Today was the second session of PALETTE in Motion.  I couldn’t wait to enter the same judge-free-zone I had left two weeks earlier.  The friendly and supportive atmosphere achieved during the first session had relieved all of my initial hesitations about dancing in front of strangers; I had quickly learned that no matter if you were a student or senior volunteer, we were all entering unknown territory and accepting the challenge at hand.  I spent all morning anxiously awaiting the mid-afternoon movement arts class that I knew would make me feel joyous both mentally and physically.  As I entered the dance studio today, I was excited to see new and returning faces.

Our task today was to move beyond spontaneous movements in order to try our hand at choreographed movements.  The eye contact and coordinated actions required during the various exercises allowed me to connect with my groupmates on a deeper level than if we had simply talked amongst ourselves.  My three person team composed of one senior volunteer, another student volunteer, and myself worked together to create a brief movement sequence – complete with a beginning, middle, and end.  Our final product was achieved by giving equal consideration to each other’s ideas and communicating effectively.  I noticed that the senior member of our group exuded confidence as all three of us engaged in this unknown world of choreography; not to mention, she had a huge smile on her face the entire time.  After we completed our routine, we  watched the performance of two student volunteers grouped with a senior volunteer of limited mobility.  It was beautiful to watch as the two student volunteers structured their movements such that they framed the senior member dancing in the middle of the trio.  I left today’s class feeling rejuvenated for the second time in a row.  I only hope that I am as brave and confident as the current senior members when I’m old enough to be a senior member.  Despite having only been with these wonderful senior ladies for such a short amount of time, they have taught me to never stop challenging myself, never underestimate myself, and most importantly, never stop having fun!

Kayla Miller, graduate student in Pharmacy