The author of Dance is a teacher of dance and movement and cofounder of InterPlay, an international dance organization. Her use of the term "dance" does not particularly have to do with being graceful or especially coordinated or with having to learn various steps and rhythms. Instead, it has to do with becoming in touch with your body, which can be as simple as making faces, moving fingers and legs, stretching and wiggling the body, or walking around in a variety of ways. Such movement practices can help to develop a greater sense of wholeness. As the author explains, "The 'Body Smarts' found in dancing have the potential to carry us away from anxious to peaceful, from ordinary to extraordinary, from out of balance to balanced, from held back to liberated." She suggests, for example, dancing to one's own rhythm, or off the clock, to create a sense of detachment, which then may "awaken a spacious, loving, compassionate connection to the world and God." The book begins by showing the reader how to work through any inhibitions or self-consciousness harbored regarding dancing and gives a 10-second exercise using one hand. How to use the breath, find inspiration, and move various parts of one's anatomy to create body awareness and confidence are some of the other areas covered as preliminaries.

After further suggestions and exercises toward releasing one's natural grace and discovering joy, the book shows how to dance for wholeness, healing, spiritual direction, a sense of beloved community, and peacemaking. The eight chapters include a total of 45 movement practices. When one is dancing with another, for example, the focus is on "the five basic movements of healthy relationships--leading, following, blending, letting go, and reuniting." When practiced as a unified exercise, these movements then carry resonance that can enrich one's abilities to lead a richer, more expansive life. The author's overarching message is that "those who discover dancing as a spiritual practice harness energies of love," a key reason to explore the joy of movement.- Richard D. Wright, Tranquil Things, Derby Line, Vt.