GRACE BRIEFLY
This article summarizes a far more detailed description.
Please refer to "GRACE, a new dance form" for more information.

GRACE is a new perspective on dance technique. It is a style of movement which is good for the body, especially good for the joints.

Why is a new dance form needed? The condition of our joints determines more about our wellbeing after the age of 50 than any other factor. It determines whether our lives are full of pain, stiffness and even surgeries like joint replacements or years packed with vitality and satisfaction and enjoyment of life. The difference is often determined by the state of the health of our joints, especially our knees and our lower back.

Unfortunately, traditional dance technique, and in fact most fitness modalities, stress the joints, increasing tension, compression, overuse and duress. In and of itself, that is not a problem. It’s to be expected that we as dancers use our bodies strongly. The problem is that there is often little time set aside for rest, release and reversal of the stress engendered. Over time the stress becomes chronic, ultimately leading to serious issues later.

GRACE technique does the opposite: It expands the joints. It increases the space in the joints instead of compressing them. This in turn decreases inflammation and improves joint health.
  • GRACE supplements what you already do. It does not replace it.
  • Physical training is not a addressed. You will need to develop strength and agility through other means.
  • The elements of GRACE can be applied to any fitness modality.
  • The elements can be used together or independently.
  • Many GRACE elements come from other sources like ballet. 

The elements of GRACE: All have a similar effect, each improves the health of the joints, especially the joints of the spine.

  1. Awareness.
  2. Circling is the most beneficial type of joint movement.
  3. Improve proprioception, particularly of the feet.
  4. Stretch through the joints.
  5. Engage the body fully.
  6. Do not stop at the end of combinations.
  7. Suspend the spine from the nape of the neck.
  8. Form your energy along your body’s natural path.

Developing the ability to visualize is an important part of the GRACE process, as is awareness.

Visualization underlies the entire GRACE process, particularly the ability to imagine that your spine is suspended from the nape of your neck. Visualization is a skill that is amazingly effective in creating healthy physical habits and it is used extensively throughout GRACE.

GRACE study also involves becoming more aware of how dance affects your body. This is a powerful and ongoing technique that can possibly change the trajectory of your dance life and career.

One of the steps in the GRACE process is to set up a foundation for how you want your body to move.

The GRACE process is unusual in that we can establish ground rules that we want our body to observe. One of the most important instructions can establish is to not allow yourself to move in a manner that injures you. This seems simplistic and fantastical but the effects are actually quite stunning. We injure ourselves sometimes overtly, sometimes indirectly, by how we train and practice. We can change that dynamic by trusting in our abilities to, for instance, protect our spine while dancing. But this action needs to be consciously reinforced in your imagination.

We can design any instructions we like: Another ground rule we might establish is to routinely keep our rib cage lifted and our lower back straight. We could ask that our at-rest posture no longer slumps.

Far more detailed information is available. This includes recommendations for how to make dance technique training healthier, along with a detailed description of the dynamic and potentially transformative concepts that are the foundation of GRACE. See "GRACE, a new dance form" for more information.

A road map is available that describes the best manner in which to study GRACE. This includes the order in which subjects should be tackled. Hint: Joint release is a great place to begin.

GRACE, a new dance form:
​GRACE Road Map:
 Detailed description of GRACE.
 Navigating through ideas.
Joint Release:
​Suspension:
Forming:
​GRACE and the Nervous System:
A Question of Energy:
 Begin here. Destress your joints.
 The idea at the heart of GRACE.
 Powerful and necessary.
 Why GRACE is dynamic.
 Biofield science and GRACE.
GRACE Release Exercises:
Breathing Technique For Dancers:
 How to release knee, neck, spine.
​ Very helpful technique for GRACE.
Published June 15, 2026.