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e began by tapping our bodies from head to toe with our hands and moving easily to the beat of the music. The instructor, Margot Greenlee, called it body percussion: warming up our skin, muscles and bones. Think about how you can dance to fit “you” best, she said. For a half hour I swiveled my hips, twisted my torso, strengthened my legs and gently shook my arms and shoulders to music with 12 other students, while Greelee watched us on video. The goal? Have fun and be able to move more comfortably through my day. I was in a zoom dance class called Morning Moves 2.0. Greenlee calls it “Inclusive Dance.” “It’s an umbrella term for dance that is inviting to people of all ages and abilities,” she explained. “Unlike a more traditional dance class where the idea is to master whatever the teacher is doing, inclusive dance asks people
Margot Greenlee. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein
by Pattie Cinelli
to dance to their own best ability and edit or augment as they choose.” Every weekday at 10 a.m. people from the DC metro area, other parts of the U.S. and from around the world get together on zoom with Greenlee or one of her artistic asBodyWise Dance artist educators Jeremy Hunter (at right) and JJ Johnson dance sistants. One student in with intellectually and developmentally/disabled adults in northern VA. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein my class was on vacation, zooming from his hotel with other people elevates mood, creates social conroom. Another participant nection and develops creativity and confidence. Part was a classroom in Virginia of special needs’ teens. of the power of the class is that we ask everyone to reThe dance class is part of her company, Bodyflect, ‘How is my body today?’ ‘How can I dance that Wise Dance, a business she created almost 10 years will help me feel good all throughout the day?’” ago. “Morning Moves 2.0 was a way to keep our Each week Greenlee films one of the weekly group together during COVID. Students classes for YouTube so people can watch any time. hone skills needed for everyday life and alleviate some of the isolation we are all experiencGreenlee’s Inspiration ing. It helps students have a smooth transiGreenlee’s approach to dance is based on 20 years of tion back into the world.” After the half-hour experience in community arts engagement as a solo class students spend 15 minutes talking with artist and as a company member with the Liz Lerman her and each other. Dance Exchange which took her all around the world. Morning Moves 2.0 is an outcome of She has taught classes at the Hill Center, at the CapiGreenlee realizing her passion for creating tol Hill Village and a class for people with Parkinson’s participatory dance-making, civic dialogue disease in northwest DC. and creativity which is the foundation of her A few years ago, Greenlee began travelling to choreographic vision. Greenlee’s passion came Russia in a peer-to-peer exchange program to share from her research into the emotional, social her work on inclusive dance. She said the Russians and practical benefits of group dance in addiwere interested in how people with disabilities cope tion to physical benefits. with daily life in the United States. But COVID “A high percentage of us have some form changed all that. “The exchange program has turned of physical, emotional, or intellectual disabiliinto a video project. Each artist creates a video leading ty such as arthritis, depression, cerebral palan inclusive dance class. It’s in its infancy.” sy or downs syndrome. Studies show dancing September 2021 ★ 107
