It's no secret dancing creates connection, movement, joy, and community for its practitioners. New to me was this study (National Institutes of Health, 16-Aug-2022) concluding ballroom dancing increases our empathy, i.e, "the ability to share someone else's...

I was privileged to participate in two celebrations this past weekend, which both happened to involve couples celebrating their 40th Anniversary. Both were extraordinarily joyful occasions, and I realized no significant celebration, to me these days, would feel...

Hardly a week goes by, it seems, without some local article or radio show rehashing the trope of the now-mythical "Seattle Freeze." I lived all over the country before landing in Seattle, and have never experienced people being so remarkably more unfriendly here, as...

I've felt copious gratitude through the years, both specific and general, for this body that allows me to dance. I've never delved quite as deeply into the particular physiology, however, as does Tova Forman (Designed to Dance? Here’s What Science Says, July 14,...

The bad news is, "Dancing with Sharks," billed as "the world's most dangerous dance competition," seems awfully ridiculous. The good news? Well, the annual Shark Week (this is the 37th season) series on Discovery Channel attempts to raise awareness of ocean issues,...

It was a delight to see so many friends and dancers out for the first Dancing til Dusk event last Tuesday, where the inimitable Dina Blade and her excellent band treated us to some seriously jazzy grooves. The Savoy Swing Club, led by Guy Caridi, performed a...

Sometimes it’s not enough to rise from the ashes. Sometimes one has to start somewhere new to grow.― R. Raeta, Pits & Poison: These Godly Lies Most every July 4 weekend, for a few decades now, I've been at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland OR to celebrate...

"The foundation of James Brown's music is his dancing." While watching a documentary — Mike Judge presents...Tales from the Tour Bus — I heard writer RJ Smith uttered that statement and it kinda blew my mind. Filmmaker and writer Nelson George followed with...

Every day brings a chance for you to draw in a breath, kick off your shoes and dance. —Oprah Winfrey I'm very familiar with forming bad habits, like scrolling social media when feeling tired or anxious. What does it take to form good habits, though, such as dancing...