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"Stretching to the beat" resonates with me because for the last year I have been a member of a dance class which is improvisational and has included people who are active in the local dance community as well as anyone who can move at all. be they in wheel chairs or somewhat mentally impaired. The age range is about 20 - 89. The usual size of the class that works best is about 8 - 12. This spring a small group of 6th-8th graders became a part of the class for 6 weeks. Both men and women are participating on a regular basis. The key to me is the word "improvisational" because each person invented (according to their abilities) movement which used muscles and stretches that were responsive to music and others in the class. My own experience has been that dancing barefoot has improved my ability to move and turn and balance. I have no background in dancing. For me there is always the frustration of what I cannot do, but letting the music in and also enjoying the contact with such a varied group of people sometimes inspires me to do a dance that exceeds my expectations. Maybe there are other groups out there? Karin ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn