Finding balance in dance is about identifying what you like to do best, and then finding the most supportive places to do it. One of the most joyous events I witnessed this past year was in Bellingham — a showcase of Ballroom Dance, performed at U & Me Dance Studios there. For those classically-oriented purists, ballroom dance can be an absolute eye-opener to the truly affirming power of dance.

Living in Italy now, we have not yet found such comfortable, proficient places (although we’ve had a few false starts). I’ve had the best luck with a small dance studio – SAD, just down the street from where I live in Florence. There, the 40-year olds dance on pointe, even the men. It’s a wondrous sight.