[ID: Rowena Richie, a smiling white woman with salt and pepper wavy hair, is sitting on a grassy lawn on a sunny day. She wears a long sleeve shirt, black vest, pants, and sneakers. In front of her, there is a burlap doormat that says “Welcome” in block letters.]
For years Dancers’ Group has invested in me. They’ve cared for my health artistically. They’ve championed my dance theater projects, published personal essays in these pages, even supported a video collaboration about weaving in Peru.
Weaving feels like an apt metaphor for guest-editing this issue.
What a gift, tapping the intelligence and wisdom of old friends and new who have contributed writing to this issue. Thank you for trusting me, divulging vulnerabilities and sharing expertise. Thank you, Dancers’ Group!
The theme of health and wellness has been a major focus of mine over the past decade, first as a cancer survivor and then as a fellow at the Global Brain Health Institute.
The resulting collection is “Not Your Typical Dance Wellness Issue.”
You’ll hear from folks from around the globe and from a variety of professional backgrounds, ages and identities. Threads emerge: healing trauma, bridging difference and the sheer joy of movement, and watching others move, is woven through.
I think you’ll see the connection between dance, on the one hand, and wellness, on the other, is essential to supporting our fragile but resilient humanity.
These pieces have touched me, transported me, given me hope and reaffirmed my commitment to making dance healthy.
Welcome to our tapestry!
Rowena Richie, Guest Editor
This article appeared in the Summer 2022 issue of In Dance.
