may not always understand the thoughts and feelings going on inside us or others, dance is patient and allows us all our process. It waits for us to get to the point of understanding and making sense of all that doesn't.

     We are lucky that we have dance in our arsenal of outlets. We are provided with an infinite number of avenues through dance in which to emote, communicate, analyze, introspect, apply, envision and change circumstance. It is a unifier. It is a voice which cannot be stifled. It can reach the masses and spread hope, love and peace and send a very clear message as to what we can all achieve together if we choose to. It is beauty in motion but it's strong. It's more powerful than hatred or any negative thought, its voice is loud but its grace is always present. It teaches us messages consistently, some we may not have learned otherwise. It helps us to acknowledge things we may not always want or choose or can change and it challenges us to be better. Not only from a physical standpoint but as a whole being.

    So, as a dance teacher or a studio owner, take solace in knowing you spread positivity and love everyday with dance. You become the vessel for communicating it to your students and allowing them the opportunity to embody it for themselves. Remind them that dance is the tie that binds. When uncertainty arises in the ways of the world from the smallest concern to the greatest, dance will never steer them wrong. Time will pass and it will remain the healing agent which can reshape our future going forward. Embrace it and thank God we have been given this gift to live in and share.

God Bless us all. Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving.
See you in the dance studio,
Jessie