Hilde Kaiser

There are things we used to do
That we forgot we used to do

This is me at age 4. Like many little girls, I used to take all kinds of dance classes - ballet, jazz and tap - at Bonnie Siscoe School of Dance.

In Middle School, dance parties were alive and well, and my classmates and I rocked out to every genre from the Beastie Boys to Yaz, Erasure, Depeche Mode, and Duran Duran.

In college, I went out dancing once a week at "Sundance" -- the club attached to the Hilton Hotel in our small college town. I also went to hear live music shows (an excuse to dance) at least once a week at Annam Teahouse.

In my twenties I took dance classes early in my relationship with Bill - the foxtrot for our wedding, followed by a year or two of tango. We never made it to salsa lessons, even though it is still something I'd love to do!

In my thirties, I took bellydance for a few years with two friends at The Old Town School of Folk Music, followed by about a year of classes at Jasmin Jahal School of Bellydance, all the way up until I gave birth to Karl at 10 months pregnant. Oh my goodness, bellydance is awesome for the pregnant and birthing body.

In my forties, I discovered at my local gym, after trying Zumba, Yoga, and other workouts. I have tried a few African Dance as well as Bollywood dance classes, but I love Nia the most because, as a sustainable movement system by design, it doesn't hurt my body to do it. This summer, by my count, I'll be taking my 7th and 8th Nia trainings!

I never considered myself a dancer because I was "never one of those girls" on dance teams, obsessed with dance, particularly thin, particularly graceful, or particularly "talented."

I just want you to know, dance belongs to everybody, to every culture. You probably have a dance story if you think about it. I'd love to hear it!

My May newsletter just went out 🌝
If you are a subscriber, make sure to check your spam folder in case it landed there. It's been a while since I sent one of these out! Here's a copy for everybody:

Why, hello!