Happy FeetBy Richard (Pete) PetersonFebruary 1, 2018

Terri Guillmets once said, “When you dance to your own rhythm, life taps its toes to your beat.” Another expressed, “Dancing is an art. The floor is my canvas. And I am the brush. And whatever I create comes from the heart.” Dele Olanubi said it this way, “I wish to live a life that causes my soul to dance inside my body.” John Dryden stated, “Dancing is the poetry of the foot,” and Delores Ibarruri co-signed with this declarative statement, “Better to die on one’s feet than to live on one’s knees.” Robert Oppenheimer concluded, “The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance; the wise grows it under his feet.” Aldous Huxley imparted, “The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’s foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.” Soren Kierkegard suggested, “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. Not to dare is to lose oneself.” And Clarence Day proclaimed, “You can’t sweep people off their feet if you can’t be swept off your own.”

Therefore, it’s not surprising that Mr. Pete launched a dance initiative on February 1, 2018, for the Young Men of Excellence of Lake Howell. The dance metaphor embodies a myriad of concepts that coalesce with the mission and philosophy of the program. The analogy of dance and the anatomy of its infamous foot allow individuals to conspire to sway and rock to the rhythms found within the human soul. The very breath of its artistry invigorates one tohave discernment to tread lightly but the conviction to straighten up one’s spine to take a stance while rejoicing in each forward move toward destiny. With their “happy feet,” District Coordinator Robert Guy and student Daniel Crawford perform dances ranging from the Cupid Shuffle to Merengue to show their willing compliance to the Vision. Nonetheless, several quotes were listed, in your reading, because it’s not simple to explain the symbolic profundity of dance; it’s just easier to do it!