The following quote by President John F. Kennedy serves as a timely reminder that health, physical education, recreation, and dance are crucial to the education of all students.

“Physical fitness in not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”

My final blog activity is entitled An Adagio for Awareness.

“We will end class today by walking slowly across the floor.  The purpose of this exercise is to increase sensory awareness and mindfulness as we move.  We will try to feel the articulation of the foot as it makes contact with the floor.  This is a successive movement as the flow of energy is transferred from the heel to the ball to the toes of the feet.  We will remember that the pioneers of modern dance wanted to feel the floor underneath their feet so they removed their shoes in rebellion against the restrictive footwear associated with other dance forms.  In keeping with the tradition of modern dance experimentation, we will try to complete the walk in five minutes instead of the usual ten seconds that it normally takes to transverse the studio floor.  In order to facilitate this walk, our playlist will include music that is atmospheric in nature.  Let’s begin.  Allow distracting thoughts to come and go like passing clouds.  It may be helpful to think of these distractions as turbulence that surrounds you, but yet is not a part of you.  What does it feel like to slow down?  Can you focus on your breathing without losing the awareness of the feet?  Let’s take a very deep breath and begin again.”

Recommended music:  Liquid Mind X, composed and performed by Chuck Wild.  LiquidMindMusic.com